The first Allied convoy for the Arctic departed Hvalfjör_ur, Iceland (having originated from Scotland, United Kingdom) at 1845 hours with 11 merchant ships escorted by cruiser HMS Suffolk, destroyer HMS Antelope, destroyer HMS Impulsive, and four minesweepers. By the end of the year five other convoys had followed it, landing 120,000 tons of supplies at Murmansk, Russia, including 600 tanks, 800 aircraft and 1,400 motor vehicles. It was somewhat embarrassing to the Germans that, between 29 Sep and 31 Dec 1941, all 55 vessels of these first six convoys reached their destination without loss.
