Note: all vessels and aircraft are British or Dominion unless otherwise identified or implied - all ships lost in bold - click for abbreviations.
Corrections with thanks to Donald Bertke

Background Events - September 1939-March 1940

Battle of Atlantic starts, 'Phoney War' on land, Battle of River Plate

 

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1940

 

 

Monday,  1 January

 

A German air raid on Sullom Voe caused little damage to either port facilities or the ships in the harbour, at this time anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY as guard ship, destroyer AFRIDI to refuel, tanker WAR DIWAN (5551grt), and MANELA as a depot ship for sea planes. COVENTRY did suffer concussion from a near miss which unseated machinery.

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Battleship REVENGE and destroyers MOHAWK, MASHONA, KHARTOUM and KINGSTON arrived at Plymouth. MASHONA went on to Chatham arriving on the 2nd for repairs, while the other three destroyers departed on the 3rd and arrived back at the Clyde on the 4th. REVENGE began a refit which completed on the 23rd.

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Destroyer ILEX departed the Clyde for Liverpool for periodic docking.

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Armed merchant cruiser MONTCLARE departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol.

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Sloop HASTINGS collided with anti-submarine trawler BRADMAN (452grt) off Lowestoft at 2125, both reaching Sheerness at 1200/2nd with BRADMAN escorting HASTINGS.

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Convoy HN.6 of four British, 17 Norwegian, eight Swedish, six Finnish and one Panamanian ship departed Bergen escorted by destroyers EXMOUTH, ECLIPSE, ENCOUNTER, ESCAPADE. On the 3rd, U.58 sank Swedish steamer SVARTON. Seven ships in the convoy detached to the west coast of Britain and the rest reached Methil without further incident on the 4th.

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Convoy OG.13F of 25 ships was formed from OB.63GF out of Milford Haven escorted by destroyers WANDERER and WITHERINGTON, and OA.63GF out of Southend escorted by sister ships WOLVERINE and WHITSHED. WANDERER and WITHERINGTON were with OG.13F from the 1st to 3rd, when WANDERER joined HG.13F. Sloop ABERDEEN and destroyer WATCHMAN escorted the convoy from 30 December to 7 January. En route, 11 steamers from OG.13 joined OG.13F, which arrived at Gibraltar on the 7th.

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Convoy OA.64 departed Southend escorted by destroyers WITCH and WREN from the 1st to 3rd. Destroyers AMBUSCADE and VANESSA joined from the 3rd to 4th when the convoy dispersed.

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Convoy OB.64 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyer VERSATILE and sloop DEPTFORD until the 4th.

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U.58 sank Swedish steamer LARS MAGNUS TROZELLI (1951grt) in 58‑14N, 01‑38W; seven crew were lost and the survivors picked up by Norwegian steamer ASK (1541grt).

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Convoy FN.62 departed Southend, escorted by sloops PELICAN, WESTON, HASTINGS, and arrived in the Tyne on the 2nd.

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Convoy FS.62 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer VIVIEN, sloops FLEETWOOD and BITTERN, and arrived at Southend on the 2nd.

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Destroyer MONTROSE, escorting a convoy west of Hartland in 50‑55N, 05‑18W, attacked a submarine contact without success.

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Convoy SA.24 departed Southampton with two steamers, escorted by sloops FOXGLOVE and ROSEMARY, and arrived at Brest on the 3rd.

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American steamer CITY OF FLINT (4963grt) was damaged in collision with steamer BARON BLYTHSWOOD (3668grt) at Narvik, but was able to leave on the 7th for Baltimore.

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German steamer JOHANN SCHULTE (5254grt) lost her propeller, went aground near Trondheim and her crew were rescued by a Norwegian steamer.

