London and Suffolk provided a cruiser screen for the returning QP15 convoy between Bear Island and Iceland. The passage read from the London history gives the convoy twenty-eight vessels and records the loss of two merchant ships to submarines. The North African landings drew away German aircraft and submarines, while December darkness accompanied the resumption of Arctic sailings under the JW and RA prefixes. Tirpitz and other German surface ships still imposed a substantial threat even when they remained in port. London faced increasingly frequent patrols while urgently needing further major repairs.
Notable Point · 2:18:09-2:19:26
HMS London, QP15 and the pressure of Arctic convoy service
London's convoy screening duties continued under German fleet pressure while the cruiser urgently needed repairs.