Background
Events - January-May 1941
Battle of
Cape Matapan, Battles for Greece & Crete,
Capture of U.110, Enigma codes, Loss of 'Hood',
sinking of 'Bismarck'
1941
Saturday,
1 March
Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA
departed Scapa Flow at 1130 to cover convoy WN.91 from
Pentland Firth. The convoy was attacked by German
aircraft from
1935 and 2014.
Steamer FORTHBANK
(5057grt) was damaged by
German bombing in convoy WN.91 in 57-53N, 1-57W. Four
crew were lost. She arrived at Invergordon on the 3rd,
and on
13th, left under tow for Leith. The steamer
went ashore on the 15th, but was refloated and arrived
at Leith on the 17th.
Steamer
PENNINGTON COURT (6098grt) in convoy WN.91 was also
damaged by the
German bombing, but was able to continue.
Tanker ATHELTEMPLAR
(8949grt) was damaged
by German bombing in convoy EN.79 in 57-04N, 1-50W.
Destroyer ERIDGE departed
Rosyth at 1800 for Scapa Flow and en route, was diverted
to assist the damaged
tanker. Burnt out, she arrived in tow of ERIDGE and
minesweeper SPEEDWELL at Methil Roads on the 3rd. ERIDGE
arrived at Scapa Flow for working up exercises on the
3rd.
CURACOA transferred to
convoy
EN.79 off Buchan Ness at 2300/1st to cover this convoy
to Pentland Firth.
_____
Destroyer QUANTOCK
departed Scapa Flow at 1800 to meet steamer BEN MY CHREE
and escort her to Kirkwall.
_____
Minesweeping trawler ST
DONATS (349grt, T/Skipper
F. L. A. Atkinson RNR) was lost in a collision off the
Humber with destroyer COTSWOLD, which had departed Rosyth on 28 February.
The destroyer was
repaired at Chatham from 4 to 31 March.
_____
U.552 sank tanker CADILLAC
(12,062grt) from
convoy HX.109 in 59-44N, 11-16W. Thirty three crew and
two gunners were lost.
_____
Dutch tanker ROTULA
(7981grt) was badly damaged by
German bombing in 52-15N, 5-33W. Sixteen crew were
killed and the wreck was sunk by a British trawler.
_____
Steamer EMPIRE SIMBA
(5691grt) was damaged
by German bombing in 52-21N, 5-23W, and abandoned with
engine room and
stokehold flooded. She was towed to Liverpool on the
4th.
_____
Light cruiser ARETHUSA
arrived at Gibraltar.
_____
Destroyer FIREDRAKE ran
aground on the Spanish
coast in the Mediterranean east of Gibraltar, in
36-28N, 4-45W, and was under repair at Gibraltar from 1
March to 24 April. She was sent to Portsmouth for
repairs, departed on 24 April and arrived
at Portsmouth on 1 May. FIREDRAKE departed immediately
for Chatham arriving on 2 May. Repairs were completed on
27
June.
_____
Ocean boarding vessel
REGISTAN departed Gibraltar for Western Patrol.
_____
A supply convoy for the
Afrika Korps departed Naples with steamers AMSTERDAM
(8673grt), CASTELLON (2086grt), RUHR (5954grt), and MARITZA (2910grt), escorted by torpedo boats CLIO,
PEGASO, and ORIONE. The convoy arrived without event at
Tripoli on the 3rd. The
return convoy was steamers ALICANTE (2140grt), ARCTURUS
(2596grt), WACHTFELS
(8467grt), and LEVERKUSEN (7386grt) escorted by
destroyer VIVALDI and torpedo
boats PROCIONE, ORSA, and CALLIOPE which also passed
uneventfully, arriving at Naples on the 3rd.
_____
Minesweeping drifter
PLOUGHBOY was severely damaged
by the explosion of three mines close aboard at Malta.
One rating was missing and nine were wounded. The
drifter was beached.
_____
Aircraft carrier
FORMIDABLE, escorted by destroyers
JUNO and GRIFFIN, had arrived at Suez on 23 February,
but was unable to enter the Suez Canal due to mining.