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Rear Admiral S S Bonham-Carter hoisted his flag in battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN (right - MaritimeQuest) at Devonport on the 1st and relieved Vice Admiral L E Holland as Admiral Halifax Force, 3rd Battle Squadron. At this time Halifax Force consisted of battleships RESOLUTION, REVENGE, light cruisers EMERALD, ENTERPRISE and armed merchant cruisers ASCANIA, ALAUNIA, AUSONIA and LACONIA. Of these, REVENGE and ENTERPRISE were refitting in Home Waters. After repairing at Devonport, ROYAL SOVEREIGN left on the 15th for Halifax and battleship MALAYA, which arrived shortly at Halifax, departed on the 14th for convoy duty with HX.16.

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Heavy cruiser SUSSEX had departed Simonstown on 27 December, and transferred to Force I in the Indian Ocean to replace sister ship CORNWALL. She arrived at Mauritius on the 1st, proceeded to Colombo where she arrived on the 6th, and on the 15th left for patrol, from which she returned on the 18th. On the 25th, SUSSEX departed Colombo with aircraft carrier EAGLE and Australian light cruiser HOBART, reaching Trincomalee on the 26th. After that her movements were - departed Trincomalee on the 28th, arrived Colombo the same day, left on 1 February, arrived Aden on the 8th, went on patrol and returned to Aden on the 12th, stayed until the 18th, then left for Colombo, arriving on 25 February.

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Convoy SL.15 departed Freetown, escorted by armed merchant cruiser SALOPIAN from the 1st to 16th, and on the 14th was joined by convoy SLF.15 along with its escorts, armed merchant cruiser PRETORIA CASTLE on the 14th and submarine CLYDE on the 15th. Destroyers VANOC, VERITY, VETERAN, WINCHELSEA relieved the AMCs and submarine on the 16th and stayed until SL.15 arrived on the 19th.

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German steamer TACOMA (8268grt) was interned at Montevideo by the Uruguayan authorities.

 

 

2 January, Tuesday

 

NORTHERN PATROL

 

Light cruiser NEWCASTLE departed Scapa Flow for Northern Patrol. Shortly after leaving, she reported a submarine contact in 59-13N, 3-59W, which destroyers FURY and FEARLESS, aided by Walrus aircraft, searched for. Destroyers ISIS and IMPULSIVE also joined in, while destroyer FAME kept watch on the outer patrol. The search was discontinued on the 3rd when FEARLESS returned to Scapa Flow to refuel and FURY was ordered to the Clyde.

 

Armed merchant cruiser CHITRAL arrived in the Clyde after Northern Patrol.

 

Armed merchant cruiser CORFU departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol.

 

Light cruiser DUNEDIN departed Scapa Flow on Northern Patrol, and arrived back on the 9th.

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Cruiser HAWKINS completed her refit and ran trials on 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th from Portland. She left on the 9th for Freetown, arriving on the 16th, left  on the 17th, arrived off Rio de la Plata on the 29th and then spent February in the Falklands carrying out further refitting.

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Destroyers IVANHOE and INTREPID departed Immingham to countermine a German minefield in the Heligoland Bight in operation EW. Seven destroyers of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla from Harwich were nearby in support.

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Destroyers ESCORT and ELECTRA arrived at Invergordon.

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Destroyer ECHO departed Rosyth for escort duties between Invergordon and the Tyne.

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Convoy BC.21 of steamer BARON GRAHAM departed Bristol Channel escorted by destroyer MONTROSE, and arrived in the Loire on the 4th. The convoy returned with BARON GRAHAM, departing on the 12th and arriving in Bristol Channel on the 14th.

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Soviet submarine S.2 was lost on a mine laid by Finnish minelayer LOUHI off Market Island in the Sodra-Kvarken Passage into the Gulf of Bothnia.

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Submarine OTWAY, escorted by anti-submarine trawlers AMBER and JADE, departed Malta for Gibraltar. After anti-submarine practice and docking, she was to proceed to the UK in February.

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Heavy cruiser CORNWALL departed Simonstown on patrol, and arrived back at Capetown on the 11th.

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Light cruiser ORION departed Kingston for Bermuda where she arrived on the 5th for docking and refit, completed on 3 February.

