Escorts and merchant ships at Hvalfjord before the sailing of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_PQ-17" class="extiw" title="w:Convoy PQ-17">Convoy PQ-17</a>. Behind the destroyer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Icarus_(D03)" class="extiw" title="w:HMS Icarus (D03)">Icarus</a> (1.03) is the Russian tanker AZERBAIJAN. The sea voyage to the north Russian ports of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murmansk" class="extiw" title="w:Murmansk">Murmansk</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkhangelsk" class="extiw" title="w:Arkhangelsk">Archangel</a> was the shortest route for sending Allied supplies to Russia. But it was also the most dangerous owing to the large concentration of German forces in northern Norway. The convoy PQ-17 was decimated by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat" class="extiw" title="w:U-boat">U-boats</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe" class="extiw" title="w:Luftwaffe">Luftwaffe</a> after a communication from the Admiralty on 4 July 1942 ordered the escort to 'scatter'.
RN official photographer, Ware C J (Lt)
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<td>This photograph <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=A+8953">A 8953</a> comes from the collections of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/">Imperial War Museums</a> <small>(collection no. 4700-01)</small>
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