Convoy PQ-18 Part 1
Convoy PQ-18 Part 2

0400, 14 September, 1942 position 75.57”N x 21.45”E, a merchant tanker, last ship in column six, was torpedoed by a submarine which hit her near the stern and caused a very large explosion. She remained partly afloat while fiercely burning. A British destroyer eventually had to sink her.

HARRY’S NOTE - that would be the 8,992 ton British motor tanker ATHELTEMPLAR, sunk by U-457 under command of KorvettenKapitän Karl Brandenburg.

At 0800 a reconnaissance plane was observed on starboard beam - out of gun range. Secured from General Quarters after plane disappeared.

At 0900 apparently number of submarines in vicinity as many depth charges dropped around and among the convoy. Apparently one submarine sunk to our starboard as much oil and debris was observed coming to the surface there.

HARRY’S NOTE - This was U-88 under command of Kapitänleutnant Heino Bohmann sunk by HMS ONSLOW or U-589 under command of Kapitänleutnant Hans-Joachim Horrer sunk by HMS FALKNOR. Both these U-Boats were sunk in the same area about the same time with all hands lost, so it is unclear which boat the writer saw being destroyed.

At 1230 General Quarters sounded. 15 torpedo planes appeared on the horizon flying very low off our starboard bow. Escort vessels which surrounded convoy let loose with a fierce attack on them. They scattered and then came in from directly ahead and from the port of the convoy, flying in pairs. They continued their attack this time on the heavy British cruiser which was the lead ship in the center of the convoy, and the aircraft carrier which was then in a position well aft and to the port side of the convoy.

These two ships so well defended themselves that some of the planes were shot down by them and they continued in their position. However, they had many close calls and we thought many times that they had been hit - the bombs were falling so close. We could not tell how close the torpedoes came to them.

As on previous attacks, the planes strafed the ships with machine gun fire at every opportunity. Apparently they did not do much damage with the machine gun fire. We did learn afterwards that some men had been wounded by them.

The planes seemed to ‘be on their own’ and began attacks by flying in a ‘hedge-hopping’ manner over the convoy. One plane was shot down by the gunner on one of the 20mm forward guns and another completely destroyed when it exploded after being hit by our forward 3” gun, when these planes were coming at us preparatory to launching torpedoes.

A third plane coming at us from a little aft of the port beam was leveling off to launch her torpedoes when I fired practically a full magazine of shells into it thereby causing it to start burning and upset its plan of attack. It apparently tried to gain altitude and tried to go ahead of our bow. I continued firing on it until it crashed head on into the side of the SS MARY LUCHENBACH, when a terrible explosion occurred completely destroying the plane and the ship. The forward gunners seemed to think that a plane attacking the MARY LUCHENBACH from her starboard at the same time may have torpedoed the ship about the time the other plane crashed into it. Apparently both planes were destroyed by the explosion.

The MARY LUCHENBACH was in column directly ahead of our ship, about 800 feet but a little out of line to port when she was hit. The explosion was so severe that it threw most of us flat on the deck. As I was firing the gun it seemed to almost mash me into the gun and mount, bruising my right knee quite badly. The fires in our fireroom were extinguished, and the steering gear impaired, the compasses went ‘haywire’ and slight damage done to various parts of the ship. an armor-piercing shell of about 80mm hit an iron rail on the bridge deck cutting into it and tore a piece of concrete out of the deck. It then fell to a crate on deck. Numerous pieces of metal fell on the ship, including another shell like the one described above, which penetrated a crated airplane on the after deck and the hatch cover of No. 4 hatch finally lodging almost thru the heavy board and within about 400 tons of T.N.T.!

Due to the heavy explosion, it was thought that our hull had been damaged. Soundings were made and it was found no damage had been done.

When the ship exploded, we were so close to it that before the engines could be reversed, our bow was at the edge of the wall of flames. However, as the flames died down within about one minute of the explosion, no damage was done in this respect to our ship. We later were informed that considerable damage was caused to the SS NATHANIEL GREEN by the explosion as she, altho farther away than our ship, was broadside to the exploded ship.

As we passed thru the debris of the MARY LUCHENBACH we noticed the flash of a small light in the water and heard someone calling “Help! Help!”

As we were still under attack and firing, no attempt was made to rescue the man as we observed also, that the rescue ships were heading up that way. It was later learned that the man was a ship’s mess boy, colored, that had, while frightened, jumped overboard from the NATHANIEL GREEN and was rescued.

The weather became overcast with heavy clouds which probably prevented another night aircraft attack. However, submarines continued to make attempted attacks but due to the excellent patrol of the escorting vessels and their continued dropping of depth charges during the night, apparently no damage was done.

15 September 1942, position 75. 52”N x 35. 27”E. At 0300 the after gun crew reported that a torpedo had just passed under the stern of our ship, coming to the surface at a very fast speed, from our starboard quarter. Six shots from the 20mm guns were fired at a spot where it was believed the submarine may have been. A destroyer over the spot dropping depth charges, Results unknown.

HARRY’S NOTE - there were no attacks by U-Boats on this convoy on 15 September. Two U-Boats made torpedo attacks on ships of PQ.18 on the 16th, but hit nothing. Perhaps the gun crews were a bit nervous. Couldn’t blame them.

Submarines continued in our vicinity all day but as far as known by us, no ships were hit by them today. At 1500 a large number of bombers began dropping bombs from high altitude - that is - above the clouds. This continued until 1545. Many very near hits were observed throughout the convoy but as far as is known no ships were hit. Two of the bombers chanced at dive bombing and were shot down by vessels of the escort and convoy ships. One came near enough to us to fire on it and it is believed that we put a few shells into it after it was afire. It is believed that the HURRICANES from the carrier did a magnificent job in dispersing the bombers. It was estimated that there were about 10 attacking planes. no further attacks today. Submarines continued in vicinity and destroyers continued dropping depth charges during the day and throughout the night. Weather quite overcast and snow began falling rather heavily.

More Convoy PQ-18

Convoy PQ-18 Part 1
Convoy PQ-18 Part 2
Convoy PQ-18 Part 3
Convoy PQ-18 Part 4