Background
Events - June-November 1941
Invasion of
Russia, Malta Convoys, Japan prepares for war
1941
Wednesday,
15 October
Battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN
and destroyers BEDOUIN
and ANTHONY departed the Clyde at 1330 for Scapa Flow.
The battleship arrived at
1500/16th, escorted by
destroyers ORIBI and ANTHONY.
_____
Heavy cruiser SUFFOLK and
destroyers IMPULSIVE, ESCAPADE, and NORMAN departed Archangel late on
the 15th to sweep off the north of Finland then proceed
to Scapa Flow.
The sweep was cancelled
and ships were ordered to
return to Archangel. Destroyer NORMAN was detached for
the United Kingdom, via Seidisfjod. However, at 2056 on
the 17th,
destroyer NORMAN was also recalled to Archangel, where
she arrived at 1500/19th.
_____
U.553 sank British steamer
SILVERCEDAR (4354grt) in
53-36N, 29-57W and Norwegian steamer ILA (1583grt) in
53-34N, 30-10W from
convoy SC.48 on the 15th. The submarine claimed sinking
a third ship.
Eighteen crew, two
gunners, and one passenger were
lost on steamer SILVERCEDAR.
Fourteen crew on steamer
ILA were lost.
On the 16th, U.568 sank
British steamer EMPIRE
HERON (6023grt) from convoy SC.48 in 56-10N, 24-30W.
Thirty three crew and nine
gunners were lost on the
steamer. Only one survivor from EMPIRE HERON was rescued
by corvette
GLADIOLUS, but this survivor was lost with the corvette.
U.553 on the 17th sank
Panamanian steamer BOLD VENTURE (6595grt) from convoy
SC.48 in 56-10N,
24-30W.
Seventeen crew were
missing on steamer BOLD VENTURE.
On the 17th, U.558 sank
British tanker W. C. TEAGLE
(9552grt) in 57N, 25W, Norwegian tanker ERVIKEN
(6595grt) in 56-10N, 24-30W,
and Norwegian steamer RYM (1369grt) in 57-01N, 24-20W
from convoy SC.48. The
submarine claimed damaging another steamer.
Thirty crew were lost on
tanker W. C. TEAGLE. Nine
survivors were rescued by destroyer BROADWATER and were
lost when the
destroyer was sunk.
Twenty six crew were lost
on steamer ERVIKEN. Two
survivors were picked up by destroyer BROADWATER and
were lost when the
destroyer was sunk. The entire crew of steamer RYM were
rescued.
On the 17th, U.432 sank
Greek steamer EVROS
(5283grt) in 57N, 24-30W and Norwegian tanker BARFONN
(9739grt) in 56-58N,
25-04W from convoy SC.48. The submarine claimed sinking
one more steamer and
damaging another.
Thirty crew were lost on
steamer EVROS. Two
survivors were rescued.
Thirteen crew and one
gunner were lost on tanker
BARFONN.
On the 17th, U.568 damaged
American destroyer KEARNEY, which joined convoy SC.48
after escorting convoy
ON.24, in 57N, 24W.
Eleven enlisted men were
killed and eight ratings
were seriously wounded in the destroyer.
Destroyer KEARNEY was
assisted by destroyer GREER. The destroyer was
able to proceed to Hvalfjord under her own power.
After temporary repairs at
Hvalfjord, the destroyer
sailed on 25 December for Boston
where repairs were completed on 5 April 1942.
Corvette GLADIOLUS (Lt Cdr
H. M. C. Sanders DSC,
DSC, RD RNR) in convoy SC.48 was sunk on the 17th by
U.558 or
U.432 in the North Atlantic.
Sanders, T/Lt S. H.
Gifford RANVR, T/Lt J. G.
Gifford-Hull RNVR, T/Lt J. C. Miller DSC RNVR, T/Sub Lt
R. B. Ross RNVR, and
fifty nine ratings were missing in the lost of the
corvette.
Destroyers HIGHLANDER,
BULLDOG, AMAZON, GEORGETOWN, and RICHMOND and corvettes
PICTOU and VERONICA joined the
convoy on 17 September.
Destroyer BROADWATER (Lt
Cdr W. M. L. Astwood) was
sunk by U.101 south of Iceland from convoy SC.48 on the
18th.
Lt J. S. Parker RNVR, was
killed. Parker was an American
and was believed to be the first American killed in the
Royal Navy.
T/Lt R. J. Sampson RNVR,
and one rating died of
wounds.
Lt A. Knowles, T/A/Gunner
(T) F. W. Turner, and
thirty nine ratings were missing.
_____
U.558 sank Canadian
steamer VANCOUVER ISLAND (9472grt) in 53-37N, 25-37W.
The entire crew were
lost on the steamer.
Corvettes ACONIT and
DIANTHUS were ordered to
assist the steamer. Corvette ACONIT, with defects, was
not able to assist and
proceeded to St
Johns, NF
_____
Submarine L.27 made an
unsuccessful attack on a
steamer off Cherbourg.
_____
Anti-aircraft ship
CARLISLE passed through the Suez
Canal northbound to
rejoin the Mediterranean Fleet.
_____
Destroyer ENCOUNTER
arrived in the Canal area to
rejoin the Mediterranean Fleet.
_____
Submarine THUNDERBOLT made
an unsuccessful attack
on a tanker in the Aegean.
_____
Polish submarine SOKOL
made two unsuccessful
attacks on steamers in the Gulf of Athens.
_____
Corvettes JONQUIL and
COREOPSIS departed Gibraltar escorting Norwegian tanker
SANDAR westwards and
then joined arriving tanker VELMA.
_____
Submarine
SEVERN departed Gibraltar for
Freetown.
_____
Convoy SL.90 departed
Freetown esorted by destroyers BRILLIANT to 18 October,
GURKHA and ISAAC SWEERS to 17 October, and VANSITTART to
20 October, and
corvettes ARMERIA to 20 October, ASTER to 18 October,
CLOVER to 18 October,
CROCUS to 18 October, and CYCLAMEN to 18 October. On the
18th, sloops
FOLKESTONE to 6 November, LONDONDERRY to 29 October, and
WESTON to 6 November joined.
The convoy arrived at
Liverpool on 6 November.
Thursday,
16 October
Light cruiser EDINBURGH
departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow, where she
arrived on the 17th.
_____
Destroyers LAFOREY and
LIGHTNING departed Scapa Flow at 1230 to embark
passengers and stores in the Clyde prior to transfer to Force H.
The destroyers arrived at
0900/17th.
_____
Convoy ON.27 departed
Liverpool. On the 17th, the convoy was joined by
destroyers
VANOC and VOLUNTEER and corvettes CAMPANULA, GENTIAN,
HIBISCUS, HONEYSUCKLE,
MYOSOTIS, PERIWINKLE, and SWEETBRIAR. The destroyers
were detached on the
23rd. On the 23rd, destroyers COLUMBIA and
SKEENA and
corvettes BRANDON, CAMROSE, MIMOSA, SHEDIAC, and
WETASKIWIN joined.
The original group of corvettes were detached on the
24th. Corvette BRANDON was detached on 1 November and
the rest on 2
November when the convoy dispersed.
_____
T/A/Sub Lt (A) A. C. Scott
RNVR, was killed in a
Hurricane of 759 Squadron which crashed at Yeovilton.
_____
British steamer EDENVALE
(444grt) was damaged by
German bombing off Old Head of Kinsale.
_____
Battleship RODNEY,
aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL,
light cruiser HERMIONE, and destroyers COSSACK,
FORESTER, FORESIGHT, FURY,
LEGION, SIKH, and ZULU departed Gibraltar for
Operation CALLBOY.
On the 18th, eleven
Albacore and two Swordfish of
the 828 Squadron under Lt Cdr D. E. Langmore were flown
off the aircraft
carrier to Malta. One Swordfish was lost en route and pilot T/Sub Lt (A) D. M. Muller
RNVR, and Observer T/Sub Lt (A) A. S. Denby RNVR were
lost.
Pilots T/Sub Lt (A) T. G.
Davison RNVR, and T/Sub
Lt (A) D. J. Dunyan RNVR, and observer A/Sub Lt (A) W.
N. Jones RNVR, of 828
Squadron did not depart ARK ROYAL in CALLBOY, but joined
the Squadron at Hal
Far later.
Force H arrived back at
Gibraltar on the 19th. Also, in this operation, light
cruisers AURORA and PENELOPE and destroyers LANCE and
LIVELY proceeded to Malta. The cruisers departed
Gibraltarat 0515/19th and
met the destroyers forty miles off Europa Point. They
arrived at Malta at 0915/21st as Force K.
British
steamers
CITY OF LINCOLN, DUNEDIN STAR, and EMPIRE GUILLEMOT
departed Malta at 1000/22nd to make independent passage
to Gibraltar.
Force H arrived back at
Gibraltar on the 19th.
_____
British steamers CLAN
MACDONALD and EMPIRE
GUILLEMOT departed Malta, independently, for Gibraltar
at 1000. Steamer EMPIRE GUILLEMOT returned with
engine problems.
Steamer EMPIRE GUILLEMOT
was able to sail on the
22nd.