 

 

Wednesday,  3 January

 

Heavy cruiser DEVONSHIRE departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol, and arrived back on the 10th.

 

Heavy cruiser SUFFOLK and light cruiser CERES arrived at Scapa Flow after Northern Patrol.

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American steamer MORMACSUN (4996grt) was taken into Kirkwall for contraband inspection. The United States protested so strongly about a neutral ship being sent into a war zone that the British government ordered the Admiralty to cease taking suspect American ships into contraband control stations.

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Light cruisers EDINBURGH and GLASGOW arrived at Rosyth ahead of convoy HN.6.

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Destroyers ESCORT and ELECTRA departed Invergordon with tanker BEACONSTREET (7467grt) for Liverpool. After delivering her, the destroyers went on to Plymouth for refitting.

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Sloop AUCKLAND arrived at Rosyth from Portsmouth for duty in Convoy C.

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Convoy OA.65G departed Southend escorted by destroyers WHITEHALL and WIVERN from the 3rd to 5th when they detached off the Lizard. (Sister ships VESPER and VISCOUNT escorted a coastal portion to Liverpool from the 5th to 7th.) By then, convoy OB.65G had departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers VENETIA and WINCHELSEA, and then merged with OA.65G to form convoy OG.13 on the 6th. VENETIA and WINCHELSEA continued the escort until the 8th. Finally French destroyers TARTU and VAUQUELIN provided escort from the 6th to 11th, when the convoy arrived at Gibraltar.

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Convoy FS.63 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON and sloops GRIMSBY and WESTON, and arrived at Southend on the 5th.

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U.58 sank Swedish steamer SVARTON (2574grt) from convoy HN.6 northeast of the Firth of Forth in 57-48N, 1-47W. Twenty crew were lost, but minesweeping trawler OAK (357grt) picked up 11 survivors who were later transferred to the Fraserburgh lifeboat.

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Paddle minesweeper BRIGHTON QUEEN was in collision with tug GANNET in the Imperial Dock at Rosyth at 0855/3rd.

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Swedish steamer KIRUNA (5484grt) was lost to unknown cause in 45‑20N, 25‑10W.

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Latvian steamer IRIS FAULBAUMS (1675grt) was seized in a German port, and renamed WALLY FAULBAUM in German service.

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Light cruiser BIRMINGHAM departed Hong Kong on the 3rd. Calling at Singapore on the 8th and Colombo on the 11th, she arrived at Aden on the 16th. Reaching Suez on the 19th, she was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet as the Commander in Chief's Flagship. She arrived at Malta on the 21st, and refitted from 22 January to 5 February, on which day she left for Alexandria. At Alexandria from 6 to 11 February, BIRMINGHAM then patrolled in the Mediterranean before departing Malta on the 19th for the Home Fleet. Admiral Cunningham hauled down his flag and BIRMINGHAM left the Mediterranean, passing Gibraltar on 21 February and arriving at Portsmouth on the 24th. On 6 March, she was attached to the Portsmouth Command while refitting there.

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Australian destroyers VENDETTA and WATERHEN departed Marseilles escorting convoy K.6 consisting of  troopships ROHNA (8602grt), TAIREA (7933grt), DEVONSHIRE (11,275grt), DILWARA (11,080grt), RAJULA (8478grt) and TALAMBA (8018grt).  They were relieved on the 5th by Australian destroyers STUART and VAMPIRE, and proceeded to Malta. The convoy, less VAMPIRE detached to Port Said on the 7th, arrived at Haifa on the 9th, and departed on the 12th, escorted by STUART. Destroyer VOYAGER, with repair ship RESOURCE from Alexandria joined the convoy at sea, and arrived at Malta on the 15th.

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Sloop WELLINGTON, escorting a homeward bound Sierra Leone convoy, attacked a submarine contact 350 miles west of Ushant in 47-32N, 12-34W.

