From Yorkshire to Archangel by David Wherrett

Author:David Wherrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2017-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

As a footnote to this episode, Commodore Dowding was eventually to receive a CBE in recognition of his valiant efforts on this east bound Arctic convoy, and the subsequent homeward journey (QP.14), when the Commodore was to once again find himself on a life raft.

Throughout that Sunday, the constant crackle of distress signals from sinking and burning ships would have been being picked up on board Zamalek. The little rescue ship had now become part of a group consisting of the minesweepers, Britomart and Halcyon, as well as the anti-aircraft ship, Pozarica, which was carrying the ‘Fleet Street’ war correspondent, Godfrey Winn. By around 8pm on the evening of July 5th these ships, and other scattered little allied flotillas, were now only a matter of hours away from their first destination, Novaya Zemlya. But, amongst the officers and crews of the remnants of PQ.17 there would surely have been a growing unease that Sunday night. News and rumour would have been circulating suggesting that Tirpitz, along with other enemy capital ships, had left their Norwegian anchorages earlier that day, and were probably now steering a north-westerly course out into the Barents Sea. At just before 8.30pm, ships’ Captains and Masters began to receive the message that they did not want to hear. The Tirpitz led battle-group, charting a westward course, were now thought to be only around 250 miles away from the allied ships heading for Novaya Zemlya. At current speeds, this would have meant that the 42,500-ton Tirpitz, with its arsenal of 15-inch guns, might be able to intercept Zamalek and the other allied vessels before they could reach the relative safety of Novaya Zemlya. Today, we are now aware that the German battle-group had in fact received the order to abort its mission at 10pm that evening. But, my father remembered the worry, fear, and nervousness felt amongst the crew of Zamalek that Sunday evening, as rumours spread concerning the likely whereabouts of this formidable enemy battleship.

CHAPTER EIGHT

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