The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Brutal Murmansk Run-- Part 2: "If They Intended to Terrify, They Did"

They would receive orders to escort a convoy across the Atlantic.  The ships would oil up in Iceland then join the convoy which was usually so large they couldn't see all the ships.

It took ten days to get to Murmansk and then unloading.  The ships would get more oil.  There was nothing to do ashore.

During each ten day trip over the top of Europe, "One's mind was so focused by fear and discomfort, and the body carrying an adrenaline load, that entertainment wasn't a thought.

Mr. Polowin would hear booms and see flashes on the horizon and knew that ships had been torpedoed.  he heard air attacks but didn't see much in the near darkness, adding, "Stuka (dive bombers) made an awful sound when they attacked.  If they intended to terrify, they did."

--GreGen

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