ORP “Garland” in the convoy of death

Death from all sides

Very quickly, convoys along this way were called "suicide" or "death convoys", and the way itself was called "arctic" or "ice hell". Crews of ships and ships sent on cruises to russian white sea ports treated this as a sentence. Nature in these waters guaranteed storms, blizzards and floating icebergs. But there was nothing to enjoy erstwhile on long arctic days or nights the sea became calm, due to the fact that then there was a much greater threat – the German U-boats, and above all the German aviation based in northern Norway and Finland, which practically initially decimated the Allied convoys.

This threat has been addressed, expanding the distance from the Norwegian coast and flowing from the north of Iceland, the island of Jan Mayen and Bear Island. It was as far north as the ice line allowed. However, this did small to help, so ships were armed with anti-aircraft artillery and more ships were assigned to cover convoys. In time transports to Russia began to be insured by mass-produced US-produced convoy aircraft carriers, but all this only happened in 1943. In the first years following the launch of the cruises to Murmansk, the only non-freezing port in northern Russia throughout the year, Allied crews frequently had to trust solely on naval happiness.

The Arctic hell came to taste and Polish sailors who, among British, American, Norwegian and another nationalities sent to aid Russia, were in a peculiar situation – the Soviets had until late completed the 4th partition of Poland together with Germany, and many of its citizens murdered or sent to the camps as executioners. After signing Sikorski-Majski in July 1941 and the announcement of the alleged amnesty for Poles, Polish ships in large Britain came to supplement – people who had experienced a "Soviet paradise". any of them had this "lucky" that they returned to the ZSRS as bringing aid to the Allied Red Army and from the deck of their ship they could see the archangelic forests that had been grubbed up a fewer months earlier as prisoners from close camps. This is primarily about crew members of the ORP destroyer "Garland".

The burning transport of the ORP convoy "Garland". photograph taken from the deck of Garland.

Tradition commits

The 1 bearing the oldest Royal Navy name destroyer (the first “Garland” says chronicles of 1242) was leased to the Polish Navy in 1940. Since then, under the unaltered name of the English courtesy, he has participated, among others, in operations in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Arctic waters of Spitsbergen and insured convoys in the Atlantic. During this service, he was bypassed by wartime disasters, but besides by the warlike fame that another Polish ships had already brought to themselves – as well as Eagle ORP, ORP ‘Burza’ and in peculiar ORP “Pyorun” celebrated for his “fire duel” with the German giant “Bismarck”. All this was to change in the spring of 1942. ’

This year began on “Garland” with changes: on 30 January the fresh commander of the ship became 1 of the most experienced officers in the Polish Navy, Lieutenant Commander Henry Eibel, and as of February 28, 1942, renovations and modernization work began on the ship. At Smith's shipyard in Middlesbrough, the Polish destroyer was adapted to escort service in Arctic convoys. After completion of repairs, naval trials and exercises with fresh equipment on May 17, 1942, “Garland” sailed along with the British destroyer “Volunteer” from Greenock to Reykjavík in an escort of a large military transport “Lianstephan Castle”.

The journey did not go without dramatic moments, as the stormy sea covered the dense fog, and in it it it was easy to collide, especially as ships were forced to maneuver in their own minefields for a time. In addition to the bad second day of the cruise, a message was received about a 120-mile walk by a strong squad of German submarines. On the last day of the trip, on May 20, U-boats were besides aware of each other, who twice put the convoy in a combat alert, but fortunately they were driven distant by both destroyers.

Upon arrival in Reykjavík, the crew of “Garlanda” and “Volunteer” were informed that their ships had been incorporated into the large Allied convoy going to Murmansk. The Poles, though they knew this after the nature of modernization of their ship, showed no enthusiasm; many of these messages caused anger and terror. Among the sailors of “Garland” were people just released from russian camps – recruits who on the day of russian aggression against Poland were 17–18, respective sailors Pinska Flotilla, as well as Captain Tadeusz Kamiński, who after 2 years of camp had on “Garland” implemented the duties of a navigation officer under the supervision of an experienced navigator of the ship, Lieutenant Antoni Tyc. However, Polish ships were operationally subject to the British Admiralty and no protest of its orders was involved.

Combat baptism on deep water

On May 21, 1942, the PQ-16 convoy left Icelandic waters. Initially, it consisted of 35 transports escorted by 5 destroyers, six trawlers and 2 another ships. "Garland" lined up on the convoy's left wing as the second ship in formation. The first 3 days of the cruise were calm, although the voyage was hampered by dense fog, but at the same time it provided a shield against enemy observation. However, on May 24, the German U-boats captured the convoy's lead, and "Garland" already a fewer minutes after midnight on May 25 carried out its first attack in this action with deep-sea bombs.

