8️⃣5️⃣ years ago, on August 31, 1941, the first Arctic Convoy, codenamed 'Operation Dervish', arrived in Arkhangelsk, opening the route for delivering strategic supplies to the northern ports of the Soviet Union during #WW2.
Seven ships (six freighters and a tanker), escorted by 15 security vessels, minesweepers and corvettes, embarked on a perilous voyage from Liverpool, pausing to refuel at Hvalfjörður, Iceland. The ships advanced in short columns while constantly changing course to hinder German submarine attacks.
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According to the allied obligations under the Lend-Lease and other agreements, the United States and the United Kingdom supplied the USSR weapons, military equipment, and other supplies via the Arctic routes. On their return voyages, the ships carried strategic commodities and raw materials.
The first convoy successfully delivered 25'000 tonnes of cargo to Arkhangelsk, equivalent to roughly 300–400 railway wagons or 1'500 modern lorries.
Maritime delivery via the Black Sea or the Baltic Sea was impossible due to the Germans’ swift advances on Crimea and Leningrad. The Pacific route was extremely lengthy. The Arctic route proved to be the shortest option.
The port of Murmansk alone received over 1 million tons of Allied (American and British) Lend-Lease aid cargo during the war years.
Over the course of WWII, 78 Arctic convoys delivered around 4 million tonnes of supplies to the USSR. These shipments included 7'000 aircraft, 5'000 tanks, as well as lorries, cars, fuel, medicine and other essentials that proved vital to defeating the Nazi invaders.
The Arctic convoys stand as a remarkable example of allied cooperation during #WWII. Their history offers countless acts of heroism and selflessness demonstrated by UK, American and Soviet sailors and pilots, as well as citizens of other nations who escorted the convoys through the harsh conditions of the #Arctic. More than 3'000 British sailors perished during the war due to explosions, fires or exposure to freezing water. Eighty-five merchant vessels and 16 Royal Navy warships were lost, including two cruisers and six destroyers.
#Victory81