_____
Convoy HX.155 departed
Halifax escorted by corvettes DRUMHELLER and SUMMERSIDE.
The corvettes were relieved on the 18th by American
destroyers BAINBRIDGE,
OVERTON, ROE, STURTEVANT, and TRUXTON. The American
group was relieved on the
25th by destroyer VOLUNTEER and corvettes CAMPANULA,
GENTIAN, HONEYSUCKLE,
MYOSOTIS, PERIWINKLE, and SWEETBRIAR. All but corvettes
GENTIAN and
PERIWINKLE were detached on the 30th. The convoy arrived
at Liverpool on the 31st.
Friday,
17 October
Convoy PQ.2 departed Scapa
Flow at 1630 with
steamers EMPIRE BAFFIN (6978grt), HARTLEBURY (5082grt),
QUEEN CITY (4814grt), HARPALION (5486grt), ORIENT CITY
(5095grt), and TEMPLE ARCH (5138grt), escorted
destroyers ICARUS and ECLIPSE
and minesweepers BRAMBLE, SEAGULL, and SPEEDY from 18 to
30 October.
Heavy cruiser NORFOLK
departed
Scapa Flow early
on the 18th and overtook the convoy, joining for ocean
escort.
Destroyers ECLIPSE and
ICARUS refuelled at
Seidisfjord on the 20th and rejoined the convoy.
On the 29th, minesweepers
GOSSAMER, HUSSAR, and
LEDA from Archangel joined the convoy and escorted it to
Archangel, arriving at 1000/30th.
_____
A Swordfish of 767
Squadron crashed at Hallom Mill,
Frickheim. T/Sub Lt (A) S. J. Carpenter RNVR, died of
injuries on the 20th.
_____
Anti-submarine trawler
OPHELIA, which had been
repairing at Akureyri, departed that port for Scapa
Flow.
_____
German steamer PAULA
FAULBAUM (1922grt) was lost in
a stranding near Stockholm.
_____
Minelaying cruiser LATONA
and destroyers NIZAM,
JACKAL, and HAVOCK, departed Alexandria on the second
series of the CULTIVATE operation to
Tobruk.
The ships returned to
Alexandria on the 18th.
_____
U.97 sank Greek steamer
SAMOS (1208grt) and British
tanker PASS OF BALMAHA (758grt), which departed
Alexandria, escorted by
anti-submarine whaler KOS 19, on the 16th, in 31-14N,
28-50E proceeding to
Mersa Matrah for Serial 4 of the CULTIVATE operation.
Twenty four crew, three
gunners, and four British
personnel were lost on the Greek ship. The entire crew
of the British tanker
were lost.
The ships were to have
joined gunboat GNAT and
landing craft tank A lighters A.13, A.17, and A.18 off
Mersa Matruh before
proceeding to Tobruk.
Destroyers HASTY,
AVONVALE, ERIDGE, and DECOY
departed Alexandria, joined later by destroyer HERO and
HOTSPUR, to
search for the submarine.
Destroyers HASTY and
ERIDGE were detached during
the night of 17/18 October to sweep ahead of gunboat
GNAT and the A lighters.
MTB.68 and MTB.215 joined
gunboat GNAT.
After an unsuccessful
search, the destroyers returned
to Alexandria on the 18th.
The gunboat and the A
lighters arrived at Tobruk on
the 19th.
_____
Armed boarding vessel
CHANTALA departed Alexandria to carry cargo to Syria.
_____
Submarines URSULA, P.34,
and RORQUAL departed Malta for operations off Kuriat.
Submarine RORQUAL was
forced to return to Malta with defects.
_____
Convoy ST.6 departed
Freetown, escorted by sloop BRIDGEWATER and corvettes
AMARANTHUS, AURICULA, MARGUERITE,
and WOODRUFF. The convoy arrived at Takoradi on the
22nd.
_____
Convoy HG.75 sailing was
postponed. Two
anti-submarine forces of destroyers LAMERTON, VIDETTE,
and DUNCAN and of
sloop ROCHESTER and the 37th Escort Group of corvettes
BLUEBELL,
CAMPION, CARNATION, HELIOTROPE, MALLOW, and LA MALOUINE
departed Gibraltar to sweep in the western approaches to
the Strait.
_____
Convoy SC.50 departed
Sydney CB escorted by
corvette SOREL. Corvette SOREL was detached on the 19th
when relieved by
destroyer ST CROIX and corvettes AGASSIZ, ALBERNI, ALYSSE, BITTERSWEET, COLLINGWOOD, and WINDFLOWER joined the
convoy. Corvette WINDFLOWER was detached on the 20th.
Destroyer RESTIGOUCHE
joined on the 25th. Destroyer ST CROIX on the 26th, and
corvettes
AGASSIZ, ALBERNI, ALYSSE, BITTERSWEET, COLLINGWOOD on the 31st. Destroyers
KEPPEL, ROCKINGHAM, SABRE, and VENOMOUS, corvettes
ALISMA and KINGCUP, and
anti-submarine trawler LADY ELSA joined on the 31st. The
convoy arrived at Liverpool
on 4 November.
Saturday,
18 October
Destroyers ANTELOPE and
ANTHONY departed Scapa Flow at 1400 for the Clyde to escort destroyer depot ship FORTH from the
Clyde to Rosyth.
The destroyers arrived at
0900/19th.
At 1800/19th, the
destroyers and depot ship FORTH
departed the Clyde for Rosyth.
The ships arrived off May Island at 1500/21st. The
depot ship arrived at Rosyth at
1730. Destroyer ANTHONY proceeded to Immingham for
refitting, arriving at
0700/22nd. Destroyer ANTELOPE returned to Scapa Flow,
arriving at 0630/22nd.
_____
Minesweepers FITZROY,
ELGIN,
ROSS, and
LYDD arrived at Scapa Flow on passage to the Faroes for
a clearance sweep.
_____
British steamers EMPIRE
GHYLL (2011grt) and MAHSEER
(7911grt) were sunk on mines in Barrow Deep, four to
five cables from B 7
Buoy, in 51-41N, 1-19E.
Five crew and two gunners
were lost on the steamer
EMPIRE GHYLL. The entire crew of steamer MAHSEER were
rescued.
_____
Tug ASSURANCE was grounded
and declared a total
loss at Lough Foyle.
_____
Swedish steamer INGEREN
(6123grt) was damaged by
British bombing west of Borkum.
_____
U.132 sank Soviet steamer
ARGUN (3487grt) in
69-30N, 33-30E.
_____
U.559 attacked at
destroyer escorting three
lighters in 32-40N, 24-34E.
_____
Minelaying cruiser ABDIEL
and destroyers KANDAHAR, GRIFFIN, and JAGUAR departed
Alexandria on serial 3 of the CULTIVATE operation.
Returning from Tobruk,
destroyer KANDAHAR attacked a submarine off Bardia at
0330/19th.
Cruiser ABDIEL arrived
back at Alexandria at noon on the 19th. The destroyers, after searching for the submarine,
arrived back that afternoon.
_____
Destroyers JERVIS and
JUPITER departed Alexandria escorting landing ship
GLENROY from Port Said to Alexandria.
The destroyers and landing
ship arrived at Alexandria on the 19th.
_____
An Italian convoy of
steamers MARIN SANUDO
(5081grt), PROBITAS (5084grt), BEPPE (4859grt), PAOLINA
4994grt), and
CATERINA (4786grt) departed Naples on the 16th for
Tripoli, escorted by destroyers FOLGORE, FULMINE,
USODIMARE, GIOBERTI, DA RECCO, and SEBENICO. Torpedo
boat CIGNO escorted the
convoy until Trapani. Torpedo boat CALLIOPE also
escorted the convoy.
Steamer AMBA ARADAM
(405grt) joined the convoy from
Trapani.
Torpedo boat CASCINO
joined the convoy from Tripoli.
On the 18th, submarine
URSULA damaged Italian
steamer BEPPE near Lampedusa.
The steamer was taken in
tow by tug MAX BARENDT and arrived at Tripoli on the
21st with destroyer DA RECCO and torpedo
boat CALLIOPE.
Steamer CATERINA was badly
damaged by British
bombing on the 18th and sank 62 miles 350° from Tripoli
on the 19th.
Rest of the convoy arrived
at Tripoli on the 19th.
_____
Submarine TRUANT departed
Malta for patrol in the Adriatic.
_____
Submarine RORQUAL departed
Malta on a minelaying operation off the south of
Sardinia.
After the operation on 21
and 22 October, the
submarine arrived at Gibraltar on the 26th
_____
Submarine THUNDERBOLT made
an unsuccessful attack
on a steamer in the Aegean.
_____
Corvettes AZALEA and
SPIRAEA were directed that
upon departing Bathurst to meet RFA oiler DINGLEDALE and
escort her to Gibraltar.
Corvette SPIRAEA arrived
at Gibraltar on the 26th to refuel, then departed to
rejoin the
escort.
The three ships arrived at
Gibraltar on the 29th.
_____
Heavy cruiser EXETER
arrived at Bombay. She departed on the 22nd for Colombo.
Sunday,
19 October
Aircraft carrier
VICTORIOUS and destroyers LAFOREY
and LIGHTNING departed the Clyde at 1330 for Scapa Flow.
