Allies & the worldJoyful
· Day 71 of 1418
The first Arctic convoy, “Dervish”
Arkhangelsk
- Arctic convoys sailed during the war
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- Arctic convoys sailed during the war
On 31 August 1941 the first British convoy of aid arrived in Arkhangelsk. Dozens more followed: sailors from many countries crossed icy northern seas under bombs and torpedoes to deliver tanks, planes and medicine.
The first convoy, “Dervish”, had only a handful of ships. They brought wool, rubber and the first British Hurricane fighters. After that the convoys sailed until the end of the war, through the polar night, storms and frost, when decks were covered in thick ice. U-boats and aircraft attacked them.
The worst thing was to end up in the water: in that icy sea a person could survive only a few minutes. The sailors of the Arctic convoys are still remembered with gratitude in Russia.
See it on the map