ARKHANGELSK, August 12. /TASS/. The exhibition - Allied (Northern) Convoys and Lend-Lease 1941-1945 - will be presented in Arkhangelsk. It will open at the Northern Arctic Federal University (NArFU), Senior Lecturer at the General History Department Nikolay Danilov told TASS. The exhibition, dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Dervish, first Allied convoy, arrival in Arkhangelsk on August 31, 1941, tells about some little-known facts from the history of convoys.
"St. Petersburg's International Center for Northern Convoys Foundation has prepared an exhibition, dedicated to the memory of the Northern convoys. Its opening at NArFU is timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the arrival in Arkhangelsk of the first Allied convoy - Dervish, also known as PQ-0. The exhibition at the university will be working till early October. The exposition covers little-known moments in the history of convoys. The exhibition features mostly not information, but rather objects, things, and authentic artifacts. It is designed to show a living story," the historian said.
The exposition showcases feature more than 200 items, many of which are authentic artifacts from World War II. For example, personal belongings of the convoys' participants: the USSR's Captain Platon Patrushev and the UK's sailor Charles Brodie. Other exhibits are state awards of the Soviet Union and the allied countries of the anti-Hitler coalition for participation in World War II and the northern convoys; details of equipment: Soviet Naval peakless caps' ribbons, cockades, a sailor's pass, a foreigner's registration card, a knife for opening envelopes originating from the PQ convoy ship, a silk handkerchief of an American officer, as well as what was supplied under Lend-lease, including a straight razor, a snuffbox, and shoe polish.
A separate showcase tells about the Northern Fleet's icebreakers: the Joseph Stalin, the Lenin, the Krasin, the Anastas Mikoyan. While working on the exhibition, experts found the 1942 sailors menu from the Stalin icebreaker: "Breakfast: buckwheat porridge, butter, cocoa, white bread. Lunch: noodle soup, liver and porridge. Dinner: omelet, tea." The showcase contains personal belongings of Captain Alexander Shabalin, who shipped the newly-built Stalin icebreaker to the Northern Fleet: his pocket watch with an engraving of gratitude dated 1934, a 1949 certificate, and a medal For Labor Valor. The showcase presents a re-created corner of a wartime navigator's desk with authentic instruments.
The Izhora bulk log carrier's feat
One of the information stands is dedicated entirely to the militant brotherhood - the little-known Benedict mission, during which Great Britain's pilots side by side with Soviet pilots defended the Northern convoys from the air.
Another story in the exhibition is about the tragic death of the Izhora bulk log carrier. The vessel's crew engaged in an unequal battle with the German squadron on March 7, 1942. The Nazi discovered the ship carrying logs after the Izhora had fallen behind the convoy due to a breakdown. The Russian sailors engaged in battle against several Nazi destroyers, led by the Tirpitz battleship, and managed to transmit a radio message to warn the convoys of danger. The Izhora opened fire with a single gun and kept fighting for almost an hour against the battleship and three destroyers. The ship sank, killing 34 sailors. However, PQ-12 and PQ-8 convoys did receive the radio messages and thus learned about the German squadron in the area.
The International Center for Northern Convoys Foundation (St. Petersburg) is looking for descendants of the Izhora bulk log carrier's crew, and also intends to ensure that the vessel's all crew members are presented with awards, including at the state level. "We invite everyone, primarily school, college and university students, to join us in this search," the foundation noted.
About the Northern convoys
Northern convoys, also called Arctic convoys, were a method used during World War II to deliver goods from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain to the Soviet Union by sea via the North Atlantic under the Lend-Lease program. The convoys were formed in Liverpool and Loch Ewe Bay in the UK, as well as in Reykjavik and other ports in Iceland. Their route lay around occupied Norway. The ships covered the distance to the ports of Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Molotovsk (Severodvinsk) within 10-14 days.
The British Admiralty carried out the planning and command of the convoys. The transport vessels belonged to the USSR and the allies, mainly the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. They were covered mainly by the British Navy. In the Barents Sea, the Soviet Northern Fleet's ships joined them.
The first convoy, dubbed Dervish, arrived in Arkhangelsk on August 31, 1941.
Between August 1941 and May 1945, there were 81 convoys (42 convoys to the USSR, and 39 convoys from the USSR), or more than 1,400 ships. The convoys delivered to Soviet ports 4.2 million tons of cargo, including 7,000 aircraft and 5,000 tanks.