All three ships sustained
weather damage during a
gale.
Off Tiumpan Head at
1150/20th, the destroyers hove
to and the aircraft carried continued unescorted to
Scapa Flow, arriving at 1530 that day. The destroyers
joined
battleship MALAYA which departed Scapa Flow on the 20th.
_____
Heavy cruiser SUFFOLK and
destroyers IMPULSIVE and ESCAPADE departed Archangel at
1600. En route to the United Kingdom, they carried out
an operation off the north coast
of Finland at Svaerholthavet during the night of 21/22
October.
No enemy ships were
sighted.
On the 25th, the three
ships called at Seidisfjord
from Spitzbergen to refuel. They departed at 0800/26th
and arrived at Scapa Flow at 1700/27th.
_____
Heavy cruiser CUMBERLAND
departed Chatham for
Scapa Flow after
refitting of 1 July to 11 October.
The heavy cruiser arrived
at Scapa Flow on the 20th.
_____
Destroyer CHIDDINGFOLD
departed the Clyde at 1530 to carry out working up practices at
Scapa Flow.
The destroyer arrived at
Scapa Flow at 1730/20th, having been delayed by weather.
_____
Sloop IBIS departed
Scapa Flow on
completion of working up exercises. She proceeded to
Kirkwall for direction finding calibration trials prior to going to
Londonderry. The sloop
arrived at Kirkwall at 1615.
Sloop IBIS departed
Kirkwall at
0800/22nd and arrived at Londonderry at 0630/23rd.
_____
Dutch submarine O.14 and
Free French submarine
MINERVE departed the Faroes to patrol off the Norwegian
coast.
Submarine O.14 arrived
back at Scapa Flow after the patrol on the 29th.
_____
Minesweepers HARRIER and
BRITOMART arrived at
Spitzbergen. A German landing party promptly was
evacuated by air from
Longyearby.
_____
Norwegian steamer RASK
(632grt) was sunk by German
bombing in 52-08N, 6-23W.
Seven crew and one gunner
were lost on the steamer.
_____
U.206 sank British steamer
BARON KELVIN (3081grt)
14 miles 100° from Tarifa. Nineteen
crew and seven gunners were lost on the steamer.
_____
U.126 sank American
steamer LEHIGH (4983grt) at
8-26N, 14-37W, seventy five miles west of
Freetown. The entire
crew of the steamer were rescued. Two boatloads were
rescued by motor
launches and the other two boats by destroyer VIMY.
_____
U.204 sank British tanker
INVERLEE (9158grt) 30
miles 240° from Cape Spartel.
Twenty crew and one gunner
were lost on the tanker.
_____
German steamer ANDROMEDA
(658grt) was sunk in
Kongsfjord by "enemy action".
_____
U.204 was sunk by sloop
ROCHESTER and corvette MALLOW in the Straits of
Gibraltar in
35-48N, 6-10W. The entire crew of forty six were lost in
the submarine.
Corvette BLUEBELL picked
up debris from the
submarine the next day.
_____
Destroyers HOTSPUR, HASTY,
HAVOCK, and DECOY
departed Alexandria to bombard the military rest camp at
Masra Lucch
during the night of 19/20 October.
Late on the 19th,
destroyer HAVOCK ran aground in
32-02N, 24-53E. The destroyer's propellers and shaft
were damaged. The other
destroyers escorted her back to Alexandria and the
bombardment was cancelled.
The destroyers arrived
back at Alexandria during the night of 20/21 October.
_____
Sloop FLAMINGO departed
Alexandria to escort British steamer MANCHESTER PORT
(5469grt) from Port Said to Alexandria.
_____
Anti-submarine whaler KOS 19, escorting British tanker TONELINE (811grt) to Tobruk in serial 4
A of the CULTIVATE operation, reported a submarine
contact off
Alexandria. Motor launch
ML.1023 departed Alexandria with the two ships, but had
to return with
defects.
Destroyer ENCOUNTER and
two anti-submarine trawlers
joined to search for the submarine, without success.
The tanker and its escort
safely arrived at Tobruk
on the 21st.
_____
Submarine TRUSTY departed
Malta on patrol off Argostoli.
_____
Submarine URSULA arrived
at Malta from patrol.
Monday,
20 October
In the early morning hours
during a gale, heavy
cruiser LONDON was dragged into the baffle and heavy
cruiser KENT dragged into battleship MALAYA.
_____
Battleship MALAYA departed Scapa Flow escorted
by destroyers BEDOUIN and PUNJABI for the
Clyde at 1030.
On meeting destroyers
LAFOREY and LIGHTNING, which
had been detached from escort duty with aircraft carrier
VICTORIOUS,
destroyers BEDOUIN and PUNJABI returned to Scapa Flow.
The battleship continued
to the Clyde with destroyers LAFOREY and LIGHTNING.
Destroyer LAFOREY put into
Stornoway at 1500/20th
to land a cot case, injured in the gale. The destroyer
put back to sea at
1700 and rejoined the battleship.
_____
Convoy ON.28 departed
Liverpool escorted by destroyers SABRE and WESTCOTT,
corvettes ALISMA and KINGCUP, and anti-submarine
trawlers MAN O.WAR and WELLARD. The trawlers were
detached on
the 23rd and destroyer VENOMOUS relieved destroyer
WESTCOTT which was
detached. On the 25th, the escort group was detached
when relieved by
American destroyers BERNADOU, DUPONT, LEA, MACLEISH, and
SAMPSON. Destroyer LEA was detached on the 30th. The
American group was
further reinformed on the 31st by Coast Guard cutter
CAMPBELL and destroyers
BABBITT, BUCK, LEARY, LUDLOW, and SCHENCK. The Americans
were detached on 3
November when the convoy was dispersed.
_____
Destroyer SOUTHWOLD
departed Scapa Flow at 1330 to embark the Engineer in
Chief at
Scrabster and returned to Scapa
Flow at 1730.
_____
Destroyer CHARLESTOWN
departed
Scapa Flow at 1845
for Loch Alsh on completion of docking and repairs.
_____
Submarine
TIGRIS departed
Polyarnoe for Holy Loch, where she arrived on 3
November.
_____
British steamer CORDELIA
(8190grt) was damaged by
mining off Great Castle Head, Milford Haven.
The tanker arrived at
Milford Haven on the 20th.
_____
U.126 badly damaged
British tanker BRITISH MARINER
(6996grt) in 7-43N, 14-20W.
Three crew were lost on
the tanker.
The tanker arrived at
Freetown in tow on the 22nd. She was considered a
constructive total loss and was used as a hulk at
Freetown.
_____
Minelaying cruiser LATONA
and destroyers KINGSTON, NIZAM, and ENCOUNTER departed
Alexandria on serial five of the CULTIVATE operation.
The ships arrived back at
Alexandria on the 21st.
_____
Gunboat GNAT bombarded an
enemy gun battery near
Tobruk during the night of 19/20 October.
The gunboat departed
Tobruk with the A lighters
after dark on the 20th to return to Alexandria.
_____
Light cruisers AJAX,
HOBART, and GALATEA departed Alexandria with destroyers
GRIFFIN and JAGUAR to bombard the enemy gun battery near
Tobruk during the night of 20/21 October.
The bombardment was
conducted during the night of
20/21 October.
_____
Australian destroyer
VENDETTA departed Alexandria for Singapore and passed
through the Suez Canal on the 21st.
The destroyer was
refitting at Singapore in December. She departed
Singapore on 2 February in the tow of destroyer
STRONGHOLD.
_____
Panamanian steamer INDRA
(2032grt), which departed Bari for Huelva, was reported
missing after this date.
_____
Italian torpedo boat
ALTAIR struck a mine in the Gulf of Athens, in 35-45N, 23-52E. The torpedo boat later sank in tow.
Torpedo boat ALTAIR with
armed merchant cruiser BARLETTA and torpedo boats LUPO
and MONZAMBANO were
escorting a convoy of steamers CITTA DI AGRIGENTO
(2480grt), CITTA DI MARSALA
(2480grt), TAGLIAMENTO (5448grt), and SALZBURG
(1742grt).
Torpedo boat ALDEBARAN
going to her assistance also
struck a mine and was sunk.
The mines were part of a
minefield of fifty mines
laid by submarine RORQUAL on the 8th.
_____
Submarine PORPOISE
departed Gibraltar for Alexandria with stores and
personnel.
_____
Light cruiser HERMIONE
departed Gibraltar to search for a tanker reported by
aircraft in
44-07N, 10-07W.
The cruiser arrived back
at Gibraltar on the 25th without having made contact.
_____
Destroyer DUNCAN and
anti-submarine trawlers ST
NECTAN and ARCTIC RANGER departed Gibraltar to
provide additional escort for tanker VELMA en route to
Gibraltar, escorted by corvettes JONQUIL and COREOPSIS.
Tanker arrived on the
22nd, escorted by the
destroyer and the two corvettes.
_____
New Zealand light cruiser
ACHILLES departed Auckland to escort a US liner to the
Equator. The light cruiser departed
the escort on the 27th for Suva, arriving on the 31st.
Tuesday,
21 October
Heavy cruiser BERWICK,
having completed engine
repairs, departed Rosyth for Scapa
Flow, where she arrived
later that day.
