The convoy was attacked by German destroyers and submarines, suffering the loss of one merchant ship as well as the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh.

Edinburgh was an escort and carried $20 million in gold, a payment from the Soviet Union to the United States.

[1] Edinburgh was badly damaged but remained afloat; it left the convoy and turned towards Murmansk, escorted by Foresight and Forester.

[3] The German command sent the three destroyers of Zerstörergruppe Arktis, Z7 Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25 (Kapitän zur See Alfred Schulze-Hinrichs), to attack Convoy QP 11 and then sink HMS Edinburgh.

[4] The flotilla found Edinburgh 250 nmi (460 km; 290 mi) east of the convoy at 06:17 on 2 May, moving at 2 kn (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph).

[2] The Edinburgh was escorted by Foresight, Forester, the four British minesweepers and Rubin (Gremyaschi and Sokrushitelny having returned to Murmansk due to a lack of fuel).

[4] Edinburgh's targeting systems had been destroyed by the torpedo explosions but its gunners managed to hit and cripple Hermann Schoemann.