A KEIGHLEY man has told the story of an ‘unsung hero’ of the Arctic convoys.

In his book Unfortunate Occurrences and Knavish Tricks – The Last Voyage of the SS Capira, John Chuter outlines the ship’s contribution to keeping Russia in the Second World War.

The ageing American freighter took part in a number of convoys, including PQ 15 and QP 13, to and from Russia.

John focuses on the period between November 1941 and August the following year, a critical time when Russian convoys in particular were coming under increasing attack and the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic lay in the balance.

“During this period a number of ‘unfortunate occurrences’ happened to PQ 15 and QP 13 and their escorting naval vessels resulting in significant losses,” said John, who lives at Braithwaite.

John recounts the political, strategic, tactical and technical issues that shaped events, as well reliving the accounts of the extraordinary sailors who took part in the action.

He uses archive material from the UK, USA, Canada, Russia and Germany as well as previously-unpublished accounts from interviews, letters and eyewitness reports.

Unfortunate Occurrences and Knavish Tricks – The Last Voyage of the SS Capira is published by Uniform and retails at £25, hardback.