_____
Destroyer ELECTRA departed
Rosyth at 1600 for Scapa Flow.
The destroyer joined
destroyer ANTELOPE and both
arrived at Scapa Flow at 0630/22nd.
_____
Minesweepers FITZROY,
ELGIN, LYDD, and ROSS of the 4th Minesweeping Squadron
and minesweeping
trawlers RONALDSAY, CAVA, and CAPE NYEMETSKI departed Scapa Flow for the
Faroes for a clearance sweep.
The ships arrived in the
Faroes on the 22nd and
began the clearance work on the 23rd. On the 24th,
minesweepers KELLET and
SELKIRK arrived in the Faroes from Aberdeen to assist in
the work.
_____
Minelayers MANXMAN and
WELSHMAN departed Loch Alsh
on the 12th and embarked mines at Milford Haven on the
13th. The minelaying
cruisers departed Plymouth on the 21st and laid
minefield HG.off Lorient late
that night.
_____
Free French destroyer
TRIOMPHANT departed Suva on the 17th and arrived at Bora
Bora on the 21st. The destroyer was damaged in a very
minor collision in harbour. On the 21st, the destroyer
sailed from Bora Bora, arriving at Papeete, Tahiti on
the 22nd.
_____
Swedish steamer HILDA
(1237grt) was sunk by British
bombing five miles west of Ymuiden.
_____
Tug HELEN BARBARA was
abandoned and lost in heavy
weather.
_____
U.123 damaged Armed
merchant cruiser AURANIA
(A/Captain I. W. Whitehorn), which was travelling behind
convoy SL.89, in
50N, 19W.
Three ratings were lost on
the cruiser. Armed
merchant cruiser AURANIA arrived at Rothesay
Bay
on the 23rd.
The armed merchant cruiser
AURANIA was under repair
for nineteen months. The ship was returned to service as
base repair ship
ARTIFEX.
U.82 sank British steamer
SERBINO (4099grt), from
convoy SL.89, in 51-10N, 19-20W.
Fourteen crew were missing
on steamer SERBINO.
U.82 sank British steamer
TREVERBYN (5218grt) from
convoy SL.89 in 51N, 19W.
_____
Gunboat GNAT was damaged
by an U.79 in 32-08N,
25-22E, thirty miles northeast of Bardia at 0445.
The bow was blown away to
the 6 inch gun. There
were no casualties.
Destroyers GRIFFIN and
JAGUAR were detached by the 7th Cruiser
Squadron and destroyers KINGSTON
and NIZAM were detached from minelaying cruiser LATONA
to assist. However,
all ships were ordered to turn eastward to avoid threat
of air attack during
daylight hours.
Destroyers GRIFFIN and
JAGUAR were to remain in the vicinity of Mersa
Matruh and were joined by destroyers ERIDGE and
AVONVALE. These destroyers
contacted the gunboat before sunset.
The gunboat was towed by
destroyer GRIFFIN, escorted by destroyer JAGUAR and
anti-submarine
whalers SOUTHERN MAID and KLO.
Off Mersa Matruh, the tow
was turned over to tug ST
MONACE.
Destroyers JAGUAR,
AVONVALE, and ERIDGE returned to
Alexandria arriving on the 22nd.
Destroyer GRIFFIN joined
destroyer JERVIS to
conduct an anti-submarine sweep ahead of whaler KOS 19
and tanker TONELINE,
which had departed Tobruk at dark on the 22nd.
The gunboat arrived at
Alexandria on the 23rd.
Later, an attempt was made
to weld GNAT's stern
onto CRICKET's bow, but this was unsuccessful.
_____
Destroyers JERVIS,
JUPITER, and KANDAHAR departed Alexandria to bombard the
enemy gun battery near Tobruk.
The battery was bombarded
during the night of 21/22
October.
When U.75was reported by
aircraft in 32-07N,
29-44E, at 1052 on the 22nd, destroyers JUPITER and
KANDAHAR were detached to hunt.
Another report was
received some five hours later.
Destroyer JUPITER, short of fuel, was sent into
Alexandria. Destroyer DECOY departed Alexandria to join
destroyer KANDAHAR in the hunt. Also, sloop FLAMINGO,
which had
departed Alexandria earlier for Port Said, was diverted
to hunt for the submarine.
Destroyers KANDAHAR and
DECOY arrived at Alexandria on the 23rd.
Sloop FLAMINGO was
detached to continue her voyage
to Port Said to return to the Suez Escort Force.
_____
Minelaying cruiser ABDIEL
and destroyers NAPIER,
HASTY, and DECOY departed Alexandria on serial six of the CULTIVATE operation.
The ships returned to
Alexandria on the 22nd.
_____
Anti-submarine trawler
WOLBOROUGH and steamer GEBEL
KEBIR departed Alexandria with Motor launch ML.1061 on
serial 8 of the
CULTIVATE operation.
The steamer was damaged by
German bombing off
Tobruk and was towed into harbour by the trawler. Two
motor launches intended
as escorts were attacked by German bombers at dusk on
the 22nd, sustaining
only superficial damage. Both arrived at Tobruk.
_____
Italian destroyers DA
NOLI, ZENO, and PESSAGNO
departed Benghazi for Augusta on the 20th after a troop
carrying mission.
The destroyers were
attacked early on the 21st
fifteen miles north of Benghazi
by submarine.
_____
Submarine RORQUAL laid
mines off Sardinia during the night of 21/22 October.
The submarine laid ten
miles southeast of Cavioli Island and forty mines southeast of
Cape Ferrato.
Italian steamer SALPI
(2710grt) was sunk two miles
east of Cape Ferrato on this minefield on 9 February.
_____
Submarine UNIQUE arrived
at Malta from patrol.
_____
Aircraft carriers EAGLE
and ARGUS and destroyers
FORESIGHT, FORESTER, and FURY departed Gibraltar to the
United Kingdom. Local escort was provided by destroyers
VIDETTE
and LAMERTON until 0915 and 1140 that day and ZULU and
SIKH until 24 October.
U.83 attacked Aircraft
carriers EAGLE and ARGUS
west of Gibraltar on the 21st.
Upon meeting battleship
MALAYA and destroyer LIGHTNING in 48N, 17-35W, destroyers ZULU and SIKH
joined the battleship and destroyer LIGHTNING and
escorted them to
Gibraltar, arriving on the
27th. Destroyers HARVESTER and HAVELOCK were detached
from battleship MALAYA and joined the aircraft carriers.
The two aircraft carriers
and the destroyers
arrived in the Clyde on the 26th.
_____
Dutch submarine O.24
arrived at Gibraltar from patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Wednesday,
22 October
Battleship MALAYA departed the Clyde escorted by
destroyer LIGHTNING for the Clyde to join Force H.
Destroyer LAFOREY was
delayed for docking to repair
weather damage.
The battleship was joined
by destroyers HAVELOCK and HARVESTER for escort.
Battleship MALAYA and destroyers LIGHTNING, ZULU, and SIKH arrived at
Gibraltar on the 27th.
_____
Destroyer INTREPID
departed London at 0650 for Sheerness after refitting.
The
destroyer departed Sheerness at 1230/23rd and arrived at
Scapa Flow at 1700/25th.
_____
Convoy ON.29 departed
Liverpool. The convoy was joined on the 23rd by
destroyers
BROKE, BUXTON, VERITY, and WOLVERINE, corvettes BEGONIA,
CAMELLIA, EGLANTINE,
LARKSPUR, MONTBRETIA and MOOSE JAW, and naval trawlers
BUTE, CELIA, HAMLET,
and MACBETH, and anti-submarine trawler KING SOL.
Destroyer VERITY, corvette BEGONIA, and the naval
trawlers were detached on the 26th. American destroyer
WILKES and corvettes
EYEBRIGHT, KENOGAMI, LETHBRIDGE, MAYFLOWER, NANAIMO,
and PRESCOTT joined on the 28th. The remaining ships of
the
original escort were detached on the 28th. Destroyer
BROADWAY and corvettes
ACONIT, COBALT, GALT, and WINDFLOWER joined on 4
November. The escorts
were detached on 5 November when the convoy was
dispersed.
_____
Minelayer PORT QUEBEC,
escorted by destroyer NEWARK, laid minefield SN.24 C.
_____
Minesweeping trawler ALDER
(560grt, T/Skipper G. E.
Yates RNR) was grounded and declared a total loss on the
east coast of Scotland.
_____
Minelaying cruiser LATONA
and destroyers KINGSTON, ENCOUNTER, and HOTSPUR departed
Alexandria on serial seven of the CULTIVATE operation.
Minesweeping whaler
SOIKA's LL sweep had been cut
in an air raid at Tobruk. The cable fouled on HOTSPUR's
propeller. The
destroyer was able to return to Alexandria at reduced
speed. No damage was done to the ship.
The ships returned to
Alexandria on the 23rd.
_____
Corvette PEONY departed
Haifa with armed boarding vessel CHANTALA and steamer
BRITISH COLONEL (6999grt) for Alexandria.
_____
Corvette ERICA escorted
cable ship BULLFINCH from Alexandria to Port Said.
The corvette then departed
Port Said and escorted mine carrier GURNA from Port Said
to Haifa.