A fewer hours later, the convoy's escort was reinforced by a squad of Rear Admiral Harold Martin Burrough, his 4 cruisers, in addition to escort support, were to deter German battleships of "pocket" lurking among Norwegian fjords. At the same time, a German reconnaissance aircraft named wittyly by Polish sailors “a guardian devil” hovered over the convoy – this proved clearly that Germany was preparing to attack. The PQ-16 convoy was yet to pass peacefully on the afternoon of May 25 with the returning without failure with the Murmanese convoy PQ-12 and after this event, as if on the scheduled sign, enemy aircraft and submarines rushed to PQ-16. The convoy conflict began, which lasted almost continuously for 5 days, until the Allied units rolled into the russian port.

The first hit torpedo Heinkle, and after them well known to Poles from September 1939 dive plays. "Garland" was immediately in the eye of the cyclone itself. Armed with the explosions of aerial bombs, he kept firing from all his anti-aircraft weapons. At 1 point, 1 of the plays, coming out of a dive flight, flew right over the beak of a Polish destroyer and was hit by 1 of the Oerlikons. From the burning device they managed to jump with parachutes 2 airmen, but in the heat of conflict no 1 had time to rescue them from the icy water.

This first torpedo and bomb air strike did not bring Germany much success, but they did not intend to give up. White Arctic nights, clear as day allowed the air force to attack "for 2 shifts", and in the evening U-boats besides joined the attack. 1 of them was detected by observers from the Polish ship. After dropping a series of deep-sea bombs on the surface of the sea, a greasy oil stain appeared – a certain sign that the submarine had been damaged or destroyed.

On Tuesday, May 26, the convoy continued to follow the way north-east, and German aviation could not penetrate the fire of escorts to transport. At the evening of that day, the conditions of navigation deteriorated, the convoy approached Bear Island – the units had to importantly reduce velocity due to drifting around the ice. At the same time, 4 Rear Admiral Harold Martin Burrough cruisers detached from the convoy and departed in the cover of 3 destroyers.

The Admiralty concluded that in the area of the Bear Islands the convoy was no longer threatened by ‘pocket pirates’, while it was feared that valuable cruisers could fall prey to aviation and U-boats. This decision greatly weakened the strength of the PQ-16 escort, and the Germans were waiting for it. The distance between airports in northern Norway and the convoy decreased to about 250 miles, so aircraft could have appeared above it in little than an hour. Since this morning on May 27, over 108 torpedo and bomb aircraft have been launched on convoy units.

Uninterrupted combat watch

The Ju-88 and He-111 wave behind the wave came over the convoy and after emptying their hatches from a two- or three-ton burden they flew away, and fresh squadrons immediately appeared. Smoke, fire, and water pillars marked the way of the Allied ships and ships. For “Garland” the hr of the top effort on that day struck during the 3rd raid, which began at 12.20. The war rapporteur Bohdan Pavlowicz, on the “Garland”, remembered this moment: “Out of the beautiful innocent clouds and clouds consecutive from the sun fell diving the first six Junkers-88, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh... I stopped counting. Water columns and smoke rose between the ships and were now almost constantly rising to another convoy locations. any ship was hit at the very beginning of this attack and caught fire with a bright, smokeless flame. [...] But there was no time to keep eyes on 1 event. The script was changing besides fast. “Garland” fired from all departments, repeatedly spoke the device weapon of the ship as the Germans flew rather close. And they dived even bolder that day and lowered to 50–100 metres.”

Ten minutes before the fourteenth 2 keys of the Junkers were chosen as the mark of the Polish destroyer. A bunch of dense demolition bombs flew towards the ship. "Garland" maneuvered at an unprecedented rate and it already seemed that Commander Eibel would lead him out of the immediate region of destruction. Suddenly, hundreds of shrapnel struck the ship with tremendous force. They pierced the steel bows, guns and armored artillery towers. They even reached the engine room, damaging the main steam line. The ship fell asleep with a bunch of steam and smoke from a broken smoke candle on its bow. The German airmen were assured of a good hit, as the officers of the neighboring ship thought: “It is simply a pity for the ship. The Poles are over.”

They were not amazed erstwhile after a minute of "Garland" as the ghost ship emerged from the smokestorms and inactive – though much little – led fire to the enemy! It was later revealed that Garland was not straight hit. 2 shrapnel bombs exploded a fewer meters from the ship on the large geysers of water launched by earlier bombs. But the effects of this detonation were serious. Lieutenant Joseph Bartosik, an officer of the Garland artillery, recalled: “Out of the beautiful artillery mechanics [...] there remained splinters. Only 1 “75” and 1 “120” were suitable for further combat. The full forward battery was dead. The right “oerlikon” also. Nkm service lifted. 50 people injured, incapable to fight.” Despite this, fire was immediately opened from the survivors – the only ones operating on the bow of the ship were cooks, table and torpedoes. “Blood good show!” he complimented the British trawler covering the convoy behind the “Garland” stern.

