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Note: all vessels and aircraft are British or Dominion unless otherwise identified or implied - click for abbreviations |
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Background Events - January-May 1941
1941
Tuesday, 15 April Light cruiser EDINBURGH, which had been on escort
duties since 25 March, arrived at _____ Destroyer ACHATES departed The destroyer departed Loch Alsh at 1245/16th and
arrived at _____ Destroyer TARTAR departed Both ships arrived at Methil at 1900/16th. The destroyer
stood by to provide Anti-aircraft protection. Destroyer TARTAR arrived back at _____ Destroyer During the night, the destroyer was involved in a
collision with an unknown merchant ship five miles north of No.20 Buoy and
was diverted to the Repairs were completed at Hebburn on 19 May. _____ Italian submarine TAZZOLI sank British steamer AURILLAC
(4733grt) in 37-09N, 18-42W. One crewman was lost on the steamer. Ocean boarding vessel CAMITO located wreckage, but
did not locate any survivors. _____ Tug Convoy OG.59 departed liverpool, escorted by
destroyers BEAGLE, Corvettes COLUMBINE and GARDENIA joined on the
17th. The destroyers and the earlier corvettes were detached
on the 20th. On the 24th, Dutch submarine O.24 joined the convoy
escort and on the 28th, Anti-submarine trawler ST WISTAN. The corvettes were detached before the convoy
arrived at _____ Light cruiser These ships bombarded Italian motor transport at
Capuzzo and Bardia early on the 16th. _____ Destroyer DECOY departed _____ Gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Gazala. _____ The destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, MOHAWK, and NUBIAN
departed _____ Destroyer GREYHOUND joined the Inshore Squadron. During the night of 15/16 April, the destroyer
joined destroyer VENDETTA for a sweep along the Cyrenaican coast. _____ British steamers GOALPARA (5314grt) and QUILOA
(7765grt) was sunk by German bombing in The ships were beached and the crews from both
ships were rescued. Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH departed _____ Convoy HG.59 departed Included in this convoy was French ship On the 22nd, corvetes GENTIAN and JONQUIL were
detached, on the 23rd, corvette GERANIUM and submarine O.24. Destroyers KEPPEL and SABRE, corvette KINGCUP, and
anti-submarine trawlers LADY ELSA, NORTHERN DAWN, and WELLARD joined the
convoy on the 27th, and arrived at _____ French submarines ACTEON, FRESNEL, and HENRI
POINCARE, which departed Toulon on the 10th and Oran on the 14th, passed
Gibraltar en route to Casablanca, where they arrived on the 16th, escorted by
torpedo boat LA BATAILLEUSE. _____ Italian steamers LUCIANA (3329grt) and STAMPALIA
(1228grt) were sunk by British air bombing at Valona. Sub Lt (A) W. C. Sarra and A/Sub Lt (A) J. Bowker
of 815 Squadron, operating from Paramythia, were shot down and made prisoners
of war. Wednesday, 16 April Light cruiser NAIAD arrived at _____ Aircraft carrier FURIOUS, under repair at _____ Destroyer SOMALI departed The destroyer and steamer Destroyer ANTHONY departed Destroyer ANTHONY parted company with the steamer
off Destroyer ARROW departed The steamer was detached off _____ Convoy OB.311 departed liverpool, escorted by
anti-submarine NORTHERN SPRAY. The convoy was joined on the 17th by corvette
MALLOW and on the 18th by corvette VIOLET and minesweepers _____ Anti-aircraft ship ALYNBANK departed Methil and
joined convoy EC.7 off the ship arrived at _____ British steamer SWEDRU (5379grt) was badly damaged
by German bombing in 55-21N, 12-50W. Seventeen crew and seven passengers were lost. The steamer was sunk by HM ship on the 19th. _____ British steamers ANGELESEA ROSE (1151grt) and There were no casualties on either British steamer.
