 West Cheswald sailed from Boston for New York on 30 December , and spent nearly eight weeks at New York . Outfitted with armament and a Naval Armed Guard detachment , she sailed from Boston for Halifax with a load of tanks on 23 February 1942 . After spending five days at Halifax , she sailed as part of Convoy SC 72 to Clyde on 28 February . After arriving at Clyde on 17 March , West Cheswald made her way to Oban on 22 March and sailed four days later for Murmansk as part of Convoy PQ 14 . The convoy consisted of approximately 25 merchant ships , ten of which were American , and of the American ships , only two — West Cheswald and Yaka — possessed defensive weaponry manned by Naval Armed Guardsmen . Many ships turned back because of heavy fog and snow ; West Cheswald , Yaka and several other ships from the convoy remained at Reykjavík from 31 March to 8 April . On 15 April , the convoy was tracked by a German aircraft , and convoy escort ships made contact with three German destroyers . The following day , the convoy commodore 's ship was sunk by a submarine ; at least two other torpedoes traveled through the convoy without hitting any ships . The convoy came under air attack on 17 April , but suffered no losses . As the convoy neared Murmansk , two Soviet destroyers with air cover joined the escort , and the convoy arrived without further incident on 19 April . 
