The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis

Mr. Geroux tells this "Sea Story" so well that you can feel the events! He lays out how hazardous the convoy duty was as well as the personal experiences of the mariners. This aid, on a massive scale, helped the Russians, on the Eastern Front, defeat the Germans. A clear eyed telling of the relationship between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill! well worth the time to read it. Good History!

In July, 1942, convoy PQ-17 departed from Iceland on a voyage to deliver supplies to Russia. In this fine book, author William Geroux describes this voyage and the perils faced by the ships' crews.Sailing in the 24-hour daylight of the arctic summer, PQ-17 faced attacks from German aircraft and U-boats. Numerous ships, along with their precious cargoes, were sunk. Curiously, British First Sea Lord Dudley Pound ordered the convoy to scatter. The escorts then left to hunt for the German battleship Tirpitz, which the British believed was readying to break out into the Atlantic to attack the ships in the convoy. However, the Tirpitz never materialized, and now, large numbers of Allied merchant ships were on their own, groping for the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel.Four of the ships, known as "Ghost Ships", including the SS Troubador, SS Ironclad, and the HMT Ayrshire, managed to stay one step ahead of the Germans. Heading into the dangerous Arctic ice fields and painting the ships white, these ships and their brave crews managed to reach their destination. Twenty-two of the ships of PQ-17 weren't as lucky. Many men perished in the freezing seas after their ship was sunk from underneath them.William Geroux has done a fine job of describing one of the lesser-known areas of World War II: the Arctic merchant route. The perils were high on this route, and the ships faced constant attacks from German submarines and aircraft. The men who crewed these slow-moving transports definitely earned the respect of both the British and American leaders as well as the Soviets, who were the recipients of the cargo. I give "The Ghost Ships of Archangel" my highest recommendation.

The story of these convoys has not been familiar to most people, but it is absolutely fascinating. The book is beautifully written, and I could not put it down. I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading it again!

I'm President of a Navy League Council and our mission is to support the US Sea Services including the Merchant Marine. I am also a retired Navy Officer and know a lot of the sacrifices the WW II Merchant Mariners made but the book tells unknown stories of their heroism. I gained new insights and it intensified my respect for their sacrifice.

I enjoy a book when I really learn something new. This book was one of those as the stories of what these men did in WWII has not been told enough. It was an interesting read from beginning to end. Kudos to the author and more kudos to the men that made the trips. All true hero’s.