Eight crew were missing on the Norwegian steamer. _____ Norwegian steamer FAVORIT (2826grt) was sunk by
German bombing in 60-06N, 8-31W. The entire crew were rescued. _____ British trawler KING ATHELSTAN (159grt) was damaged
by German bombing three miles off Ballinskelligs. The trawler was beached with hull damage. She was
temporarily repaired and was able to proceed under her own steam. _____ German tanker NORDMARK replenished Italian
submarines ARCHIMEDE, GUGLIEMOTTI, and FERRARIS at sea on 16 and 17 April _____ A German Afrika Korps supply convoy of German
steamers ANDANA (4205grt), AEGINA (2447grt), ARTA (2452grt), and ISERLOHN
(3704grt) and Italian steamer SABAUDIA (1590grt) departed Naples escorted by
destroyers LAMPO, TARIGO, and BALENO on the 13th. The British 14th Destroyer Flotilla sighted this
convoy off Kerkenah at 0158 on the 16th and attacked at 0210. The entire convoy and all three destroyers were
sunk in 34-53N, 9-50E. Destroyer MOHAWK was torpedoed by Italian destroyer
TARIGO. Lt Cdr (E) J. R. de M. Destroyer was scuttled by destroyer JANUS with
gunfire. Italian destroyers VIVALDI and DA NOLI arrived and
picked up survivors. When the threat of continued attack by British
units arose, light cruiser BANDE NERE and other units (BARBIANO and DI
GUISSANO ??) departed Over the next seven days, destroyers VIVALDI, DA
NOLI, MALOCELLO, and DARDO, torpedo boats CIGNO, CLIO, CENTAURO, MISSORI,
PAPA, PERSEO, and PARTENOPE, hospital ships ARNO and GIUSEPPE ORLANDO, and
rescue aircraft rescued 1248 troops (3000 had been aboard the ships). _____ British troopships GLENGYLE and GLENEARN departed Submarine TRIUMPH had sailed on the 15th to act as
a beacon for the operation. After dark, Anti-aircraft cruiser Anti-aircraft cruiser This operation was to be conducted during the night
of 16/17 April, but was cancelled due to bad weather. During the night of 19/20 April, British commandoes
raided Bardia. The raid was successful, but sixty seven men lost
their way and were left behind. The remainder of the force were embarked and
returned to _____ Destroyer DECOY and gunboat LADYBIRD departed
Tobruk at 1630 for a raid by special troops on Marakeb. The raid was carried out during the night of 16/17,
but was unsuccessful. Destroyer DECOY ran aground, but was gotten off
without serious damage. Both ships returned to _____ Destroyer HERO, operating in the However, the sailing was cancelled since it was
unknown if Kotor was still in allied hands. Battlecruiser RENOWN and aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL
arrived at Escorting destroyer FEARLESS was fired upon from _____ Swedish steamer SIR ERNEST CASSELL (7739grt) was
sunk by German raider _____ Armed boarding vessel CHAKLA was grounded in a
storm at _____ Greek steamer MEMAS (4359grt) was sunk by German bombing
at Chalkis. _____ Convoy HX.121 departed Thursday, 17 April Destroyer ECLIPSE departed _____ Anti-aircraft ship ALYNBANK departed They arrived at Methil at 1400/18th. _____ Heavy cruiser The aircraft carrier carried aircraft for Operation
DUNLOP. Aircraft carrier ARGUS was joined on the 22nd by
light cruiser The heavy cruiser then joined convoy SL.71 and
arrived back at _____ The German 2nd British steamer EFFRA (1446grt) was sunk by a
German S-boat near Cross Sand Light Vessel in 52-44N, 1-58E. Two crew were
missing. Dutch steamer NEREUS (1298grt) was sunk by a German
S-boat two miles south of No. 5 Buoy, Great Yarmouth. The crew was rescued. British steamer ETHEL RADCLIFFE (5673grt) was
