Part of Arctic naval operations of the Second World War
German occupied Norway (in green) lay along the flank of the sea route to northern Russia
Date
21–30 May 1942
Location
Arctic Ocean
Result
Allied victory
Belligerents
Allies
Germany
Commanders and leaders
Newell Gale (convoy) Richard Onslow (escorts)
Alexander Holle Hans Roth Hermann Busch
Units involved
PQ 16 and escorts
Luftflotte 5
Strength
36 merchant ships varying number of escorts
108 aircraft
Casualties and losses
7 ships sunk 1 turned back
3–6 aircraft shot down 1 damaged 2 U-boats damaged
v
t
e
Arctic naval operations of World War II
1940
Weserübung
Narvik
Alphabet
Juno
1941
Claymore
Polyarny
1942
Sportpalast
Rösselsprung
Doppelschlag (cancelled)
Zarin
Wunderland
Cape Pikshuev
Orator
Motovsky Gulf
Barents Sea
Regenbogen
1943
Kara Sea
Zitronella
Ostfront
North Cape
1944
Mascot
Petsamo–Kirkenes
Convoys 1941
Dervish
PQ 1
PQ 2
PQ 3
PQ 4
PQ 5
PQ 6
PQ 7
QP 1
QP 2
QP 3
QP 4
1942
PQ 8
PQ 9/10
QP 10
PQ 11
PQ 12
PQ 13
QP 13
PQ 14
QP 14
PQ 15
QP 15
QP 11
PQ 16
PQ 17
PQ 18
FB
JW 51A
JW 51B
QP 5
QP 6
QP 7
QP 8
QP 9
QP 12
RA 51
1943
JW 52
JW 53
JW 54A
JW 54B
JW 55A
JW 55B
RA 52
RA 53
RA 54A
RA 54B
RA 55A
RA 55B
1944
JW 56A
JW 56B
JW 57
JW 58
JW 59
JW 60
JW 61
JW 61A
JW 62
JW 63
JW 64
RA 56
RA 57
RA 58
RA 59
RA 59A
RA 60
RA 61
RA 61A
RA 62
RA 63
1945
JW 64
JW 65
JW 66
JW 67
RA 64
RA 65
RA 66
RA 67
Convoy PQ 16 (21–30 May 1942) was an Arctic convoy of British, United States and Allied ships from Iceland to Murmansk and Archangelsk in the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy was the largest yet and was provided with a considerable number of escorts and submarines. QP 12, a return convoy, sailed on the same day
As Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the Soviet Union had failed in 1941, the Germans began to build up forces in Norway to intercept Arctic convoys with ships, aircraft and U-boats rather than rely on a quick victory. Luftflotte 5 (Air Fleet 5), the Luftwaffe in force Norway, was reinforced with bombers and torpedo-bombers in early 1942 and reorganised to attack convoys as they passed between the Norwegian coast and the ice of the Arctic, which was still close to its southern winter limit.
The sun remained above the horizon at this time of year and the deck crews of the ships found the perpetual daylight fatiguing and stressful; glare from sunshine reflecting off ice being particularly difficult for observers. On 25 May air attacks began, the German bombers and torpedo-bombers co-ordinating their attacks. Torpedo-bombers launched at the same time to make it harder for ships to evade the torpedoes. The air attacks continued until 1 June and sank six ships, one other being lost to a U-boat; 3–6 German aircraft were shot down and one damaged; on 27 May, 108 attacks by aircraft had been counted.
After the convoy, the escort commander recommended that convoys be given far more anti-aircraft fire-power and air cover from an escort carrier. The Germans claimed the virtual destruction of the convoy and concluded that air operations were more effective than submarine attacks in the long hours of daylight. The German tactic of combined dive-bombing and torpedo-bombing, with the torpedoes being dropped in a salvo (Golden comb) was vindicated.
ConvoyPQ16 (21–30 May 1942) was an Arctic convoy of British, United States and Allied ships from Iceland to Murmansk and Archangelsk in the Soviet Union...
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...
30 May 1942, the surviving ships of ConvoyPQ16 arrived, most ships to Murmansk and eight to Archangel; the convoy was such a success in terms of the...
ConvoyPQ 18 was an Arctic convoy of forty Allied freighters from Scotland and Iceland to Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany...
in several arctic convoys of World War II as a general-purpose cargo ship. For the heroic actions while taking part in ConvoyPQ16 the ship was awarded...
PQ 13 was a British Arctic convoy that delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack...
ConvoyPQ 12 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in March 1942,...
ConvoyPQ 14 was an Arctic convoy sent from Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Convoys from Britain had...
ConvoyPQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy sailed in late...
ConvoyPQ 7 was the eighth of the Arctic convoys of the Second World War by which the Western Allies supplied material aid to the Soviet Union in its fight...
of World War II were fought around convoys, including: ConvoyPQ16, May 1942 ConvoyPQ 17, June–July 1942 ConvoyPQ 18, September 1942 Operation Pedestal...
Admiral Scheer in Narvik. KG 26 and KG 30 damaged 5127-ton Carlton from ConvoyPQ16, and U-703 sank 6191-ton Syros. Continuing aircraft attacks sank Alamar...
ConvoyPQ 8 (8–17 January 1942) was an Arctic convoy of the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy left Iceland...
ConvoyPQ 17 was the penultimate of the PQ/QP series of arctic convoys, bound from British ports through the Arctic Ocean via Reykjavík to the White Sea...
Convoy QP 13 was an Arctic convoy of the PQ/QP series which ran during the Second World War. It was the thirteenth of the numbered series of convoys of...
ConvoyPQ 18 was the last of the PQ/QP series of arctic convoys during World War II, bound from US and British ports via Reykjavík in Iceland to the Barents...
joined QP 10. QP 10 consisted of 16 merchant ships. During the voyage, six ships from the Britain-to-Russia convoyPQ 14 joined QP 10 after turning back...
The Philippine city of Bacolod was occupied by the Japanese. Allied convoyPQ16 departed Iceland for the Soviet Union. The Mexican oil tanker Faja de...
Electrotechnical University "LETI" Soviet ship Stary Bolshevik, for the courage in ConvoyPQ16 (World War II). Sergey Afanasyev (Soviet "Space Minister", awarded 7...
anti-aircraft gunner on the ship Stary Bolshevik. For his actions during ConvoyPQ16 he and several other crewmembers of the ship were awarded the title Hero...
This is a List of Allied convoys during World War II by region. "Norwegian Campaign, World War 2 at Sea, April 1940". "Norwegian Campaign, World War 2...
arrived in Arkhangelsk with convoyPQ16 and subsequently spent eight weeks unloading ships from the ill-fated convoyPQ 17. A Russian naval-base supports...
rescue service from 26 February 1941, sailed with 68 convoys, including ConvoyPQ 17 and Convoy SC 130, rescued 665 survivors. Also participated in QP14...
against ConvoyPQ 17 in July 1942 to attack convoyPQ 18 the next Arctic convoy of the Western Allies. Following the victory over ConvoyPQ 17, the Kriegsmarine...
member of ConvoyPQ16, which departed on 21 May. On 24 May, the convoy was spotted by a Blohm & Voss Ha 139 reconnaissance aircraft. The convoy was to remain...
the approach of arctic convoyPQ-16. He shot down three Ju-88s, but crashed into the sea following engine failure. The convoy escorts were unable to find...
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