They were sent
to Port Sudan to await reopening of the Canal. On 1
March, her aircraft, based ashore, attacked
Massawa.
_____
Greek submarine
PAPANICOLIS made an unsuccessful torpedo
attack off Saseno.
_____
Italian submarine
GUGLIEMOTTI departed Massawa on
the 3rd, and with submarines ARCHIMEDE and GALILEO
FERRARIS, which departed Massawa about the same time,
refuelled from German
tanker NORDMARK on 16 and 17 April. GUGLIEMOTTI
was the first Italian
submarine from Massawa to arrive at Bordeaux on 6 May
after 64 days at sea.
Italian submarine PERLA
departed Massawa during the
night of 1/2 March, and refuelled from German raider
ATLANTIS
on the 29th. She was the last Italian submarine from
Massawa to
arrive, after 80 days at sea, on 20 May 1941.
_____
Heavy cruiser CORNWALL
intercepted Vichy French steamer VILLE DE MAJUNGA
(4972grt) in 34-08S, 10-18E. The steamer was taken to
Capetown.
_____
Convoy HX.112 departed
Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser RANPURA and
corvettes BITTERSWEET and FENNEL. The corvettes were
detached later that day.
Convoy BHX.112 departed
Bermuda on 27 February escorted by ocean escort armed merchant cruiser
CALIFORNIA. The convoy
rendezvoused with convoy HX.112 on the
4th and the armed merchant cruiser was detached.
On 5 March, heavy cruiser
NORFOLK joined the escort. The armed merchant cruiser
and
the heavy cruiser were detached on the 14th. Destroyers
SARDONYX, SCMITAR,
VANOC, VICEROY, and WALKER, corvette BLUEBELL, and
anti-submarine trawler
SYRINGA joined on the 15th. Destroyer VICEROY was
detached later that day. On
16 March, destroyer VOLUNTEER joined. Corvette BLUEBELL
and trawler SYRINGA
were detached on the 18th and destroyers SARDONYX,
SCIMITAR, and WALKER on
the 19th. Destroyers VANOC and VOLUNTEER were detached
when the convoy
arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.
_____
Convoy SL.67 departed
Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser CILICIA to 19 March, corvette ASPHODEL to 11 March, and anti-submarine
trawlers KELT, SPANIARD, and TURCOMAN locally.
Due to German activity in
the area, from 3 March
battleship MALAYA to 10 March and destroyers FAULKNOR
and FORESTER
to 11 March escorted the convoy. Aircraft carrier ARK
ROYAL and battlecruiser
RENOWN joined the convoy on the 10th and continued to 19
March.
Light cruiser KENYA
escorted the convoy from 19 to 21 March.
Destroyers HAVELOCK to 24
March, HESPERUS,
HURRICANE, MANSFIELD, and SALISBURY to 26 March, VERITY
to 24 March, VETERAN
to 25 March, and WOLSEY to 26 March, corvettes ARBUTUS
and CAMELLIA to 26
March, and catapult ship PEGASUS to 26 March joined the
convoy on the 21st.
On the 22nd, destroyers
CHELSEA and DOUGLAS joined
to 24 March. Corvette BEGONIA joined on the 23rd to 26
March. The convoy
arrived at Liverpool on the 26th.
_____
US Support Force, Atlantic
Fleet was formed:
Destroyer Tender PRAIRE
(Flagship Rear Admiral A L
Bristol Jr)
Destroyer Squadron 7
(Captain J L Kauffman) -
PLUNKETT
Division 13 - NIBLACK
(DD.13), BENSON, GLEAVES,
MAYO
Division 14 - MADISON
(DD.14),
LANSDALE, HILARY P
JONES, CHARLES F HUGHES
Destroyer Squadron 30
(Captain M Y Cohen) - DALLAS
Division 60 - ELLIS
(DD60), BERNADOU, COLE, DUPONT
Division 61- GREER
(DD.61), TARBELL, UPSHUR, LEA
Destroyer Squadron 31
(Captain W D.Baker) -
MACLEISH
Division 62 - BAINBRIDGE
(DD62) OVERTON,
STURTIVANT, REUBEN JAMES
Division 63 - MCCORMICK
(DD.63), BROOME, SIMPSON,
TRUXTON
Sunday,
2 March
Destroyer COSSACK departed
Southampton for
Scapa Flow on
completion of refitting.