damaged by German S-boat near No. 6 Buoy off Great Yarmouth. There were no casualties on the steamer. The
steamer was towed to The steamer was sunk on 16 May by German bombing. The German S-boats were later engaged by British
MGB.60, MGB.59, and MGB.64 which had sailed in Operation QE at 1915/16th. British steamer MONTALTO (623grt) was sunk by
German bombing at _____ U.123 sank Swedish steamer _____ Destroyer _____ Destroyer GREYHOUND and Australian destroyer
VOYAGER carried out a sweep westwards from Tolmeita. Italian barque _____ Submarine TRUANT, on a reconnaissance mission off
the Cyrenaican coast, sank Italian ammunition barque VANNA (279grt) with
bombs and fuel for Derna with gunfire off Appolonia. _____ Submarine TRUANT attacked German steamer The attack was unsuccessful, but the steamer was
sunk on a magnetic mine on the 19th. _____ Five British A lighters A.1, A.5, A.6, A.16, and
A.19 of the 1st Tank Landing Craft Flotilla, escorted by sloop The A lighters departed Tobruk that evening for
Suda Bay, led by anti-submarine whaler SKUD V. A.1, A.6, A.16, and A.19
arrived on the 21st. A.5 was detached to Nauplia independently. A sixth lighter A.15 was delayed at _____ Yugoslav destroyer German troops captured the damaged destroyer German troops also captured the damaged destroyer
LJUBJANA in dock at _____ Greek steamer DAMASKINI (1196grt) was sunk by
German bombing in Oreos Channel, north of _____ Greek steamer PETRAKIS NOMIKOS (7020grt) was badly damaged
by German bombing at The steamer was beached and bombed again on the
23rd. Steamer PETRAKIS NOMIKOS was later salved by the
Germans for their use. _____ Egyptian steamer ZAMZAM (8299grt) was sunk by
German raider ATLANTIS at 27-41S, 8-08W. The crew and passengers, including 138 Americans,
were transferred to German supply ship _____ Submarine PANDORA arrived at _____ Destroyers KASHMIR and JACKAL and corvette SPIRAE
arrived at Gibraltar escorting the 3rd Motor Launch Flotilla of ML.121,
ML.129, ML.130, ML.132, ML.134, ML.135, and ML.168. These ships had departed the _____ Convoy SL.72 departed On the 19th, light cruiser Destroyers COLUMBIA to 13 May, KEPPEL to 13 May,
LINCOLN to 13 May, and SABRE to 12 May, sloop FLEETWOOD to 13 May, corvettes
ALISMA to 13 May, DIANELLA to 13 May, and KINGCUP to 13 May, and anti-submarine
trawlers Friday, 18 April The flag of CS 10 was transferred from light
cruiser _____ Light cruiser _____ Convoy OB.312 departed liverpool, escorted by
destroyer WANDERER, corvettes DIANTHUS, MARIGOLD, NASTURTIUM,PERIWINKLE, and
PRIMROSE, minesweepers BRAMBLEHAZARD, and SPEEDY. Destroyer SCIMITAR,
corvette MALLOW, and anti-submarine trawler NORTHERN _____ Destroyer SIKH departed the The dingy was not found and destroyer SIKH arrived
at _____ Destroyers Both destroyers were seriously damaged. Five
ratings were lost in VOLUNTEER. The destroyers were both repaired at _____ Destroyer WHITSHED and French destroyer LA
MELPOMENE were in a collision off Harwich. There was no damage to destroyer WHITSHED. The French destroyer was under repair at the _____ Minelayer TEVIOTBANK, escorted by patrol sloops
GUILLEMOTT and KITTIWAKE, laid mines in minefield BS.54 off the east coast of
Minesweepers SNAEFELL and THAMES QUEEN accompanied the
ships on the minelay. _____ Submarine URGE, en route to the _____ Free French submarine MINERVE attacked unsuccessfully
a German steamer two miles southwest of Tungenes. _________ Naval drifter YOUNG ERNIE (88grt, T/Skipper R.
