Arctic convoys of World War II Arctic convoys of World War II The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945, sailing via several seas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, with two gaps with no sailings between July and September 1942, and March and November 1943. About 1,400 merchant ships delivered essential supplies to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program, escorted by ships of the Royal Navy, Royal
Arctic Norway Arctic circle is ca. . The population is about 393,000, which makes this the most populated arctic region in the world. Svalbard archipelago is situated some north of mainland Norway and has an area of . The population is about 2,400, and includes Longyearbyen, the northernmost town in the world. Bear Island () is situated some north of mainland Norway, about two-thirds the distance to Svalbard. It has an area of . The population is 9, which is the staff of the weather station. Jan Mayen is situated some 880 km northwest of mainland Norway and about 450 km off