The movie of Alexander Sorokin “Following a scent of convoy PQ-17” was screened in the Presidential Library

5 July 2017

The movie of Alexander Sorokin entitled “Following a scent of Convoy PQ-17, about a fate of which many know due to a book of Valentin Pikul “Requiem for the Caravan PQ-17,” was screened and discussed during the lust meeting of the Cinema Club of the Presidential Library.

The events of directed by Sorokin documentary are happening in our days on a research vessel. Russian veterans of the polar convoys, beside their American, British and Canadian colleagues from the allied bloc, also invited on the expedition former Colonel Luftwaffe Haio Herrmann, one of the most high-ranking and influential Air Force officers of the Third Reich. Two documentary film directors were on board as well: Alexander Sorokin himself and a geophysicist and a famous bard Alexander Gorodnitsky (his film version will also be shown at the Presidential Library). The mission of the expedition was to search for the ships and the vessels from the infamous Convoy PQ-17, which were sent to the bottom by the Germans during the Second World War.

“It all started with a fact that the idea to go following the polar convoys and to find sank ships has drawn an attention of the deputies of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly — members of the Russian Geographic Society, the president of the “Polar Convoy” Regional Public Organization Yuri Alexandrov told.  — And they raised for us money for this memorial campaign.” So, apparently totally unrealistic idea embodied: imagine, the average 80-year old people, veterans of the fleets of the USSR, the United States, Great Britain, Canada gathered on board - with burning eyes they argued over the sea charts about possible search areas. They managed to override both their own old age and the language barrier: they discovered three ships sunk by fascist mines and bombs and the American “Sherman” tank - it was raised from the depths and became one of the exhibits of the Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps.”

This 40-minute show contained a lot. It has investigated not completely studied until now history of shipping in the USSR according to lend-lease so vital for fighting with Germany country loads. As it known, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union signed an agreement on mutual deliveries of military-strategic and raw materials. According to it, the Soviet Union had to receive about 500,000 tons of cargo per month from the United States on a lend-lease basis. The northern route was a shortest (about 2,000 miles) and most convenient: through the UK and Iceland to the ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, which had an access to the railway.

The growth of military supplies through the northern ports of Russia was an extremely negative factor for Germany. In a private conversation in early 1942, the Fuhrer called the northern region a “zone of fate.”

The movie, which was shown in the Presidential Library, is based on the footages of military newsreels: there are allied vessels on the screen, slowly making their way in the ice-covered waters of the northern seas… The author goes on to the story of the PQ-17 caravan.

The Arctic convoy PQ-17 with strategic cargo and military equipment from the USA, Canada and Great Britain was sent from Iceland to the USSR in late June 1942. It consisted of 35 cargo vessels. They were protected by several groups of ships of the Allies. As the voiceover of the actor and sailor Ivan Krasko tells the audience, the PQ crew consisted of people of 17 nationalities!

British destroyers, air defense ships, minesweepers and armed trawlers directly escorted the convoy. Near the convoy was also a combination of British and American cruisers under the command of Rear Admiral Luis Hamilton. Heavy British and American ships, which included an aircraft carrier and two battleships, provided the long guard of the convoy (but unfortunately they were late to a scene of the event).

On the screen a participant of the expedition Joseph Coleman, who was a member of the PQ-17 caravan (ship Bolton Castle), explains: “After the German reconnaissance aircraft discovered our ships, we waited for an attack. There was “To spread out!” command from the command ship, and each captain had to decide himself in what direction to go. We laid our course to the north toward the Russian ports. After another raid of dozens of “Messers” we saw people floating in orange vests and hundreds of sacks of flour in the water - it turns out that flour does not sink.”

“German ships, — Ivan Krasko continues his off-screen narration, — have received an order: to send to the bottom our Soviet vessels along with lowered boats from sinking ships.” And if the English lowering their boats, to sink the ships, but to entrust the boats with the sailors to the will of the waves.”

The Germans destroyed practically the entire convoy. Only the frozen sailors remained in the half-submerged boats; temperature overboard was no more than 3-5 degrees, a long stay in water led to a lethal outcome. People did not have the strength to pump out the incoming water. Soviet sailors rescued several soviet ships — it is shown in the movie how they elevate onboard their half-dead allies on the ropes…

“Russia has repeatedly saved the world from various cataclysms in its history, —director of the “Following a scent of Convoy PQ-17” Alexander Sorokin addressed an audience. — In the Great Patriotic War Russia ruined its enemy with a help of its Western allies, we have then won together. The sovereignty of the Russian territory and its nation must be recognized throughout the world as sacred, it is a duty-bearer of saving an entire civilization. And our movie is an uncompromising rejection of any wars as a way of solving geopolitical problems.”

The Consul General of the United States Thomas Liri with his wife, the St. Petersburg parliamentarians, and residents of Crimea and Tyumen via the video-conferencing participated in the discussion of the movie about the drowned caravan and the lessons learned from this episode of the war in the Cinema Club meeting of the Presidential Library.