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German steamer BOGOTA (1230grt) departed Guayaquil, Ecuador, and arrived at Coquimbo, Chile on the 11th.

 

 

Thursday,  4 January

 

Armed merchant cruisers WORCESTERSHIRE and ANDANIA arrived in the Clyde after Northern Patrol.

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Battleship NELSON departed Loch Ewe.  Old German steamer ILSENSTEIN sailed from Loch Ewe ahead of her to detonate any remaining mines. Escorted by destroyers FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND and IMPULSIVE, NELSON proceeded to Portsmouth, arriving on the 7th for repairs which began on the 14th.  FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND and IMPULSIVE were ordered to remain at Portsmouth for two days, then return to the Clyde. Destroyers ISIS, FAME and FORESIGHT proceeded independently at the same time to Devonport and returned to the Clyde with FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, and IMPULSIVE.  NELSON was repairing until early June 1940 at Portsmouth, arrived at Greenock on 8 June for refitting and departed on the 29th to rejoin the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.

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Anti-aircraft cruisers CAIRO and CALCUTTA completed their anti-aircraft guard duty at Loch Ewe and departed, arriving at Sheerness on the 6th.

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Battleship RODNEY, battlecruiser REPULSE and destroyers INGLEFIELD, IMOGEN, ICARUS, MOHAWK, BEDOUIN, KINGSTON, FIREDRAKE and  MATABELE departed Greenock on patrol. Destroyer FEARLESS departed Scapa Flow to relieve MOHAWK, which was sent to Portsmouth for repairs. Destroyers FORESIGHT and SOMALI also departed Greenock on the 4th for repairs at Plymouth and Middlesbrough respectively. After the patrol, MATABELE went to Plymouth for refitting.

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Light cruiser AURORA departed the Clyde after refitting, and arrived at Scapa Flow on the 5th.

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Light cruiser ENTERPRISE departed Portsmouth, and arrived at Halifax on the 10th.

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Convoy FN.63 departed Southend, escorted by sloops BITTERN and FLEETWOOD. Southeast of Shipwash Light Vessel in 51-57N, 01-48. 7E, BITTERN attacked a submarine contact. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 5th.

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Convoy FS.64 departed Rosyth with tankers BRITISH UNION and BRITISH CONSOL for the Tyne, escorted by destroyer VIVIEN and sloop PELICAN. Sloop BITTERN replaced VIVIEN on the 5th, and the convoy arrived at Southend on the 6th.

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Tug SWARTHY sank at Portsmouth, but was later salved. Minesweeper SALTBURN alongside was damaged at the time.

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Submarine THISTLE arrived at Rosyth after patrol.

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Submarine H.34 departed Dundee for Rosyth escorted by minesweeping trawler CRANEFLY (312grt).

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Sloop EGRET was in a collision  with steamer SEA VALOUR (1950grt) at 0808/4th. The steamer only received minor damage, while EGRET’s was repaired at Cardiff in three weeks.

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Convoy OA.65 departed Southend escorted by destroyer BROKE from the 4th to 6th. Destroyer AMAZON escorted the convoy from the 5th to 6th, when it dispersed.

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Convoy OB.66 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers VANOC and VOLUNTEER, and after it dispersed, the two destroyers joined HG.13 on the 6th.

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Convoy HXF.15 departed Halifax at 0900 escorted by Canadian destroyers FRASER and RESTIGOUCHE, which detached on the 6th. Ocean escort was armed merchant cruiser LETITIA, which detached on the 13th. The convoy was joined in Home Waters by destroyer WHITEHALL from the 12th to 15th, when it arrived at Liverpool.

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Aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL arrived at Dakar and battlecruiser RENOWN at Freetown for refuelling. Departing on the 7th, ARK ROYAL joined RENOWN off Sierra Leone on the 8th after she had left earlier that day with destroyers HERO and HASTY. They searched unsuccessfully for German supply ship ALTMARK in the South Atlantic until arriving at Freetown on the 19th. Destroyer DAINTY departed Gibraltar for Freetown and briefly joined RENOWN  for transfer of mail before arriving on the 10th at Freetown for escort duties.

