“Following a scent of Convoy PQ-17” movie screening in the Presidential Library

4 July 2017

A movie by Alexander Sorokin entitled “Following the scent of Convoy PQ-17,” which fate is known owing to a large extent to “The requiem for the PQ-17 caravan” book of Valentin Pikul, will be screened and discussed at the next in turn meeting of the Presidential Library Cinema Club on July 4, 2017, at 2 pm.

The events described in the directed by Sorokin documentary movie are happening in our days onboard of an exploratory vessel. The author invited in the expedition the veterans of the polar convoys, British and Canadian sailors and even former Colonel Luftwaffe. Their task is to search for sunk by the Germans during the Second World War vessels from the infamous convoy PQ-17.

The Arctic convoy PQ-17 filled with strategic cargo and military equipment from the USA, Canada and Great Britain was sent from Iceland to the USSR on June 27, 1942. It consisted of 35 cargo vessels. They were defended by several groups of ships of the Allies.

The British destroyers, air defense ships, minesweepers and armed trawlers under the command of John Broome directly escorted the convoy in order to protect it. There was also a combination of British and American cruisers under the command of Rear Admiral Luis Hamilton alongside the convoy. Some heavy British and American ships, which included an aircraft carrier and two battleships, provided a long-distance cover of the convoy.

On July 1, 1942, a German reconnaissance aircraft discovered the escorted convoy going from the British ports to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. The German Navy carried out the “knight's move” operation (Rösselsprung), the purpose of which was the destruction of the convoy by the forces of the fleet, including submarines and aviation. As it turned out later, intelligence about the planned by the Germans attack turned out to be inaccurate. As a result, the convoy ships, which received the “Ships to disband!” command, were one by one making their way through into Soviet ports and in the conditions of the polar day they became an easy prey for German submarines and airplanes. As a result, 22 transport and 2 assisting convoy vessels were sunk. But the sailors, having shown their courage, nevertheless delivered part of the supply to the port of Murmansk.

The movie of Sorokin shows the efforts of gathered by the director international crew in attempts to find the lost ships.

The meeting of the Cinema Club will take place in the multimedia hall of the Presidential Library at 3 Senatskaya Square, St. Petersburg? RF 190000.

Please, confirm your presence over the phone +7 (812) 305 1635, + 7 921 594 1613 or emailing Elena Smolina at smolina@prlib.ru.

 

An accreditation of media representatives will be open until 1 pm on July 3, 2017.

Please email Alexandra Khudyakova in Press Service of the Presidential Library, phone (812) 305 1621, ext. 167, mobile +7 (981) 788 2808, at hudjakova@prlib.ru with your application for accreditation in the attached form.

Your application on the attached form must specify a media name, a full name of media representative, a date and a place of representative’s birth, full passport or picture id details (series, number, when and by what body it was issued, place of residence), a carry-on equipment (including notebooks and tablet computers), and the contact phone numbers.

Please be advised, that guests enter the Presidential Library through an entrance № 1, and the media representatives - through an entrance № 2 by the appointment only and without any exceptions upon presentment of passport or picture id.