My experience mirrors that of Gerald Burr. I was a gunner on the SS Eldena in Convoy PQ-13 to Murmansk in March of 1942. We endured the constant air raids the month of April and departed April 28 in Convoy QP-11. Our gun crew was credited by the Russian Government with shooting down 3 German bombers and given one months pay. During the voyage we lost 5 ships inbound, 3 in port at least one outbound plus the British heavy cruiser HMS Trinidad, heavily damaged and later sunk plus the heavy cruiser HMS Edinburgh with 5 tons of gold aboard sunk on May 1st 1942.
Last year I wrote a small book “Frozen Fury, The Murmansk Run of Convoy PQ-13” and the Russian version is being published in Russia and I have been invited to St. Petersburg and Murmansk to present the book and celebrate with the Russian Polar Convoy Club. I depart here August 30th and return Sept. 9th. I am really looking forward to the visit. It will be my first since the spring of 1942. John Haynes