PQ 12 consisted of 16 ships under the command of the Convoy Commodore, Hubert Hudson. The Close Escort comprised the minesweeper HMS Gossamer and five whalers. These were joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort of the destroyers, HMS Oribi (Commander J. E. H. McBeath, Senior Officer Escort) and Offa with the cruiser HMS Kenya. Distant cover was provided by two Heavy Cover Forces; one comprising the battleship HMS Duke of York (Vice Admiral Alban Curteis commanding), the battlecruiser HMS Renown and six destroyers, sailing from Reykjavík and another led by Admiral John Tovey comprising the battleship HMS King George V, the carrier HMS Victorious, the cruiser HMS Berwick and six destroyers, sailing from Scapa Flow.
PQ 12 sailed from Reykjavík on 1 March 1942 with its Close Escort.[1] It was joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort and on 6 March by the cruiser Kenya. Also at sea were the Heavy Cover Forces, Curteis from Reykjavík sailing on 3 March and Tovey from Scapa Flow on 4 March. On 5 March the convoy was sighted by a German reconnaissance aircraft and on 6 March, after obtaining permission from Hitler to do so, Tirpitz sortied from Trondheim with three destroyers as escort. This was Operation Sportpalast, and was intended to find and destroy PQ 12 and its reciprocal, QP 8, which was also at sea.
Shortly after sailing Tirpitz was sighted by the patrolling submarine HMS Seawolf and the Heavy Cover Forces, now joined, sought to bring Tirpitz to action. Over the next two days these groups of ships manoeuvred around each other without coming into contact, though on two occasions they were 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) apart. Tirpitz had no success, though her destroyers encountered one straggler from QP 8, the freighter Ijora, and sank her. Finally on 9 March as Tirpitz headed for home, she was sighted by aircraft from Victorious and attacked, though also without success.
PQ 12 arrived at Murmansk on 12 March.[1] No ships were lost, though the escort suffered one whaler lost, Shera, capsized by ice buildup and Oribi, damaged by pack ice. On 24 March, Lancaster Castle was dive-bombed alongside the quay in Murmansk and ten men were killed.[2] It was towed out and moored in the river, the crew remaining on board. A few days later it was dive-bombed again and received five hits. There were no casualties but the crew moved to shore. PQ 12 provided valuable military equipment and other materials for the Soviet war effort. The distribution of equipment and supplies delivered with PQ 12 was the subject of a Soviet State Defence Committee decree.[3]
^Convoys had a standard formation of short columns, number 1 to port in the direction of travel. Each position in the column was numbered; position number 11 was the first ship in column 1, 12 was the second ship in the column; position number 21 was the first ship in column 2.[5]
^Joined Sevaples 10 March, shot down aircraft 12 March
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