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German steamer QUITO (1230grt) departed Guayaquil, Ecuador, and arrived at Coquimbo, Chile on the 12th. The only German ship remaining at Guayaquil was steamer CERIGO (1120grt) which was later scuttled on 1 April 1941 and salved as 29 DE MAYO for Ecuadorian use.

 

 

Friday,  5 January

 

The Northern Patrol from 5th to 18th sighted 48 eastbound ships of which 30 were sent into Kirkwall for inspection.

 

Heavy cruiser NORFOLK arrived in the Clyde after Northern Patrol.

 

Light cruiser CERES departed Scapa Flow on Northern Patrol, and left her station on the 11th for Belfast where she arrived on the 13th. There she repaired and refitted until 7 February.

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New Zealand light cruiser ACHILLES sailed from Buenos Aires on the 5th and British sister ship AJAX from Montevideo after refuelling on the same day, and met heavy cruisers DORSETSHIRE and SHROPSHIRE off Rio de la Plata.  ACHILLES relieved AJAX as Flagship of the South America Station, and went on to the Falklands, arriving on the 14th. AJAX went to Plymouth arriving on the 31st and on to Chatham for repairs lasting until mid-July 1940.

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Battlecruiser HOOD and destroyers AFRIDI, IMPERIAL, MAORI and NUBIAN arrived at Greenock.

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Submarine UNITY arrived at Blyth after patrol.

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Submarines TRIBUNE departed Rosyth and STARFISH departed Blyth for patrol.

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Destroyers ESCAPADE, ECLIPSE, destroyer/escort ship VEGA and sloop LONDONDERRY escorted a MT convoy from Methil to the Tyne. Sloop STORK was to be part of the escort, but fouled the boom at Inchkeith in fog and had to return for repairs. After this duty, the two destroyers proceeded to Immingham to escort minelayer PRINCESS VICTORIA.

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Destroyer ECHO and cable ship ROYAL SCOT arrived at Newcastle from the south to repair the cable between Newcastle and Scandinavia.

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Armed yacht PRINCESS of the 11th Submarine Striking Force sighted a U-boat on the surface off Bull Point in 51-18.5N, 04-00W. Destroyer VIVACIOUS joined her, but contact was not regained.

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Steamer ROTHESAY CASTLE (7016grt) went ashore off Sanaig Point, Islay; the crew were taken off by tug ENGLISHMAN.

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Convoy OA.67 departed Southend and dispersed on the 8th. No escorts were listed in the report. .

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Convoy OB.67 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WALPOLE and VERITY until the 9th.

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Convoy FS.65 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer VALOROUS and sloop FLAMINGO, and arrived at Southend on the 7th.

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Destroyers ESCAPADE and ECLIPSE departed Methil with a group of merchant ships for the Tyne.

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Soviet submarine SC.311 sank Swedish steamer FENRIS (484grt) off Sydost Brottens Light Vessel in the Gulf of Finland. The crew was rescued and the wreck of the steamer drifted ashore NW of Sydost Brotten Light Vessel.

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Light cruiser PENELOPE departed Malta, arrived at Gibraltar on the 7th and Portsmouth on the 11th. After refitting, she left Portsmouth on the 29th for duty with the Home Fleet.

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Convoy HG.14F departed Gibraltar with 15 ships, escorted by destroyer VIDETTE from the 5th to 8th, sloop BIDEFORD from the 5th to 15th, and sloop ABERDEEN from the 9th to 15th. On the 10th, HG.14F merged with SL.14 as SG.14, and was escorted by sloop LEITH (from SL.14) from the 10th to 12th. On the 11th, destroyers WANDERER and WARWICK joined from convoy OG.14 and remained until the 15th, and WITCH joined on the 11th and remained until the 15th, when the convoy arrived.

