Convoy PQ-17, one of the worst maritime disasters of the Second World War, will be memorialized with sight and sound beginning next month.
The Anglo-American convoy was travelling to Russia in July 1942, loaded with supplies.
But the merchant ships were abandoned by their naval escorts, which were deployed elsewhere.
Alone and attacked by enemy aircraft and U-boats, the convoy lost 22 of its 33 vessels and 153 merchant sailors were killed.
In memory, The Maritime Museum of B.C. begins a special exhibit on Oct. 18, PQ-17: The Art of History.
During the exhibit, the museum hopes to gather personal stories from visitors who may have connections to wartime convoys.
Also, on Nov. 10, at the University of Victoria Farquhar Auditorium, the Victoria Symphony will present Requiem for Convoy PQ-17.
The piece is the result of a collaboration between choreographer Bill Coleman and Victoria composer Christopher Butterfield, both of whom have connections of their own.
Coleman’s father was a survivor of PQ-17, and Butterfield’s father was also a merchant marine veteran.