_____
Convoy HG.75 departed
Gibraltar escorted by sloop
ROCHESTER (SO ), catapult ship ARIGUANI, and corvettes
BLUEBELL,CAMPION,
CARNATION, HELIOTROPE, LA MALOUINE, and MALLOW.
The convoy was reinforced
by destroyer LAMERTON and
destroyers COSSACK, LEGION, and VIDETTE sent to assist
the convoy.
Destroyer COSSACK (Captain
E. L. Berthon DSC) was
torpedoed by U.563 west of Gibraltar late on the 23rd.
One rating was killed on
the destroyer.
Berthon, Lt M. F. Isaac,
Lt H. W. M. Rose, Lt W. G.
Wheeler RAN, and 150 ratings were missing.
Four ratings died of
wounds.
T/Paymaster Lt G. Craven
RNVR, Lt H. T. Crispin, Lt
A. Davies, Sub Lt P. A. C. Day, Lt R. W. Hughes, and
twenty three ratings
were wounded.
The survivors were rescued
by destroyer LEGION and
sloop COMMANDANT DUBOC.
Corvette CARNATION was
able to pass a towing line
to destroyer COSSACK with destroyer LEGION standing by.
Destroyer DUNCAN departed
Gibraltar on the 24th with medical supplies and a
surgeon.
Destroyer DUNCAN was to then join convoy OS.9G.
Tug THAMES and
corvette JONQUIL departed Gibraltar on the 24th to
assist the destroyer. The destroyer
was towed by tug THAMES and escorted by corvettes
JONQUIL and CARNATION.
The destroyer foundered on the 27th. Corvette JONQUIL
took off the last of
the crew on the destroyer. The tug THAMES had been
diverted to assist damaged anti-aircraft ship ARIGUANI,
but tug ROLLICKER was
en route to assist.
U.564 sank British
steamers CARSBECKand ARIOSTO
(2176grt) in 36-20N, 10-50W and British steamer ALHAMA
(1352grt) in 35-42N,
10-58W from convoy HG.75/24th. The submarine also
claimed damaging two other
steamers.
Nineteen crew and four
gunners were lost on the
steamer CARSBECK.
Five crew and one gunner
were lost on steamer
ARIOSTO. The entire crew of steamer ALHAMA were rescued.
Sloop COMMANDANT DUBOC
joined the convoy on the
25th.
German steamer U.84
damaged CAM ship ARIGUANI (6746grt, Cdr R. A. Thorburn
(ret))
in 37-50N, 16-10W from convoy HG.75/26th. The submarine
claimed sinking two
other steamers.
Destroyer VIDETTE
attempted to take ship ARIGUANI
in tow, but was unsuccessful. In the tow of tug THAMES and escorted by corvettes JONQUIL, HELIOTROPE, and CAMPION, the
anti-aircraft ship arrived at Gibraltar on 2
November.
U.563 attacked Corvette
HELIOTROPE in convoy
HG.75/26th, but did not damage her. The submarine
claimed damaging two
steamers.
Corvette CAMPION was
detached on the 26th and
destroyers LAMERTON and LEGION and corvettes BLUEBELL,
CARNATION, and
HELIOTROPE on the 27th.
Destroyers LAMERTON and
LEGION proceeded to Ponta Delgada to refuel. Destroyer
LAMERTON then sailed to
rejoin the convoy. Destroyer LEGION sailed to join
battleship PRINCE OF WALES
and escort her while destroyers ELECTRA and EXPRESS
refuelled at Ponta Delgada.
On 27 September, U.564
claimed sinking a steamer in
convoy HG.75.
U.432 sank British steamer
ULEA (1574grt) from
convoy HG.75/28th in 41-17N, 21-40W. The submarine
claimed sinking another
steamer.
Thirteen crew, three
gunners, and three passengers
were lost on the steamer. Nine survivors were rescued by
corvette BLUEBELL.
Sloop COMMANDANT DUBOC and
corvettes LA MALOUINE
and MALLOW were detached on the 29th.
The convoy was joined on
the 30th by sloop LONDONDERRY from convoy SL.90 and
sloop ABERDEEN and destroyer HESPERUS on the 31st from
the UK.
The convoy arrived at
Liverpool on 3 November.
_____
Submarine URGE damaged
Italian steamer MARIGOLA
(5996grt) off the east coast of Tunisia in 35-50N,
11-06E.
On the 30th, steamer
MARIGOLA was further damaged
by submarine UTMOST gunfire, 2.3 miles 165° from Kuriat
Island. The steamer was finally sunk on 1 November, when submarine UTMOST
returned and torpedoed the hulk.
_____
Italian steamer MARIA
POMPEI (1407grt) was sunk on
a mine at Cattaro.
_____
U.68 sank British tanker
DARKDALE (8145grt) at St Helena.
Thirty nine crew and two
military personnel were
lost on the tanker.
_____
Destroyer GURKHA and Dutch
destroyer ISAAC SWEERS
departed Freetown on the 15th with convoy 90. After
refuelling at Bathurst, the destroyers proceeded to
Gibraltar, arriving on the 22nd.
_____
Convoy HX.156 departed
Halifax escorted by destroyer ANNAPOLIS. The destroyer
was relieved on the 24th by
American destroyers BENSON, HILARY P. JONES, NIBLACK,
REUBEN JAMES, and
TARBELL. Destroyer REUBEN JAMES was lost on the 31st.
Destroyers VERITY and
WOLVERINE and corvettes CAMELLIA, LARKSPUR, and
MONTBRETIA joined on the
31st. The American group was detached on 1 November when
relieved by
destroyers BROKE and BUXTON, corvette BEGONIA and
EGLANTINE, and
anti-submarine trawler KING SOL. The
destroyers and corvettes BEGONIA and CAMELLIA were
detached on 4 November.
The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 5 November.
_____
Australian heavy cruiser
AUSTRALIA departed Colombo after embarking mines from a
lighter in the
harbour. She proceeded to Mauritius where she refueled.
After refueling, she
proceeded.
The cruiser arrived at
Kerguelen Islands on 1 November. After searching the
various islands
by landing party and aircraft, eighteen mines were laid
in Gazelle
Basin, Long Island Sound, Island
Harbour, and Tucker
Strait. Crozet
Islands were searched on 6 and 7 November.
Heavy cruiser AUSTRALIA
arrived at Durban on 11 November.
_____
American battleships
OKLAHOMA and ARIZONA were damaged in a collision in the
Hawaiian
Operating Area.
Thursday,
23 October
Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
and destroyers ELECTRA and EXPRESS departed Scapa Flow
at 0700 for the Clyde.
The ships arrived in the
Clyde at 0500/24th.
Vice Admiral Curteis
transferred his flag to
battlecruiser RENOWN. and Admiral Sir Tom S. V. Philips,
KCB, raised his flag
was Commander in Chief, Eastern Fleet.
Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
and destroyers HESPERUS, EXPRESS, and ELECTRA
departed the Clyde at 1500 for the Far East.
Destroyer LEGION, after
refuelling in the Azores, joined the screen on the 28th.
Destroyers EXPRESS and
ELECTRA were detached to Ponta Delgada to refuel.
On the destroyers' return
to the screen on the
29th, destroyers LEGION and HESPERUS were detached.
Destroyer HESPERUS to
return to the UK and destroyer LEGION to Gibraltar.
On 5 November, the ships
arrived at Freetown.
The battleship and
destroyers EXPRESS and ELECTRA arrived
at Simonstown on 16 November and Colombo on 28 November.
Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
and destroyers EXPRESS and ELECTRA departed Colombo on
30 November and joined battlecruiser REPULSE
and destroyers ENCOUNTER and JUPITER, which came out
from Trincomalee.
The Ships arrived at
Singapore on 2 December.
_____
Minesweepers SALAMANDER
and HALCYON arrived at
Seidisfjord to refuel on the 22nd and departed again at
0900/23rd for Scapa Flow, where they arrived at
1100/26th.
_____
Minesweepers HARRIER and
BRITOMART arrived at
Seidisfjord at 1800 from Spitzbergen to refuel. They
departed and arrived at Scapa Flow at 1000/25th.
_____
An Albacore aircraft from
Aircraft carrier
VICTORIOUS did not return from exercises near Rona off
Scapa Flow. T/A/Sub Lt (A) A. K. Hopkins RNVR, T/A/Sub
Lt (A)
P. D. Sayer RNVR, and Leading Airman N. Weldon of the
832 Squadron were lost.
In the same exercise, a
Fulmar of 800 Squadron from
aircraft carrier INDOMITABLE also failed to return.
A/Sub Lt (A) J. H. Miln
and T/Sub Lt (A) F. J. Stamper RNVR were lost.
_____
Light cruisers AJAX,
NEPTUNE, and HOBART with destroyers NAPIER,
NIZAM, JUPITER, HASTY, ERIDGE, and AVONVALE departed
Alexandria to bombard enemy positions at Bardia.
Destroyers NAPIER, NIZAM,
JUPITER, and HASTY were
detached and conducted a bombardment of Sollum.
The light cruisers,
escorted by destroyers ERIDGE
and AVONVALE, bombarded the Bardia.
The ships all returned to
Alexandria on the 24th.
