Convoy QP 11

QP 11 consisted of 13 merchant ships, mostly British or American, including five ships that had been a part of Convoy PQ 13. The convoy sailed from the Soviet port of Murmansk on 28 April 1942. The convoy was escorted by the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh, the destroyers {{HMS|Amazon|D39|6}}, {{HMS|Beagle|H30|2}}, Beverley, {{HMS|Bulldog|H91|2}}, {{HMS|Foresight|H68|2}} and {{HMS|Forester|H74|6}}, the {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}}s {{HMS|Campanula|K18|6}}, {{HMS|Oxlip|K123|2}}, {{HMS|Saxifrage|K04|2}} and {{HMS|Snowflake|K211|2}}, with the armed trawler {{HMS|Lord Middleton|FY219|6}}. Edinburgh was an escort and carried $20 million in gold, a payment from the Soviet Union to the United States.{{sfn|Edwards|2002|pp=95–98}}

On 29 April, the convoy was spotted by a German Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft and U-boats.{{sfn|Jessop|Hanson|2002|pp=258–266}} On 30 April, two days out from Murmansk, {{GS|U-88|1941|2}} and {{GS|U-436||2}} made attacks on the convoy to no effect.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=162}} Later that day, {{GS|U-456||2}} hit Edinburgh twice. One torpedo hit the cruiser's forward boiler room while the other hit the cruiser's stern, destroying its rudder and two of its four propellers.{{sfn|Edwards|2002|pp=95–98}} Edinburgh was badly damaged but remained afloat; it left the convoy and turned towards Murmansk, escorted by Foresight and Forester. Several ships were sent from Murmansk to assist Edinburgh, among them the British {{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper}}s {{HMS|Gossamer|J63|6}}, {{HMS|Harrier|J71|2}}, {{HMS|Hussar|J82|2}} and {{HMS|Niger|J73|2}}, the Soviet destroyers {{ship|Soviet destroyer|Gremyashchy|1937|2}} and {{ship|Soviet destroyer|Sokrushitelny|1937|2}}, the Soviet guard ship Rubin and a tug.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=162}}

The German command sent the three destroyers of {{lang|de|Zerstörergruppe Arktis}}, {{ship|German destroyer|Z7 Hermann Schoemann||2}}, {{ship|German destroyer|Z24||2}} and {{ship|German destroyer|Z25||2}} ({{lang|de|Kapitän zur See}} Alfred Schulze-Hinrichs), to attack Convoy QP 11 and then sink HMS Edinburgh. The German ships reached the convoy in the afternoon on 1 May. The weather was cold; intermittent snow and rain limited visibility. Hermann Schoemann opened fire at 14:05. The four British destroyers formed up between the German destroyers and the convoy and engaged them at a range of about {{cvt|10000|yd}}. Amazon was hit twice and severely damaged. At 14:30 a German torpedo salvo hit and sank the Soviet freighter Tsiolkovski. At 17:50 the German destroyers turned to pursue Edinburgh.{{sfn|O'Hara|2011|pp=188–190}}

The flotilla found Edinburgh {{cvt|250|nmi}} east of the convoy at 06:17 on 2 May, moving at {{cvt|2|kn}}.{{sfn|Jessop|Hanson|2002|pp=258–266}} Edinburgh was escorted by Foresight, Forester, the four British minesweepers and Rubin, Gremyaschi and Sokrushitelny had returned to Murmansk due to a lack of fuel.{{sfn|Edwards|2002|pp=95–98}} The three German destroyers engaged the British ships. Due to the damage caused by U-456, Edinburgh was unable to manoeuvre and could only steam in circles. A snow shower separated Herman Schoemann from the other German destroyers and it attacked the British ships alone.{{sfn|O'Hara|2011|pp=188–190}} Edinburgh{{'}}s targeting systems had been destroyed by the torpedo explosions but its gunners managed to hit and cripple Hermann Schoemann.{{sfn|Jessop|Hanson|2002|pp=258–266}} At 18:45, Z24 and Z25 arrived. Z25 hit and disabled Forester and then badly damaged Foresight.{{sfn|O'Hara|2011|pp=188–190}} At 18:52 a salvo of torpedoes from one of the German destroyers missed Foresight and Forester but one torpedo kept going and struck Edinburgh in the middle of its left side, opposite the hole made by U-456{{'}}s torpedo.{{sfn|Jessop|Hanson|2002|pp=258–266}} The German ships soon withdrew, possibly because they overestimated the strength of the British minesweepers. At 08:15, Z24 rescued most of the crew of Hermann Schoemann who were still on the deck and then scuttled it.{{sfn|O'Hara|2011|pp=188–190}} More survivors from Hermann Schoemann who were in life rafts were later rescued by U-88. Harrier and Gossamer took survivors off Edinburgh, which was then scuttled by a torpedo from Foresight.{{sfn|Edwards|2002|pp=95–98}}

