Island.
Broome was immensely relieved two hours later to see the arrival of Hamilton’s cruisers. Eight of his ships had either been badly damaged or sunk. The additional protection of the cruisers would be a great help should the enemy attack again. Both Broome and Hamilton launched their scout planes to patrol to the south and southeast of the convoy. Tovey’s scout planes by now had also come within range. They broke radio silence to report that the entire German surface force was heading straight for Bear Island. The report stunned the command group on the bridge of the Duke of York. Tovey realized that the Germans would strike the convoy a good four hours before he would get there. He radioed Hamilton this news and ordered him to screen the convoy until the Home Fleet arrived. Hamilton had just given the same order having received the same warning from his own scout plane. Hamilton would have his cruiser screening mission, just as he had anticipated. He then told Broome to keep his ships moving east to put as much distance between them and the oncoming German ships. He detached submarines P.614 and P.615 to his own cruiser force. If their original mission was to defend the convoy against German capital ships, they would have the best chance of that by operating with his cruisers. 17
As word spread of the approaching German fleet, near panic set in among many of the merchant crews. On the Troubador the crew mutinied and overwhelmed the naval armed guards. At gunpoint they forced the captain to alter course - due south towards the German ships. 18
The convoy escorts were still close in, in case of another air attack. For proper antisubmarine protection, they should have been several thousand yards farther out from the convoy. That was just the opening that the Ice Devil pack needed. A dozen U-boats moved to attack. First to be sunk were the disabled ships left in the convoy’s wake. The William Hooper disintegrated, sending a fiery shock wave over the sea as its 10,000 tons of ammunition exploded. The first of the steaming ships to be struck was the ungallant El Capitán. It fell out of line and began to sink by the stern. That exposed Pozarica, which took two torpedoes, stopped dead in the water and began to list. Broome quickly ordered his escorts farther out to drive off the U-boats. As he watched his ships swinging towards their new positions, his own ship shuddered with one torpedo hit then another. The Keppel sank so quickly hardly a man survived. The convoy was now without a commander. 19
Ten miles southwest of Bear Island, 3 July 1942
Hamilton’s reconnaissance floatplane never saw the Fw 190 that shot it down. The admiral only knew that it had stopped transmitting. Tovey’s scouts suffered the same fate, all but one, and it was able to radio its sighting of the German fleet as still on course to Bear Island.
The next Hamilton knew of the Germans was when his own destroyers sighted their counterparts screening Carls’s fleet. The destroyers reported the Germans as coming in three columns, each in line ahead, with Tirpitz in the centre column. Hamilton’s plan was to protect the convoy by pulling the Germans to the northwest away from Bear Island.
The destroyers began the show. Hamilton’s ships shot forward to pierce the German screen and launch their torpedoes at the German capital ships. The German destroyer captains were just as aggressive, launching their own attacks on the British to throw off their torpedo strikes. Carls had the advantage now that Hamilton was blinded from the air. Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft reported that the convoy was steaming north of Bear Island while the cruiser force was southwest. He told off his port column, 2nd Battlegroup’s Lützow and Scheer, to engage the Allied cruisers while he went after the convoy with the 1st and 3rd Battlegroups.
From the bridge of HMS London it was clear to Hamilton what the enemy was doing. Carls had thrown a spanner into his plan
Broome was immensely relieved two hours later to see the arrival of Hamilton’s cruisers. Eight of his ships had either been badly damaged or sunk. The additional protection of the cruisers would be a great help should the enemy attack again. Both Broome and Hamilton launched their scout planes to patrol to the south and southeast of the convoy. Tovey’s scout planes by now had also come within range. They broke radio silence to report that the entire German surface force was heading straight for Bear Island. The report stunned the command group on the bridge of the Duke of York. Tovey realized that the Germans would strike the convoy a good four hours before he would get there. He radioed Hamilton this news and ordered him to screen the convoy until the Home Fleet arrived. Hamilton had just given the same order having received the same warning from his own scout plane. Hamilton would have his cruiser screening mission, just as he had anticipated. He then told Broome to keep his ships moving east to put as much distance between them and the oncoming German ships. He detached submarines P.614 and P.615 to his own cruiser force. If their original mission was to defend the convoy against German capital ships, they would have the best chance of that by operating with his cruisers. 17
As word spread of the approaching German fleet, near panic set in among many of the merchant crews. On the Troubador the crew mutinied and overwhelmed the naval armed guards. At gunpoint they forced the captain to alter course - due south towards the German ships. 18
The convoy escorts were still close in, in case of another air attack. For proper antisubmarine protection, they should have been several thousand yards farther out from the convoy. That was just the opening that the Ice Devil pack needed. A dozen U-boats moved to attack. First to be sunk were the disabled ships left in the convoy’s wake. The William Hooper disintegrated, sending a fiery shock wave over the sea as its 10,000 tons of ammunition exploded. The first of the steaming ships to be struck was the ungallant El Capitán. It fell out of line and began to sink by the stern. That exposed Pozarica, which took two torpedoes, stopped dead in the water and began to list. Broome quickly ordered his escorts farther out to drive off the U-boats. As he watched his ships swinging towards their new positions, his own ship shuddered with one torpedo hit then another. The Keppel sank so quickly hardly a man survived. The convoy was now without a commander. 19
Ten miles southwest of Bear Island, 3 July 1942
Hamilton’s reconnaissance floatplane never saw the Fw 190 that shot it down. The admiral only knew that it had stopped transmitting. Tovey’s scouts suffered the same fate, all but one, and it was able to radio its sighting of the German fleet as still on course to Bear Island.
The next Hamilton knew of the Germans was when his own destroyers sighted their counterparts screening Carls’s fleet. The destroyers reported the Germans as coming in three columns, each in line ahead, with Tirpitz in the centre column. Hamilton’s plan was to protect the convoy by pulling the Germans to the northwest away from Bear Island.
The destroyers began the show. Hamilton’s ships shot forward to pierce the German screen and launch their torpedoes at the German capital ships. The German destroyer captains were just as aggressive, launching their own attacks on the British to throw off their torpedo strikes. Carls had the advantage now that Hamilton was blinded from the air. Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft reported that the convoy was steaming north of Bear Island while the cruiser force was southwest. He told off his port column, 2nd Battlegroup’s Lützow and Scheer, to engage the Allied cruisers while he went after the convoy with the 1st and 3rd Battlegroups.
From the bridge of HMS London it was clear to Hamilton what the enemy was doing. Carls had thrown a spanner into his plan
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