_____
Anti-aircraft ship
CARLISLE departed Alexandria to return
to the Red Sea for duty in the Suez Escort Force.
The ship arrived at Suez
on the 25th.
_____
Submarine TRIUMPH sank
Greek caique PANGIOTIS
(120grt) and damaged caique AGHIA PARASKEVA (120grt) in
the Gulf of
Petali.
_____
Submarine TRUANT sank
Greek steamer VIRGINIA S.
(3885grt) in 39-48N, 19-06E from a convoy of steamer
VIRGINIA S. and tankers
BALCIK and BALKAM, escorted by escort ship ARBOREA.
The submarine also claimed
damage on the escort,
which was not hit.
_____
Submarine RORQUAL laid
mines off Cavoli.
_____
Unescorted merchant ships
DUNEDIN STAR and CITY OF LINCOLN, en route to Gibraltar
from Malta, were attacked without success by Italian
aircraft
off Bone.
The next day on the 24th,
Italian sloop
CORRISPONDENTE BETA sighted British steamer EMPIRE
GUILLEMOT off La
Galita Island near Cape Bon. The sloop was able to guide
the bombers to the
steamer which was sunk.
Ten crew and one gunner
were lost on the steamer.
Twenty eight crew and five gunners were taken prisoners.
_____
Italian steamer ACHILLE
(2415grt) was sunk by
British bombing in 38-26, 11-24E.
_____
Soviet submarine SC.323
sank German steamer
BALTENLAND (3724grt) in the Baltic.
_____
Convoy SC.51 departed
Sydney CB escorted by armed merchant
cruiser WORCESTERSHIRE and corvettes BATTLEFORD,
DUNVEGAN, and SOREL. The
corvettes were detached on the 25th when the convoy was
joined by corvettes
ARROWHEAD, CHILLIWACK, POLYANTHUS, PRIMROSE, SNOWBERRY,
and TRAIL.
Corvette POLYANTHUS was detached on 2 November and the
rest of the corvettes
on 4 November. Destroyers MALCOLM, SARDONYX, and
WATCHMAN joined on 4
November and corvettes ARABIS, DAHLIA, and MONKSHOOD,
and anti-submarine
trawlers NORTHERN GEM and NORTHERN SPRAY. Corvettes
ARABISD and MONKSHOOD
were detached on 7 November. On 8 November, the armed
merchant cruiser,
destroyer SARDONYX, and corvette DAHLIA were detached.
The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 9 November.
Friday,
24 October
Destroyer MONTROSE
departed Sheerness at 0713 for Scapa Flow, via Methil,
to carry out working up exercises.
The destroyer arrived at
Methil at 1000/25th and
after landing trial parties departed again. She arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1700 that day.
_____
Destroyer ANTELOPE
departed Scapa Flow at 0930 for Scrabster with the
Engineer in Chief.
After this duty, the
destroyer returned to Scapa Flow.
_____
Minesweeping trawler
EMILION (201grt, Sub Lt J. W.
S. Allison RNVR) was sunk on a mine in the vicinity of
B.6 Buoy, Barrow Deep.
There were no casualties
on the trawler.
_____
Minesweeping trawler
LUCIENNE JEANNE (264grt,
Skipper S. E. George RNR) was sunk by a mine in the
vicinity of B.6 Buoy,
Barrow Deep.
_____
Minelaying cruiser ABDIEL
and destroyers KANDAHAR, KINGSTON, and GRIFFIN departed
Alexandria on serial nine of the CULTIVATE operation.
The ships arrived back at
Alexandria on the 25th.
_____
Submarine TETRARCH arrived
at Malta from Alexandria with stores and kerosene.
_____
British steamer CLAN
FERGUSON (7347grt) departed Malta to proceed
independently to Gibraltar.
The steamer was attacked
by air shortly after
leaving Malta and was recalled and arrived back at
0900/25th.
_____
The Gibraltar section
of convoy OS.9 was detached from the main convoy,
escorted by sloops LEITH and FOWEY and corvette STONECROP.
Destroyer DUNCAN departed
Gibraltar on the 24th and, after assisting destroyer
COSSACK, refuelled at Ponta Delgada on the 30th. She then sailed to join the convoy.
Destroyer WILD SWAN
departed Gibraltar on the 25th to join the convoy.
Destroyers GURKHA and
ISAAC SWEERS departed Gibraltar on the 28th to join.
Convoy OS.9G arrived at
Gibraltar on 1 November.
_____
Submarine TRUANT damaged
Italian steamer PADENNA
(1589grt) off Bari.
_____
Submarine TRIUMPH attacked
Spanish steamer ISORA
(316grt) in the Aegean, but no hits were made.
Saturday,
25 October
Battleship ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, escorted by destroyers
ANTELOPE and DULVERTON, departed Scapa Flow at 0900
for the Clyde having completed working up exercises.
The ships arrived in the
Clyde at 1115/26th. The battleship entered dock at
Greenock prior to proceeding to the
Mediterranean.
Destroyer ANTELOPE
departed the Clyde at 1800 to return to Scapa
Flow, where she arrived
at 1400/27th.
_____
Heavy cruiser LONDON
departed
Scapa Flow for the
Tyne for refitting.
The cruiser arrived later
that day. Cruiser LONDON was refitting from 30 October
to 25 January
1942.
_____
During the night of 25/26
October, Minelaying
cruisers WELSHMAN laid minefield JX A off St Valery en
Caux and MANXMAN laid
minefield JX B off St Valery sur Somme in the
England Channel.
_____
Convoy OS.10 departed
Liverpool.
On the 26th, sloop
BIDEFORD, corvettes FREESIA and
VERBENA, and escort vessels CULVER, LANDGUARD, and
LULWORTH joined the
convoy. Corvette VERBENA was detached on 4 November and
the rest on 14
November to Bathurst.
On 1 November, destroyer
STANLEY and escort vessel
GORLESTON joined the convoy and were detached on 14
November.
On 12 November, destroyer
VANSITTART and corvettes
BURDOCK, MARGUERITE, and STARWORTjoined the convoy and
escorted it into Freetown, arriving on 18 November.
_____
A British Catalina from
Gibraltar damaged Italian submarine FERRARIS west of
Gibraltar.
Destroyer LAMERTON,
supporting convoy HG.75, was
sent to attack the submarine.
The submarine scuttled
herself as the destroyer
arrived on the scene. Forty four survivors were picked
up.
Destroyer LAMERTON was
damaged by a short of one of
her3. 9 inch shells. The destroyer spent no time out of
action.
_____
Minelaying cruiser LATONA
and destroyer HERO,
HOTSPUR, and ENCOUNTER departed Alexandria on serial
ten, the last, of the CULTIVATE
operation.
Minelayer LATONA (Captain
S. L. Bateson) was sunk
by German bombing on the 25th in 32-16N, 24-55E late on
the 25th.
Commissioned Gunner (T) G.
F. W. Bruce, Midshipman
R. Kennedy, T/Lt (E) E. W. Pillinger, Cdr (E) T. G. B.
Winch, sixteen
ratings, and seven soldiers were lost on the minelayer.
Destroyer HERO was damaged
by a near miss while
standing by LATONA and her speed was reduced to ten
knots. The destroyer was
later able to increase speed to twenty knots and arrived
at Alexandria at 1400/26th.
Destroyers ENCOUNTER and
HERO took the LATONA
survivors to Alexandria.
Destroyer HERO was under
repair for four weeks.
This was the last
CULTIVATE serial in which 7138
troops had been transported to Tobruk and 7234 troops
and 727 wounded were
brought back to Alexandria.
_____
Light cruisers AJAX,
NEPTUNE, and HOBART with destroyers JERVIS,
JAGUAR, JUPITER, KIMBERLEY, HASTY, NAPIER, and NIZAM
departed Alexandria on a bombardment operation.
Due to the loss of cruiser
LATONA, the bombardment
was cancelled. Destroyers JERVIS, JAGUAR, KIMBERLEY, and
JUPITER were detached to assist LATONA and
escorted destroyer HERO to Alexandria.
The light cruisers and
destroyers NAPIER, NIZAM,
and HASTY bombarded Bardia prior to returning to
Alexandria.
_____
Force K of light cruisers
AURORA and PENELOPE and destroyers
LANCE and LIVELY departed Malta to intercept a convoy of
Italian steamer CAPO ORSO
(3149grt), German steamer TINOS (2827grt), and destroyer
STRALE which departed Benghazi on the 25th.
No contact was made and
Force K returned to Malta on the 26th.
The convoy arrived at
Brindisi on the 28th.
_____
Submarine THUNDERBOLT
arrived at Malta from patrol.
_____
Submarine TRIUMPH sank
Italian steamer MONROSA
(6703grt) in the Aegean in 37-41N, 23-53E from a convoy
of steamers MONROSA
and SANTAGATA (4299grt), escorted by destroyer SELLA and
torpedo boat SIRIO
en route from Pireaus to Candia.
The submarine was damaged
in the counterattack.
_____
Submarine TRUSTY made an
unsuccessful attack on a
steamer in 38-24N, 20-13E.
_____
Corvettes COREOPSIS and
anti-submarine trawlers ST
NECTAN and LADY SHIRLEY departed Gibraltar
escorting tankers BRITISH FREEDOM and VELMA and then
join tanker COWRIE,
which arrived at Gibraltar on 6 November.