On 3 March, the destroyer
was damaged by a mine
exploding close aboard 300° SW point of the Isle of Man.
The destroyer spent
no time out of service.
Destroyer COSSACK arrived
at Scapa Flow at noon on the 4th.
_____
Convoy OB.293 departed
Liverpool, escorted by destroyers CHELSEA, VERITY, and
WOLVERINE, and corvettes ARBUTUS and CAMELLIA. Destroyer
BEVERLEY joined the
escort on the 4th. The escort was detached when the
convoy dispersed on the
7th.
_____
Australian destroyer
NESTOR arrived at Scapa Flow at 1130 to carry out
working up exercises.
_____
Minesweeper KELLETT was
damaged in a collision with
armed boarding vessel NORTHERN REWARD (655grt) off
Peterhead.
The minesweeper was
repaired in the Humber from 10 March to 9 April.
_____
U.95 sank British steamer
PACIFIC (6034grt) from
convoy HX.109 180 miles WSW of Sydero Island, Faroes.
One crewman was rescued.
_____
U.147 sank Norwegian
steamer AUGVALD (4811grt) from
convoy HX.109, 150 miles northwest of Loch Ewe.
One crewman was rescued.
_____
British steamer CASTLEHILL
(690grt) was sunk by
German aircraft east of Mine Head.
One crewman was rescued.
_____
Dutch steamer SIMALOER
(6533grt) was sunk by German
bombing in 56-40N, 10-46W.
Two crew were killed.
_____
Light cruiser ORION
returned to Alexandria from
Port Said following the removal of her catapult to allow
fitting of
additional close range anti-aircraft guns.
_____
Convoy ANF.16, escorted by
anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA and destroyers VAMPIRE
and HOTSPUR, arrived at Piraeus.
Destroyer VAMPIRE was
taken in hand at Piraeus for docking and boiler
cleaning.
_____
Lt W. L. Le C Barnes of
806 Squadron at Malta was killed when accidently shot
while on duty.
_____
Ocean boarding vessel
CORINTHIAN departed Gibraltar on Western Patrol.
_____
New Zealand light cruiser
LEANDER, coming from convoy US.9
escort, and Australian heavy cruiser CANBERRA, which had
refuelled in the Seychilles on 26
February, rendezvoused 100 miles east of Addu for joint
operations in the Indian Ocean.
Monday,
3 March
Destroyer WHADDON arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1430 from the Clyde to carry out working up exercises.
_____
Destroyer BRILLIANT
arrived at Portsmouth at 1000 to refit prior to transfer
to the Western
Approaches.
_____
Motor gun boat MGB 12 was
mined off Milford Haven.
The gunboat sank in tow on
the 6th.
_____
Destroyer BURNHAM, which
departed Aultbrea on the
2nd, was damaged in a collision alongside destroyer
MALCOLM, which departed
Aultbrea on the 3rd, in the North West Approaches.
Destroyer BURNHAM was
repaired at Liverpool completing on 27 April.
Destroyer MALCOLM was
repaired at Liverpool completing on 7 April.
_____
British mine destructor
ship CORFIELD was damaged
in a collision with British steamer CORMEAD (2848grt) in
the Thames Estuary.
The mine destructor ship
was repaired at Blackwall
from 5 to 14 March.
_____
Patrol trawler COBBERS
(275grt, T/Skipper L. Turner
RNR) was sunk by German bombing off Lowestoft.
Four crew were rescued.
Turner and eight ratings
were killed and two ratings were missing.
_____
Auxiliary yacht TINY
(5grt) was sunk by German
bombing at South Dock, Sutherland.
_____
British steamer PORT
TOWNSVILLE (8661grt) was badly damaged by German
bombing in 52-05N, 5-24W.
Two passengers were lost.
The steamer sank on the
4th.
_____
Battleship WARSPITE,
aircraft carrier EAGLE, and
five destroyers departed Alexandria for gunnery and flying exercises.
