MV Stary Bolshevik
Soviet ship was a Soviet motor vessel, a timber carrier of the class. It took part in several Arctic convoys of World War II as a general-purpose cargo ship. For the heroic actions while taking part in Convoy PQ 16 the ship was awarded the Order of Lenin, its captain, first mate, and helmsman were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, and the whole crew were awarded various orders and medals.
Actions
Spanish Civil War
The ship took part in Operation X, a secret Soviet weapons shipment to the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.Second World War
The first trip of the ship was from Arkhangelsk to the United Kingdom as part of Convoy QP 1 in September 1941. In January 1942 she brought military cargo to Murmansk as part of Convoy PQ 8. The next trip was with Convoy QP 7 to the United States with the load of apatites in February 1942, where she picked military equipment and returned to Iceland where it joined Convoy PQ 16.Convoy PQ 16
It was the fourth convoy for the ship. The ship was placed last in the order. It carried over 4,000 tonnes of munitions, including ammunition and explosives and /Boston aircraft on the deck. The last one was an attractive target for German bombers and torpedo planes. On May 27, 1942, the ship was severely bombed and set on fire near Bear Island.The Convoy PQ 16 commander invited the Soviet sailors to abandon the ship, that was in danger of exploding. During lulls between German attacks the neighbouring had approached and helped Stary Bolshevik with fire hoses and pumping the water out and with s doctor. On that occasion British sailors were surprised to learn that about 50 per cent of 's crew were women. The British destroyer wanted to pick up the crew and then to scuttle the motor vessel, the usual practice in convoys. The crew did not leave the ship and responded to this proposal with, "We are not going to bury the ship". Then the convoy went on, fighting off attacks by German aircraft and the burning transport was left alone with the fire.
For eight hours the 's crew fought to save their ship saving it and the cargo. The fire was extinguished, a patch was put on the holes and the transport moved to catch up with the convoy, arriving next day to the surprise of the convoy commodore. Seeing the damaged ship, with a hole in the side, a demolished funnel and a charred deck, the convoy commodore ordered the flag signal "Well done" hoist. On the evening of 30 May, Convoy PQ 16 entered Kola Bay.
The next trip of Stary Bolshevik was with Convoy QP 13 to Britain in June 1942 and then sailed to the Pacific Ocean for service at the Soviet Far East, and was subsequently used to move goods along the Pacific Route. The ship later underwent repairs in the United States.