Convoy PQ 12 sailed from Reykjavík on 1 March 1942 with its Close Escort. It was joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort and on 6 March by the cruiser
Kenya. Also at sea were the Heavy Cover Forces, Curteis from Reykjavík sailing on 3 March and Tovey from Scapa Flow on 4 March. On 5 March the convoy was sighted by a German reconnaissance aircraft and on 6 March, after obtaining permission from
Hitler,
Tirpitz sortied from
Trondheim with three destroyers as escort in (Operation Sport Palace) to destroy Convoy PQ 12 and its reciprocal, Convoy QP 8, which had also sailed Shortly after sailing
Tirpitz was sighted by the patrolling submarine and the Heavy Cover Forces, now joined, sought to bring
Tirpitz to action. Over the next two days the groups of ships manoeuvred around each other without coming into contact, though on two occasions they were apart.
Tirpitz had no success, though her destroyers encountered and sank the freighter
Ijora, a straggler from Convoy QP 8. On 9 March as
Tirpitz headed for home, she was sighted by aircraft from
Victorious and attacked, though also without success. Convoy PQ 12 arrived at
Murmansk on 12 March. No ships were lost, though the escort suffered the loss of a whaler,
Shera, capsized by ice buildup and
Oribi, damaged by pack ice. On 24 March,
Lancaster Castle was dive-bombed while at the quay in Murmansk and ten men were killed. It was towed out and moored in the river, the crew remaining on board. A few days later it was dive-bombed again and received five hits. There were no casualties but the crew moved to shore. Convoy PQ 12 provided valuable military equipment and other materials for the Soviet war effort. The distribution of equipment and supplies delivered with the convoy was the subject of a Soviet State Defence Committee decree. ==Allied order of battle==