The rest of the voyage of Convoy QP 11 saw unsuccessful attacks on the convoy by the submarines {{GS|U-589||2}} and {{GS|U-251||2}}. The twelve remaining merchant ships of the convoy arrived in Iceland on 7 May.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=162}}

{{reflist|20em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Bernard |title=The Road to Russia: Arctic Convoys 1942 |year=2002 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-59114-732-8}}
• {{cite book |last1=Jessop |first1=Keith |last2=Hanson |first2=Neil |title=Goldfinder |year=2002 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |location=Danvers, MA |isbn=0-471-40733-X}}
• {{cite book |last=O'Hara |first=Vincent P. |editor-first=Spencer C. |editor-last=Tucker |title=World War II at Sea: An Encyclopedia |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO, LLC |location=Santa Barbara, CA |isbn=978-1-59884-457-3}}
• {{cite book |first1=Jürgen |last1=Rohwer |first2=Gerhard |last2=Hümmelchen |title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |year=2005 |orig-year=1972 |publisher=Chatham |location=London |edition=3rd rev. |isbn=978-1-86176-257-3}}
• {{cite book |last1=Ruegg |first1=R. |last2=Hague |first2=A. |title=Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 |year=1993 |orig-year=1992 |publisher=World Ship Society |location=Kendal |edition=2nd rev. enl. |isbn=0-905617-66-5}}

{{refend}}

• {{cite book |last1=Boog |first1=H. |last2=Rahn |first2=W. |last3=Stumpf |first3=R. |last4=Wegner |first4=B. |translator1-last=Osers |translator1-first=E. |translator2-last=Brownjohn |translator2-first=J. |translator3-last=Crampton |translator3-first=P. |translator4-last=Willmot |translator4-first=L. |series=Germany in the Second World War |title=The Global War: Widening of the Conflict into a World War and the Shift of the Initiative 1941–1943 |year=2001 |volume=VI |publisher=Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History) |location=Potsdam |edition=Eng trans. Oxford University Press, London |isbn=0-19-822888-0}}

• {{cite book |last=Claasen |first=A. R. A. |title=Hitler's Northern War: The Luftwaffe's Ill-fated Campaign, 1940–1945 |year=2001 |publisher=University Press of Kansas |location=Lawrence, KS |isbn=0-7006-1050-2}}
• {{cite book |last1=Hancock |first1=W. K. |author-link1=Keith Hancock (historian) |last2=Gowing |first2=M. M. |author-link2=Margaret Gowing |editor-last=Hancock |editor-first=W. K. |series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Civil Series |title=British War Economy |year=1949 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |oclc=630191560}}
• {{cite book |last=Hinsley |first=F. H. |author-link=Harry Hinsley |series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series |title=British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations |location=London |publisher=HMSO |year=1994 |orig-year=1993 |edition=2nd rev. abr. |isbn=978-0-11-630961-7}}
• {{cite book |last=Hobbs |first=David |title=The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe 1939–1945 |year=2022 |publisher=Seaforth (Pen & Sword) |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-5267-9979-1}}
• {{cite book |last=Kahn |first=D. |author-link=David Kahn (writer) |title=The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing |year=1973 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |edition=10th abr. Signet, Chicago |oclc=78083316 |lccn=63-16109}}
• {{cite book |first=Paul |last=Kemp |title=Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters |year=1993 |publisher=Arms and Armour Press |location=London |isbn=1-85409-130-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/convoydramainarc0000kemp_k9q5 |via=Archive Foundation}}
• {{cite book |title=The Searchers: Radio Intercept in two World Wars |last=Macksey |first=K. |author-link=Kenneth Macksey |year=2004 |orig-year=2003 |publisher=Cassell |location=London |edition=Cassell Military Paperbacks |isbn=978-0-304-36651-4}}
• {{cite book |last=Paterson |first=Lawrence |title=Steel and Ice: The U-boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941–45 |location=Stroud |publisher=The History Press |date=2016 |isbn= 978-1-59114-258-4}}
• {{cite book |series=History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series |title=The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Defensive |volume=I |last=Roskill |first=S. W. |author-link=Stephen Roskill |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=J. R. M. |editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler |year=1957 |orig-year=1954 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |edition=4th impr. |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-I/index.html |oclc=881709135 |archive-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227021618/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-I/index.html |url-status=live}}
• {{cite book |first=Richard |last=Woodman |author-link=Richard Woodman |year=2004 |orig-year=1994 |title=Arctic Convoys 1941–1945 |publisher=John Murray |location=London |isbn=978-0-7195-5752-1}}

{{Arctic convoys}}

{{World War II}}

QP 11

Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Germany

C

Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the Soviet Union