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Light cruiser NEPTUNE arrived at Dakar.

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Anti-submarine trawler KINGSTON CORNELIAN (449grt, Skipper W Green RNR) was sunk in accidental collision with French liner CHELLA (8920grt) east of Gibraltar. One or more depth charges exploded in the water and all hands - one officer and seventeen ratings, were lost. CHELLA had to go into Gibraltar for repairs.

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Convoy SLF.15 departed Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser PRETORIA CASTLE and submarine CLYDE. On the 14th, the convoy merged with SL.15 and the SLF.15 escorts detached on the 16th.  The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 19th, and CLYDE at Portsmouth on the 21st.

 

 

Saturday, 6 January

 

Destroyer FOXHOUND, escorting damaged battleship NELSON, attacked a submarine contact south of Wolf Rock in 49‑39N, 5‑50. 5W.

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Armed merchant cruisers ANDANIA, CHITRAL and WORCESTERSHIRE departed the Clyde for Northern Patrol. Light cruiser COLOMBO arrived at Scapa Flow.

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Armed merchant cruiser LAURENTIC, returning to the Clyde, went ashore southwest of Islay. Tug ENGLISHMAN was carrying some of the survivors of steamer ROTHESAY CASTLE (7016grt) and had to transfer them to a destroyer before she could assist.  However, LAURENTIC got off without assistance and proceeded to Belfast arriving on the 7th. She was under repair until 25 May.

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Convoy ON.7 of one British, one Norwegian and four Finnish ships departed Methil escorted by destroyers ESKIMO, TARTAR, KASHMIR, KHARTOUM and submarine TRITON. KASHMIR had departed the Clyde on the 4th to join the escort and arrived at Rosyth on the 6th, while KHARTOUM had left the Clyde on the 5th and refuelled at Scapa Flow on the 6th before proceeding to Rosyth. ESKIMO developed defects and was relieved by destroyer ENCOUNTER until joined by destroyer KANDAHAR which departed Scapa Flow at midnight on the 7th. Light cruisers GLASGOW and EDINBURGH left Rosyth on the 7th to cover the convoy, which arrived safely at Bergen on the 9th.

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Convoy FN.64 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON and sloops GRIMSBY and WESTON, but was cancelled when progress was impeded by fog.

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Convoy FS.66 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer/escort vessel VEGA and sloop LONDONDERRY. Sloop STORK was intended to join them, but (as noted on the 5th) fouled the boom net at Inchkeith and had to return to harbour. VEGA collided with steamer REGFOS (1548grt) on the 8th, but was was able to continue with the convoy, which arrived at Southend on the 8th. After temporary repairs at Sheerness, VEGA departed on the 9th and proceeded to Rosyth, but as there were no facilities available for her there, went on to Dundee, arriving on the 12th for repairs which completed on the 24th.

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Steamer CITY OF MARSEILLES (8317grt) was damaged on a mine laid by U.13 (source - Seekrieg) 1½  miles SE of No.1 Black Buoy, River Tay.

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Tanker BRITISH LIBERTY (8485grt) was sunk on a British defensive minefield two miles NE of Dyck Light Vessel; twenty four crew, including a Marine gunner, were lost.

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GERMAN DESTROYER MINELAYING IN THE THAMES ESTUARY

 

During the night of the 6th/7th, German destroyers of the 1st Flotilla, FRIEDRICH ECKHOLDT, ERICH STEINBRINCK and FRIEDRICH IHN, supported by KARL GALSTER, RICHARD BEITZEN and HERMANN SCHOEMANN laid mines in the Thames Estuary. Destroyer GRENVILLE and six merchant ships for 21,617 tons were lost in the field.

 

On the 6th, motor trawler ETA (81grt) six miles NW of Outer Gabbard Light Vessel; the crew were saved.

 

On the 7th, steamer CEDRINGTON COURT (5160grt) two miles NE of North Goodwins Light Vessel in 51-22N, 1-35E; again the crew were saved.