Fortunately, the harm in the engine area and boiler area was not as serious as it looked at the beginning, and the device crew with full dedication continued at their stations, providing the ship with adequate speed, although the pair continued to escape from the punctured wires. Those who did not operate guns or machines rescued the wounded on board, as the German fire continued – this raid only ended at nineteen o'clock and cost the convoy 4 transports sunk and 2 further damaged. The evening break at the conflict did not last long, for already at 10.55 the Germans attacked again, sinking the Allied another 2 ships, and 1 badly damaged.

On the “Garland” of the night, the protagonist of the night was the ship's physician, Lieutenant Wilhelm Ząbrona, who arranged an operating area in the officer's Mess. He broke a evidence in the past of naval military medicine, treating and operating heavy wounded continuously for 36 hours. A British doctor sent to aid him, having seen the “message of death” – full of blood and amputated limbs, fainted and was immediately sent to his ship. Then, in the corridor in line for the operating table, 1 of the artillerymen, elder sailor Bolesław Bomba, wrote with his own blood on the wall: “Polish, how sweet for you to die.” Then he blacked out, luckily, destiny was kind to him and Lieutenant Ząbronz saved his life.

In Murmansk

However, despite the sacrifice of the brave doctor, he had no chance to save all the wounded on the devastated ship. Commander Eibel made the decision to request the escort commander's approval to disengage from the convoy and go alone to Murmansk to rescue the badly wounded. On May 28, the squadron commander, Commander Onslow, said goodbye to “Garland” with the words “God bless you, my very gallant ship!” and the crew of his destroyer “Ashanti” stood on defender along the side and saluted “Garland”.

Abandoning the enemy convoy did not mean that the dangers of the ship had passed. The solitary, devoid of its average firepower and speed, was an easy mark for aviation or submarines, but besides this time the Poles were lucky. Although they were watched by “the guardian devil” and passed a gathering with U-boat, they entered the Gulf of Kolska on Friday 29 May. With nearly 145 members of the "Garland" crew – 22 fell and 46 were injured. Now the emotional conflict to save the lives of the wounded in Murmansk has begun.

In the marked place, the ORP “Garland” took on the pilot Czubakin and Captain Philips of the Royal Navy. The 3rd guest on board caused real amazement, as he was Lieutenant Andrzej Guzowski of the submarine ORP “Jastrząb” who, in insurance of 1 of the convoys, was the victim of an attack of his own destroyers. The rescued crew were brought to Murmansk, where part of it, along with the commander of the ship, Captain Bolesław Romanowski, experienced the treatment of the Murmanian “dead” as taking the Navy baptized the local hospital. Although “Garland” is the first Polish warship to scope Murmansk, there are many more Poles here. In addition to the submarines from “The Hawk” since March, the crew of the modern S/s “Tobruk” diminutive ship, severely damaged in port by the bombs of 1 of the German raids, has been in Murmansk.

Already in the first moments after entering the waters of Murmanska “Garland” collided with russian reality. The pilot wanted to put the ship distant from the city, by the waterfront at the Rost shipyard. Commander Eibel, despite his protests, directed the destroyer on his own work consecutive to the port where it was closest to the hospital. It is said that for this “insubordination” pilot Czubakin paid with exile to the camp. The problem was to bury the fallen crew members. Initially it was wanted to be done in the cemetery of soldiers of Polish troops fighting here in 1918–1919, but there was no trace of Murmanians after the graves – they were destroyed by Bolsheviks. Eventually, a sea ceremony was arranged for the deceased: 22 coffins were pushed into the sea from the British trawler Niger on 2 June 1941. In addition, 3 members of the Garland crew died at the Murmanian hospital.

The renovation, or patching, of the Polish ship, due to the fact that the conditions of local shipyards allowed enough, was carried out first in Murmansk and later in Archangelsk until June 27, the next day “Garland” with rescued sailors from “The Hawk” sailed back to Britain, joining the PQ-13 convoy. Although his number did not announce peace, the Germans busy massacre the PQ-17 convoy left him alone. Only at the entrance to the Danish Road, in a dense fog it affected its own minefield, losing 5 ships. On 7 July, PQ-13 reached Iceland.

The celebrated defence of the PQ-16 ORP convoy “Garland” rained Polish and British combat awards, but the crew quietly prayed that they would no longer be given to appear in “death convoys”. Their requests were answered – after the renovation the ship went on another routes. Although this has not yet ended the Murmanian era of Polish sailors. After the renovation, the Arctic way continued respective times over the S/s "Tobruk" of Captain Bronisław Hurka. The convoy shields included ORP “Orkan”, ORP “Piorun” and ORP “Dragon”. The participation of Polish ships and ships in the “death convoys” definitively interrupted in April 1943 the break-up of diplomatic relations by the USSR with the Government of Poland and the discovery of Katyn crime.