The Ghost Ships of Archangel

Starred review from March 25, 2019
In this gripping history, Geroux (The Mathews Men) recounts the fascinating story of multinational convoy PQ-17, which sailed through treacherous ice-filled waters to deliver tanks, explosives, and other supplies to support the Soviet WWII effort. While this mission remains part of popular Russian history, the Allied invasion of North Africa later in 1942 soon superseded any American interest in the large-scale cat-and-mouse game in the Arctic. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin argued over the schedule and necessity of the convoys; Stalin pushed hard for specific supplies to bolster the Eastern Front. After British Admiral Dudley
Pound illogically ordered the convoy
to “scatter” (leaving the slow-moving freighters unprotected), Nazi bombers, warships, and U-boats hunted the Allied vessels, sinking 22 out of 35. Drawing on diaries, firsthand interviews (with, for example, merchant mariner Jim North, who was on the Troubadour), and several memoirs, Geroux focuses on multiple first-person perspectives to shed light on everything from boredom in the Icelandic port to the sailors’ new reality of life as prey susceptible to German attacks. WWII aficionados, and anyone else who likes a good story, will find this well-written adventure tale a real pleasure.

May 1, 2019

Popular depictions of World War II have been dominated by events such as D-Day and Pearl Harbor, but the day-to-day history of the conflict is also filled with chilling stories of loss and survival. In this account of PQ-17, an Allied convoy that traversed the Barents Sea in July 1942 with much-needed supplies for Russia, best-selling author Geroux (Matthews Men) recounts how the crew of four ships found themselves sailing through ice fields in the Arctic Ocean hoping to escape U-boats and the feared German battleship Tirpitz. Geroux also explores historical texts that frame this voyage, including the political machinations among Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. While this event has become a forgotten moment in American military history, Geroux concludes with a look at how this critical expedition may have helped sustain Russia's resistance to the Nazis and how current events are changing the meaning of this mission in world history. VERDICT Geroux focuses on an important but overlooked point in World War II and provides the necessary context for a nightmarish story of survival in the ice fields of the Arctic; an engaging read for fans of military history.--John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2019
In July 1942, a merchant convoy of Allied ships carrying munitions was en route to the Soviet port of Archangel when it was largely abandoned by its military escort. Fearful that their warships would be attacked by the German navy's fearsome battleship Tirpitz, British officials chose to leave the convoy to its fate. In desperation, four of the ships sought safety in Arctic ice fields, initiating a tense cat-and-mouse game with German U-boats that was complicated by the need to dodge dangerous icebergs. Geroux (The Mathews Men, 2016) tells this WWII story with passion and precision, skillfully drawing on insights he gained from his extensive research, which included reading diaries and personal reminiscences of the sailors involved. Forgotten history has a powerful appeal for readers, and the ghost ships Geroux presents qualify perfectly for this treatment. While their story is widely known in Russia and Great Britain, it rates only the barest of mentions in U.S. histories. Expect military history fans to be especially interested, but this gripping read can be offered to a wide spectrum of readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)