Milligan _____ British tanker SCOTTISH MUSICIAN (6998grt) was
damaged by German bombing at three miles 205° from The tanker arrived at _____ Panamanian steamer CSIKOS (3938grt) was damaged by
German bombing in 55N, 11-46W. Two crew were killed on the steamer. The steamer arrived at Lough Foyle in tow on the
19th. _____ German fishing vessel GUIDO MOHRING (289grt) was
sunk by a torpedo near Port Ley. _____ Mediterranean Fleet departed On the 18th, a Fulmar of 803 Squadron was lost when
it crashed during landing. Lt D. C. E. F. Gibson was rescued wounded, but Sub
Lt P. C. B. Ashbrooke was lost. The force arrived at The fleet sailed at 1530/19th. Light cruiser Cruisers PHOEBE and After passing the Kithera Straits, cruisers PHOEBE
and Destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, NUBIAN, and DIAMOND
(completed of refitting) departed Light cruisers ORION, At The At dark on the 20th, aircraft carrier FORMIDABLE,
light cruisers ORION, PERTH, and AJAX, and destroyers GRIFFIN, KIMBERLEY,
KINGSTON, and NUBIAN were detached for flying operations. Lt J. H. Shears and P/T/Sub Lt (A) E. J. H. Dixon
RNVR, of 806 Squadron from aircraft carrier FORMIDABLE were shot down and
lost on the 20th. Supply ship BRECONSHIRE and destroyer ENCOUNTER
were detached to Malta. Early on the 21st, Submarine TRUANT acted as beacon ship. Submarine
TRIUMPH was also at sea in the area. Aircraft carrier FORMIDABLE aircraft dropped
flares. Italian torpedo boat PARTENOPE and six freighters
were damaged in the bombardment. Battleship VALIANT detonated a mine. She sustained
slight damage. On the 21st, light cruisers ORION, Destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, Light cruisers ORION, Light cruiser Light cruiser Destroyer At 1600, light cruiser Convoy ME.7 arrived at _____ After delivering convoy AN.27 at _____ Convoy service ship FIONA (2190grt, Cdr A. H. H.
Griffiths, RD _____ British steamer BRITISH SCIENCE (7138grt) was sunk
by German bombing in 36-06N, 24-00E, north of the Kithera Channel. The entire
crew was rescued by destroyer HERO which took them to Greek steamers FOKION (1158grt) and _____ Greek steamer _____ Greek steamer MOSCHA L. GOULANDRI (5199grt) was
badly damaged by German bombing off Chalkis. The steamer was beached at Chalkis. She was bombed
again on 20 and 23 April and left a total loss. _____ British steel flat PUNDUAH sank while in tow of HM
ship at 19-15N, 86-53E. _____ Destroyer HIGHLANDER departed _____ Destroyer NAPIER, en route from _____ An Afrika Korps supply convoy of steamers ALICANTE
(2140grt), MARITZA (2910grt), SANTA FE (4627grt), and PROCIDA (5366grt),
escorted by destroyers AVIERE, GENIERE, CAMICIA NERA, and GRECALE and torpedo
boat PLEIADA departed Naples on the 14th and arrived at Palermo on the 17th
to avoid contact with British forces. The convoy departed Italian tanker ALBERTO FASSIO (2289grt) departed Both convoys passed without event. _____ Armed merchant cruiser KANIMBLA, corvette
SNAPDRAGON, and gunboat COCKCHAFER were also at On the 12th convoy BM.7 departed Karachi with
steamers LANCASHIRE (9557grt), EL MADINA (3962grt), EGRA (5108grt), VAERLA
(4651grt), ROHNA (8602grt), RAJULA (8478grt), BAHADUR (5424grt), JALAVIHAR
(5330grt), RISALDAR (5407grt), and JALADUTA (4966grt), with one Indian
brigade and one artillery group for Malaya, escorted by sloop YARRA, for
Basra. Sloop |
