QP 14 was an

Arctic convoy The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

of the QP series which ran during World War II. It was one of a series of convoys run to return Allied ships from

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

northern ports to home ports in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. It sailed in September 1942 from

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

in Russia to

Loch Ewe Loch Ewe ( gd, Loch Iùbh) is a sea loch in the region of Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig-speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most no ...

in Scotland.

Ships

The convoy initially consisted of 20 merchant ships, most of which had arrived with

PQ 17 PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied Arctic convoy during the Second World War. On 27 June 1942, the ships sailed from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoy was located by German forces on 1 July, a ...

. The

convoy commodore Convoy commodore also known as commodore, convoys was the title of a civilian put in charge of the good order of the merchant ships in the British convoys used during World War II. Usually the convoy commodore was a retired naval officer or a sen ...

was

Capt Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. JCK Dowding, in ''Ocean Voice''. The close escort comprised two destroyers, four corvettes, three ASW minesweepers, and four ASW trawlers, supplemented by three AA cruisers. Most of these had also arrived with PQ 17. Senior Officer for the escort was Capt. JHF Crombie, in the minesweeper ''Bramble''. The convoy was joined at sea by the ocean escort from PQ 18, comprising the cruiser ''Scylla'', the escort carrier ''Avenger'', and 16 destroyers. These were supported by a cruiser cover force, of three cruisers and eight destroyers, and a distant cover force of two battleships, a cruiser, and four destroyers.Ruegg, Hague pp44-45Kemp p108-110 This was a substantial force, though weakened by its five day battle protecting PQ 18. QP 14 was opposed by a patrol line of seven boats (an ''ad hoc'' group formed from the U-boats that attacked PQ 18) in the Norwegian Sea, and by German air forces, though these were also depleted from their attack on PQ 18.

Voyage

QP 14 departed Archangel on 13 September, the day after the attack on PQ 18 started. It was accompanied by a local escort of four ASW minesweepers, which departed after two days. On 16 September QP 14 passed PQ 18 and the ocean escort began to transfer, leaving in groups to avoid drawing attention. QP 14 remained undetected until 20 September, when was attacked and sunk by . A search for the U-boat found nothing. That afternoon the two submarines detached from the convoy in an attempt to strike at the shadowing U-boats, which were travelling on the surface to maintain speed. In poor weather detected and fired four torpedoes at her, but the U-boat was warned by a premature explosion and escaped.Smith p183 That night the convoy was attacked again; ''Silver Sword'', of the Sword Line Inc., was sunk by , and the destroyer was torpedoed by . She was taken in tow, but foundered four days later, before she could be brought to port. On 22 September ''U-435'' penetrated the escort screen and torpedoed three ships, one of them, ''Ocean Voice'', carrying the convoy commodore, leaving him adrift for the second time (his ship in PQ 17 had been sunk also). The oiler was also hit, and could not be saved; she was scuttled later that day. On 23 September the pursuing was attacked and sunk by a Liberator of

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

, flying escort for the convoy.Smith pp188-9 QP 14 arrived at Loch Ewe on 26 September.

Ships in the convoy

Merchant ships

Escorts

Axis forces

U-boats

References

Bibliography

* Blair, Clay. ''Hitler's U-boat War Vol I''. (1996) . * Kemp, Paul. ''Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters'' (1993) . * R Ruegg, A Hague (1992) ''Convoys to Russia'' * P Smith (1975) ''Arctic Victory''

External links

QP.14 at convoyweb
{{Arctic convoys QP 14 C