Sunday,
26 October
Light cruiser TRINIDAD departed Devonport, escorted by destroyer KUJAWIAK, for the
Clyde where they arrived on the 27th.
The light cruiser began
her trials.
_____
Convoy ON.30 departed
Liverpool, escorted corvettes ARABIS, DAHLIA and
MONKSHOOD
and anti-submarine trawlers NORTHERN GEM and NORTHERN
SPRAY. Destroyers SARDONYX and
WATCHMAN joined on the 29th. These escorts were detached
on 2 November when
American destroyers CHARLES F. HUGHES, GLEAVES, LANSDALE, MADINSON, and SIMPSON joined. The American destroyers were detached
on 9 November when the convoy dispersed.
_____
German steamer HERTA
ENGELINE FRITZEN (5100grt) was
lost in a stranding near Hook
of Holland.
_____
Light cruiser HERMIONE was
under repair at Gibraltar from 26 October to 7 November.
_____
Submarine RORQUAL arrived
at Gibraltar from Malta.
On the 28th, the submarine
departed for Holy Loch,
arriving 4 November.
_____
Convoy SL.91 departed
Freetown escorted by destroyer WRESTLER to 31 October,
sloop SANDWICH to 12 November and corvettes ANCHUSA to
12
November, BURDOCK to 31 October, CALENDULA to 12
November, CLOVER to 31
October,MIGNONETTE to 12 November, and NIGELLA to 31
October.
On the 28th, sloops BLACK
SWAN, FLEETWOOD, and SCARBOROUGH to 12 November joined
the convoy.
Sloop FOWEY and corvettes
CAMPION, CARNATION, and
HELIOTROPE joined on 8 November to 12 November.
Convoy SL.91 rendezvoused
with convoy SL.91G on 8
November.
After reforming, later on
8 November, the joined
convoys SL.91 and SL.91G split into SL.91GF and SL.91GS.
SL.91GF arrived at Liverpool on 18 November and SL.91 GS
on 19 November.
Monday,
27 October
Destroyer NORMAN departed
Archangel with the Trade Union Congress delegation and
members of the Russian Labour Delegation.
The destroyer called at
Seidisfjord at 1400/31st to
refuel and departed at 0645 on 1 November.
The destroyer arrived at
Scrabster at 1000 on 2
November. She then proceed to Scapa Flow
arriving at 1200 that day.
_____
Submarine SEALION arrived
at Scapa Flow from Portsmouth.
_____
Midshipman D. M. Jones and
Naval Airman A. G. Davis
were killed when their Proctor of 755/756 Squadron
collided with an Oxford over Upper Heyford
village.
_____
British steamer ANTIOPE
(4545grt) was sunk by
German bombing in 53-10-45N, 1-06E.
One crewman was lost on
the steamer.
_____
Dutch steamer FRIESLAND
(2662grt) was sunk by German bombing in 53-04N,
1-35E.
Eleven crew and two
gunners were lost on the
steamer.
_____
Swedish steamer GUNLOG
(1424grt) was sunk by
British bombing off Den Helder.
_____
Submarine TETRARCH (Lt Cdr
G. H. Greenway), which
had departed Alexandria on the 17th and Malta on the
26th en route to a refit in England, was lost on a mine
in the Sicilian Channel.
Greenway, Lt E. J.
Cornish-Bowden, Lt K. W. M.
Meyrick, Lt D. R. Stavert, Sub Lt R. B. Houston, Lt (E)
P. R. Phillips, Lt C.
H. Walmsley RNR, Sub Lt W. E. Evans RNR, and fifty four
men were lost in the submarine.
Meyrick of submarine TALISMAN, Stavert of submarine
UNIQUE, and Walmsley of
submarine UPRIGHT were passengers for the voyage.
_____
Submarine UNBEATEN
unsuccessfully attacked a German
submarine off Augusta.
_____
Motor torpedo boats MTB.68
and MTB.215 laid mines in Bardia Harbour during the night of 26\27 October.
The boats returned to
Mersa Matruh after the operation.
_____
Battleship MALAYA and destroyers LIGHTNING, SIKH, and ZULU arrived at
Gibraltar.
On entering harbour, the
battleship took a sheer
and rammed steamers HOEGH HOOD, which broke adrift, and
CLAN MACDONALD.
The battleship sustained
small holes in her
forecastle and lost her sheet anchor. Damage to CLAN
MACDONALD was minor, but
HOEGH HOOD required six weeks repair.
Tuesday,
28 October
Minesweepers HARRIER and
BRITOMART departed Scapa Flow at 1200 for Grimsby and Hartlepool,
respectively, for refitting.
Minesweeper HARRIER
arrived in the Humber at 1935/29th.
Minesweeper BRITOMART
arrived at Hartlepool at 1300/30th, having put into the
Tyne to shelter from bad weather en route.
_____
Submarine SEALION departed
Scapa Flow for Murmansk.
_____
Submarine P.35 departed
Scapa Flow for
Dundee.
_____
Convoy ON.31 departed
Liverpool, escorted by corvettes CELANDINE and
HEARTSEASE
and anti-submarine trawlers ANGLE and ST APOLLO. On the
20th destroyers
AMAZON and GEORGETOWN, corvettes RENONCULE, ROSELYS, and
SUNFLOWER,
naval trawler INCHKEITH, and anti-submarine trawler
CAPE WARWICK
joinedTrawlers
CAPE WARWICK and INCHKEITH were detached on 2 November.
The remainder of the escort was detached on 4 November
when American
destroyers BAINBRIGE, OVERTON, ROE, STURTEVANT, and
TRUXTON joined. The
American destroyers were detached on 15 November when
the convoy was
dispersed.
_____
Convoy OG.76 departed
Liverpool on the 28th, escorted by destroyer BRADFORD,
sloop
DEPTFORD, and corvettes CONVOLVULUS, COWSLIP, MARIGOLD,
PENTSTEMON, SAMPHIRE,
and VETCH.
The convoy was joined on
the 29th by escort
aircraft carrier AUDACITY, which had departed the Clyde.
The convoy was joined on
the 31st by corvette
RHODODENDRON and on 9 November by destroyers VIDETTE and
WISHART, which
departed Gibraltar on 8 November.
The convoy arrived at
Gibraltar on 11 November.
The aircraft carrier was
detached on 11 November
and arrived at Gibraltar for repairs from 12 November to
13 December.
_____
German auxiliary patrol
vessel Vp.309 (trawler
MARTIN DONAND (367grt) was lost south of Libau on a
mine.
_____
U.68 sank British steamer
HAZELSIDE (5297grt) at
23-10S, 1-36E.
Two crew were lost on the
steamer.
_____
Submarine RORQUAL departed
Gibraltar for Holy Loch, where she arrived on 4
November.
_____
Polish submarine SOKOL
unsuccessfully attacked
Italian steamer CITTA DI PALERMO (5413grt) in 40-42N,
13-47E.
_____
Submarine THRASHER sank
Italian steamer ESPERIA
(384grt) by gunfire northeast off Benghazi.
_____
Destroyer GURKHA and Dutch
destroyer ISAAC SWEERS
departed Gibraltar to meet arriving convoy OS.9G.
_____
Midshipman P. A. Brown
RNVR, and Sub Lt F. A. J.
Smith RNVR, were killed when their Albacore of 828
Squadron frialed to return
to Hal Far after an attack on Comiso airfield by seven
Albacores of 828
Squadron.
_____
Submarine URGE arrived at
Malta from patrol off Kuriat.
_____
Submarine URSULA arrived
at Malta from patrol off Calabria.
_____
Light cruiser CARADOC was
refitting at the New York
Navy Yard from 28 October to 26 February 1942.
_____
Ex US cargo ships
transferred to the United Kingdom
EMPIRE PINTAIL (7773grt), EMPIRE EGRET (7248grt), EMPIRE
FULMAR (7775grt),
EMPIRE WIDGEON (6736grt), EMPIRE PEREGRINE (7842grt),
and EMPIRE ORIOLE
(6551grt) departed Halifax.
The convoy was escorted by
US battleship NEW MEXICO, aircraft carrier YORKTOWN,
light cruisers
PHILADELPHIA and SAVANNAH, and destroyers MORRIS,
HUGHES, SIMS, HAMMANN, ANDERSON,
MUSTIN, and RUSSELL of the 2nd Destroyer Squadron.
On 2 November, the convoy
met convoy CT.5 with
steamers DUCHESS OF ATHOLL, SOBIESKI, ORCADES, WARWICK
CASTLE, ANDES, DURBAN
CASTLE, ORONSAY, and REINA DEL
PACIFICO, escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser CAIRO and
destroyers NEWARK,
CHARLESTON, CALDWELL, BEVERLEY, BADSWORTH, and CROOME.
The escorts traded convoys
and the US escort took convoy CT.5 towards Halifax. The
British escort took the convoy, designated
TANGO, and proceeded to North
Channel.
On 3 November, destroyer
WAINWRIGHT, MAYRANT,
TRIPPE, RHIND, ROWAN, MCDOUGAL, MOFFETT, and WINSLOW
relieved the US destroyer escort for refuelling.
