Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast Episode 410 - The Death of PQ-17
Apr 20, 2026
A deep dive into the ill-fated PQ-17 Arctic convoy, its perilous Murmansk run, and the strained defenses that tried to protect it. They explore Liberty ship design and crew life in brutal Arctic conditions. The narrative highlights miscommunication, a panicked withdrawal of escorts, and the ensuing coordinated U-boat and Luftwaffe attacks that left many ships isolated.
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Murmansk Run Was A Strategic Lifeline
- The Murmansk Run became a critical Allied lifeline to keep the USSR fighting after Barbarossa.
- Convoys ran from Iceland to Murmansk/Archangel using Liberty ships and ad-hoc escorts despite extreme Arctic weather and German interdiction.
Liberty Ships Sacrificed Quality For Speed
- Liberty ships were a mass-produced, emergency EC2 design that prioritized speed of construction over seaworthiness.
- Prefabrication and welding let yards build ships in weeks (one in four days), but welding and inexperience caused brittleness and failures in Arctic conditions.
One Liberty Ship Was Built In Four Days
- Shipyards sometimes finished Liberty ships astonishingly fast, with one built from start to finish in four days.
- Joe and Nate joke that such speed produced vessels crewed by inexperienced builders and unsafe construction.
