Why Me, Lord?: The Experiences of a U.s. Navy Officer in World War Ii's Convoy Pq 17 on the Murmansk Run

by William Carter

Why Me, Lord? is a firsthand account by a veteran of one of the most tragic chapters in World War II naval history, the infamous PQ 17 convoy across the North Atlantic to north Russia in the summer of 1942. Thirty-five merchant ships carried war material to support the Soviet defense against invading Nazi armies before the U.S. and Great Britain opened a second front with the invasion of North Africa late in 1942. After the convoy was abandoned by its American and British naval escort vessels in U-boat-infested waters, 24 of its 35 merchant ships were lost to enemy attack. The author, then a young U.S. Naval officer commanded a Navy Armed Guard contingent aboard the American freighter, S.S. Ironclad, and was awarded the Silver Star for valor as a result of his leadership during combat with attacking German aircraft. He tells the story of his experiences in vivid detail and paints a memorable portrait of both the wartime navy and Soviet Russia's White Sea ports. The book also details the return voyage aboard the U.S. liberty ship, S.S. Richard Bland, which, if anything, was even more harrowing. The Bland was sunk off Iceland after being torpedoed three times north of the Arctic Circle, with its surviving crew members, including the author, being forced into lifeboats in frigid North Atlantic waters. Written more than 60 years after the events it describes,Why Me, Lord? is one of the very few, and quite possibly the last, firsthand accounts of this important, though little known, chapters of World War II naval history.

322 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

William Carter was an American photographer.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Armed Guard is the group of navy sailors that manned the guns on civilian liberty ships during WWII. PQ17 is a convoy that was sent to Arkhangelsk, Russia to support the Russians against the Germans. The British wrongly believed that were German battleship Turpitz was going to attack and ordered the convoy to 'scatter' on July 4, 1942. The result was that 24 of the 35 merchant ships in the convoy were lost and only 11 made it to port. The author was aboard the Ironclad that didn't make it to port. As a survivor he was shipped back on the Bland in convoy RA53. The Bland was sunk near Iceland. Unlike link: The Captain and link: Pitchblende 1 which are fiction, Why Me, Lord?<-i> is the first hand account of the last voyage of the two ships by decorated Navy officer, Commander William A. Carter.