The convoy arrived at
Halifax on 7 November and the troops carried in convoy
CT.5 were transferred to US transports for convoy
WS.12X.
_____
Convoy HX.157 departed
Halifax escorted by destroyer ANNAPOLIS and corvettes
BUCTOUCHE and GALT. American destroyers DALLAS, EBERLE,
ELLIS,
ERICSSON, and UPSHUR joined on the 30th. On 3 November,
the original escort was
detached. Destroyer AMAZON joined 6 November. The
American escort was
detached on 8 November when relieved by destroyers
BELMONT and GEORGETOWN and corvettes HEARTSEASE,
RENONCULE, and ROSELYS,
and anti-submarine trawlers ANGLE and CAPE
WARWICK. Destroyer DOUGLAS joined on 9 November. Destroyers
BELMONT and GEORGETOWN
were detached on 11 November and destroyers AMAZON
and DOUGLAS on 12 November. The convoy arrived at
Liverpool on 13 November.
Wednesday,
29 October
Destroyers OFFA and ORIBI
departed Scapa Flow at 0800 for Loch Alsh to act under
the orders of
Rear Admiral Minelaying.
Both destroyers arrived at
1630 that day.
_____
Destroyer TARTAR departed
London for Sheerness at 1015 on completion of long
refitting. The destroyer arrived at 1415 that day to
embark ammunition and
fuel and carry out a tilt test at Chatham before
proceeding to Scapa Flow.
Destroyer TARTAR departed
Sheerness at 0755 on 1
November for Scapa Flow.
_____
Minesweepers SALAMANDER
and HALCYON departed Scapa Flow for Aberdeen at 1700 to
carry out boiler cleaning and fit for
Arctic service.
Both minesweepers arrived
at 0800/30th.
_____
Free French submarine
MINERVE made an unsuccessful
attack on a Norwegian steamer off the Norwegian coast.
_____
British naval trawler
FLOTTA (530grt, T/Sub Lt A.
Smith RNVR) ran aground off Buchanness.
The trawler foundered on 6
November.
_____
British steamer SARASTONE
(2473grt) was sunk by
German bombing in 37-05-10N, 6-48-30W.
One crewman was lost on
the steamer.
_____
British steamer ROSLEA
(642grt) was captured when
she ran aground on the 28th during a storm on the
Belgian coast.
The crew were taken
prisoner and this ship was
salved.
_____
German steamer BARCELONA
(3101grt) was lost near Aalesund to British
bombing attack.
_____
Convoy SC.52 departed
Sydney CB, escorted by
corvettes BATTLEFORD, DUNVEGAN, and SOREL. Destroyer
BROADWAY and corvettes
ACONIT, BUCTOUCHE, GALT, and WINDFLOWER joined on 1
November when
corvettes BATTLEFORD, DUNVEGAN, and SOREL were detached.
Destroyer BURWELL
and corvette COBALt joined on 2 November. The escorts,
less corvette ACONIT,
were detached on 3 November. Corvette ACONIT was
detached on 4 November
before the convoy arrived back at Sydney CB on 5
November.
Thursday,
30 October
Minelayers MENETHEUS, PORT
QUEBEC, and WELSHMAN, escorted by destroyers
BRIGHTON, OFFA, and ORIBI, departed Loch Alsh to carry
out minelaying
operation SN.83 A.
Destroyer ONSLOW departed
Scapa Flow at 1200 and joined the force in 58-45N,
5-42W.
Light cruiser SHEFFIELD
departed
Scapa Flow at
0900/31st to cover the minelaying force.
_____
Destroyer ASHANTI departed
Scapa Flow at 0900
for Scrabster to embark a party of military officers
taking passage in light
cruiser KENYA to Archangel.
The destroyer arrived back
at Scapa Flow at 1300.
_____
Submarine P.35 departed
Dundee for Scapa Flow, arriving on
the 31st.
_____
Submarine TRIDENT departed
Murmansk on patrol, then to return to the United
Kingdom.
_____
T/Sub Lt (A) P.
Fahrenholtz RNVR, of 780 Squadron
was killed when his Proctor aircraft collided with a
Shark aircraft, piloted
by A/Sub Lt (A) J. E. Hampson RNVR, at Worthy Down.
_____
American tanker SALINAS
(8246grt) was torpedoed by U.106 700 miles east of
Newfoundland.
Destroyer DUPONT escorted
the tanker to port.
_____
Corvette SNAPDRAGON
arrived at Suez from the United Kingdom to join the
Mediterranean Fleet.
The corvette arrived at
Alexandria on the 31st.
_____
Destroyer WISHART arrived
at Gibraltar after refitting in the UK.
_____
Submarine
OLYMPUS departed Gibraltar for
patrol in the Gulf of Lyons.
_____
Convoy ST.7 departed
Freetown, escorted by destroyer VANSITTART and corvettes
ARMERIA and CYCLAMEN. The convoy arrived at Takoradi on
4 November.
Friday,
31 October
Minelayers MENETHEUS, PORT
QUEBEC, and WELSHMAN, escorted by destroyers
BRIGHTON, OFFA, ORIBI, and ONSLOW, laid minefield
SN.83A.
Light cruiser SHEFFIELD
covered the operation until being detached at
2200/31st and arriving at Scapa
Flow on 1 November.
Destroyer ONSLOW, OFFA,
and ORIBI arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1800 on 1
November.
The minelayers, escorted
by destroyer BRIGHTON, arrived at Loch Alsh at 2200 on 1 November.
_____
Destroyer MAORI departed
London at 0800 for Sheerness to embark ammunition and
fuel after long refitting. The destroyer arrived at 1300
that day.
Destroyer MAORI departed
Sheerness at 0845 on 2
November for Scapa Flow where she arrived at 1730 on 3
November to work
up.
_____
Destroyer ESCAPADE
departed Scapa Flow at 0930 for Scrabster to embark a
Russian General
for passage to Archangel in light cruiser KENYA.
The destroyer arrived back
at 1300.
_____
Light cruiser KENYA and
destroyers BEDOUIN and INTREPID departed Scapa Flow at
2300 for Seidisfjord to refuel prior to
escorting convoy PQ.3.
_____
Submarine SEAWOLF arrived
at Scapa Flow from Portsmouth.
The submarine departed
that day for Murmansk.
_____
British A/T/Sub Lt (A) P.
Fahrenholtz RNVR, was
killed when his Proctor of 780 Squadron collided with a
Shark at Worthy Down.
A/A/Sub Lt (A) J. E.
Hampson RNVR, of the Shark was
not injured.
_____
British tanker BRITISH
FORTUNE (4696grt) was sunk
by German bombing one mile 265° from Aldeburgh Light
Buoy. Seven crew and a
gunner were missing.
_____
Greek steamer NICOLAOS
PIANGOS (4499grt) was sunk
by German bombing in 51-58-45N, 1-37-30E.
Eight crew were lost.
_____
Convoy HX.156 was escorted
by American destroyers NIBLACK,
TARBELL (Flag), REUBEN JAMES, BENSON, and HILARY P.
JONES.
Destroyer REUBEN JAMES (Lt
Cdr H. L. Edwards) was
sunk by U.552 in 51-59N, 27-05W.
Forty six enlisted men,
including eight wounded,
were rescued were picked up by destroyers BENSON, HILARY
P. JONES, NIBLACK,
and TARBELL. Edwards, Lt B. Ghetzler, Lt (jg) D. G.
Johnston, Lt (jg) J. J.
Daub, Lt (jg) J. M. Belden, Ensign C. Spowers, Ensign H.
V. Wade and eighty
eight enlisted men were missing. Two enlisted men were
killed.
One crewman later died of
wounds.
_____
U.374 sank British steamer
KING MALCOLM (5120grt)
in 47-40N, 51-50W. The entire crew of the steamer were
lost.
_____
U.96 sank Dutch steamer
BENNEKOM (5998grt) from
convoy OS.10 in 51-20N, 23-40W. The submarine claimed
sinking another steamer
in the convoy.
Three gunners and five
crew were lost on the
steamer.
The convoy was escorted by
escort ships LANDGUARD
(SO 40th Escort Group), GORLESTON, CULVER, and LULWORTH,
destroyer STANLEY,
sloop BIDEFORD, and corvettes VERBENA and FREESIA.
On 1 November, escort ship
GORLESTON and corvette
VERBENA attacked a submarine contact in 48-25N, 25-00W.
_____
Destroyers ERIDGE and
AVONVALE departed Alexandria, escorting ocean boarding
vessel CHANTALA to Port Said. There they
sailed to join the Suez Escort Force. The destroyers
passed through the Suez Canal on 1 November and joined
the Suez Escort Force.
_____
Submarine TRUANT sank
Italian tanker METEOR
(1685grt) south of Ortona.
October,
miscellaneous
American light cruiser
MEMPHIS and destroyers JOUETT and DAVIS escorted part of
the way to Africa, American steamer ACADIA (6185grt)
carrying Pan American technicians and equipment.
_____
Late in the month, Italian
submarine SCIRE
proceeded to Gibraltar where she launched three SLC's,
but two were defective and sank without doing
any damage.
The third SLC got very
close to battleship RODNEY, but sank
before doing any damage.
