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11 Volume 73 Number 1
15 February 2021
on April 28th, 1942 and began shadowing her in and power. Galley staff got hot food and drink
an area roughly 200 miles north west of Mur- going constantly for anyone who wanted it. The
mansk. Bonham Carter had guessed he would be convoy escorts were informed immediately. They
spotted so until he and the convoy were at a safe were HMS Beagle, Bulldog, Beverley and Ama-
distance from German forces, he kept all his zon, Foresight and Forester, all destroyers plus 4
crews closed up at battle stations. Forty minutes corvettes and two Russian destroyers. Forester
after first sighting Teichert attacked. Three tor- and Foresight broke away and went to Edin-
pedoes were fired and the officers on Edinburgh’s burgh’s assistance. Murmansk had four British
bridge spotted all three coming at them and minesweepers and a Russian tug based there and
sounded the alarm. PO Newman stated that- “The they headed out to assist. By now German sur-
whole ship bucked like a bronco throwing me in face units had been summoned and were steam-
the air. No ing hard
sooner had from the
I landed north to
than there get to the
was anoth- convoy and
er explo- Edinburgh
sion. The to do more
1st torpedo damage to
hit amid- both.
ships on There was
the star- still more
board side fighting to
and the come. But
second hit the Ger-
the stern mans were
crippling 30 hrs dis-
us”. The tant and
damage this gave
was stag- Bonham
gering. The Carter time
whole stern to rig up
had been attach-
blown off Frozen hell: Thousands of sailors risked their lives in Arctic convoys to ments to
and the transport vital supplies to Russia during the Second World War. Sailors are other ves-
rear deck pictured above clearing ice and snow from the deck of H.M.S. Vansittart while sels to ena-
peeled up on escort duty in the Arctic in February 1943. ble Edin-
like a tin https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6454549/Stunning-photos-reveal burgh to
can. This -brutal-conditions-faced-sailors-protecting-WW2-Arctic-Convoys.html overcome
effectively the lack of
put the rear turrets out of action. All steering steering
gear and two propellers had been damaged leav- and allow her to make 3 knots. Meanwhile, the
ing the two props still turning and almost out of convoy continued towards Bear Island increasing
the water. But Edinburgh could still fight with her the safe distance. Four German U Boats and sev-
forward guns and make 10 knots. She could, eral German aircraft attacked but were chased
however, not steer effectively. away by the escorts.

The crew in the wireless transmission room were An anti submarine formation encircled Edinburgh
killed instantly and the explosion sucked them consisting of British escorts assisted by two Rus-
into the bomb room where the gold was stored. sian destroyers. Early on the 1st of May the Rus-
This becomes important later in the account. sians left being short of fuel. The German de-
Some men were trapped below decks behind stroyer Herman Schuman and two other destroy-
damaged bulkheads and ran out of air or died ers Z24 and Z25 reached the convoy and at-
from CO2 poisoning. Damage control parties did tacked it. Amazon was destroyed and Bulldog
their best and the remainder of the ship had heat badly damaged. One merchant vessel was lost.

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