Posted by Espen Eidum espenei@fremover.no on October 09, 2001.

Waziristan was the PQ merchant ship to be sunk during WWII (january 1942, I think). Does anyone know what she was carrying? The convoy-number was either PQ-7A or PQ 8.

Thanks! :-)

RESPONSES:

Posted by Bill Watt w.p.w@btinternet.com on October 09.

Waziristan was owned by Hindustan Steamship Co. She loaded tanks and arms at the Bush Terminal in Brooklyn. The first British ship to load military supplies in the US for Russia. Proceeded Sydney NS and sailed with convoy SC60 for Reykjavik. Joined convoy PQ7A for Murmansk. Sunk by U-134 on 2nd Jan. Her crew 37 and 10 gunners perished. Official sources record their grave as 74.09N 19.10E.
Source - The Red Duster at War.
Regards,
Bill
-------------------------
Posted by Siri siri@lawson.net on October 09.

She was in Convoy PQ 7A and carried general cargo (no other details). Sunk Jan. 2-1942 by U-134, 47 dead.
-------------------------
Posted by Řistein Thomas Berge othberg@online.no on October 12.

Hallo Siri

The caro onboard S(S Waziristan was:
From UK.Goverment,
410 Ford truck 1367 ton.
Copper wire and bars 1000 ton
Wheat 252 ton
Automobiles s. spars 115 ton
Gerese wax 21 ton
Grinding wheels 14 ton
Acid/Alcohol 12 ton
Geresine wax 12 ton
Sewing machine and parts11 ton
Graphite crucibles 11 ton
Miscellaneous 1 ton

From US. Goverment:
Tanks, ammunition, leas lend goods 3700 ton.

Waziristan was not sunken by U 134, she sunk after one air attack 20.1.1942 in White sea.

Best regards
Řistein.
------------------------------
Posted by Siri on October 12.

Great details on cargo!!

The info she didn't sink on Jan. 2 is confusing. I took my details from Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" - I believe his sources were primarily Admiralty records, and also records in Canada and U.S.A. , but that is not to say there are no mistakes in any of them of course.

Nice to see you here again!
Siri
----------------------------
Posted by Siri on October 24.

This may be of some interest

From Arnold Hague - The Russian Convoys:

Convoy PQ 7A only had 2 ships, Waziristan and the Panamanian Cold Harbor. Sailed from Hvalfjord on Dec. 26-1941 escorted by the trawlers Hugh Walpole and Ophelia.

They should have made a rendezvous with an ocean escort of the minesweepers Britomart and Salamander, which were both on their way to Russia as relief escorts, but they never met. The trawlers left on Dec. 27 and the two merchant ships continued. On Jan. 1-1942 they were separated in bad weather. The next day Waziristan stranded on the ice edge and was attacked by enemy aircraft, and also by U-134 which delivered the coup de grace. (Cold Harbor arrived Murmansk on Jan. 12).

Siri