Events in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Northern Convoys

The 80th anniversary of the Northern Convoys is celebrated on August 31, 2021. On this day, 80 years ago, the first allied convoy "Dervish" arrived in the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of the important page of the Great Patriotic War and WWII.

The "Northern Convoys International Centre" Foundation is a member of the working group for the anniversary events in St. Petersburg. On August 31, 2021 at College of Admiral Makarov State University the solemn meeting and laying flowers at the Arctic Convoys Monument will take place. At 12 o'clock, a midday shot will be fired from the Naryshkin bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress in honor of the Northern convoys participants.

On September 2, 2021 city-wide celebrations will be held by the Arctic Convoys Monument, followed by opening of the exhibition in the College of Admiral Makarov State University. The exhibition will be dedicated to the Northern Convoys and is organized by the Northern Convoys International Centre. Visitors will see personal belongings of veterans of the Northern convoys from Russia, Great Britain, the USA, documents, items related to the Northern convoys of 1941-1945. An exposition of ribbons for caps from the warships of the USSR that were part of the Northern convoys’ escort, as well as a large collection of helmets from World War II are planned.

On September 1, 2021, at midday Moscow Time, the "NCIC" Foundation, with the support of the St. Petersburg Committee for Arctic Affairs and the St. Petersburg Maritime Council, is holding the International Scientific and Historical Conference "The History of Arctic Convoys: Dialogue Through Time and Space". The conference will be held in a mixed format (online and offline). Conference participants - historians, museum representatives, writers, family members of the Northern Convoys veterans of from Russia, USA, Great Britain, Denmark will present their reports on the history of convoys and contemporary understanding of this important page of international cooperation during WWII. The welcoming letter for the participants of the conference was received from the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh, as well as video messages of the US Northern convoys veterans recorded and kindly provided by the American Merchant Marine Veterans Assocoiation.