Following the exercises,
destroyer STUART proceeded
to Port Said for escort duty in convoy AN.17.
_____
British steamer KNIGHT OF
MALTA (1553grt), which
had departed Alexandria on the 1st escorted by
anti-submarine whaler SOUTHERN
MAID with troops for Tobruk, ran aground during the
night of 2/3 March two
miles 273° from Ras Azzaz.
There were no casualties.
Destroyer WRYNECK was sent
to assist to assess the
possibility of salvage.
The cargo was salved.
Salvage of the ship was
abandoned after bombing attacks on corvette PEONY and
tug ST ISSEY on the
10th.
_____
Aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL
with destroyers FORTUNE
and DUNCAN departed Gibraltar for flying exercises and
returned later that day.
_____
Submarine PANDORA departed
Gibraltar and carried out lookout exercises and
anti-submarine exercises with the convoy HG.55 before
the convoy sailed.
_____
Convoy HG.55 departed
Gibraltar, escorted by sloop SCARBOROUGH, destroyer
WRESTLER, submarine PANDORA, and
corvettes COREOPSIS, GENTIAN, and JONQUIL.
Destroyer WRESTLER was
detached on the 6th.
Corvettes GENTIAN and JONQUIL on the 10th and corvette
COREOPSIS on the 14th.
On 14 March, submarine
PANDORA joined convoy OG.55.
Light cruiser ARETHUSA
joined the convoy on the
15th and escorted it through the day before continuing
to Scapa Flow. Destroyers AMBUSCADE and BULLDOG and
corvette
HEARTSEASE joined the convoy on the 17th. On 18 March,
corvettes ARABIS,
MALLOW, and VIOLET and anti-submarine yacht PHILANTE
joined. The convoy
arrived at Liverpool on the 22nd.
_____
A supply convoy for the
Afrika Korps departed Naples with steamers AEGINA (2447grt), ADANA (4205grt),
ARTA (2452grt), and SABAUDIA (1590grt)
escorted by destroyers TARIGO and FRECCIA and torpedo
boat CASTOR. The convoy
arrived without event at Tripoli
on the 6th.
_____
Light cruiser DAUNTLESS
arrived at Penang.
_____
New Zealand light cruiser
ACHILLES departed Wellington with convoy AP.14. The
convoy was escorted to 300
miles southeast of Chatham Island.
The cruiser left the
convoy on the 5th and returned
to New
Zealand.
Tuesday,
4 March
Operation CLAYMORE, a raid
on the Lofotens, was
carried out.
Submarine SUNFISH acted as
a beacon for landing
craft.
Destroyer SOMALI (Captain
Caslon, D.6) remained at
sea.
Landing ship QUEEN EMMA
escorted by destroyers
BEDOUIN and TARTAR proceeded to Svolvaer.
Landing ship PRINCESS
BEATRIX escorted by
destroyers ESKIMO and LEGION proceeded to Stamsund.
German steamers EILENAU
(1404grt), BERNHARD SCHULTE
(1058grt), and FELIX HEUMANN (2468grt) were sunk by
demolition charges near
Solaer.
Destroyer TARTAR sank
German steamers HAMBURG (5470grt) and PASAJES (1996grt).
German steamer GUMBRINNEN
(1381grt) was sunk by with
demolition charges by the Army landing party.
Norwegian steamer MIRA
(1152grt) was sunk by
destroyer BEDOUIN.
Norwegian fishing vessel
MYRLAND (321grt) joined
the British force and proceeded to the Faroes, arriving
on the 7th.
The destroyers and landing
ships returned to Scapa Flow on the 6th at 1300 without
damage. They returned
with 314 Norwegian volunteers, 213 German prisoners, and
twelve Quislings.
Battleships NELSON and
KING GEORGE V, light
cruisers EDINBURGH and NIGERIA, and destroyers
INGLEFIELD, ECHO, ECLIPSE, MAORI, and PUNJABI arrived at
Scapa Flow at 1400/6th.
At 2100/6th, troopships
QUEEN EMMA and PRINCESS
BEATRIX with destroyer LEGION departed Scapa Flow for
Greenock.
_____
Destroyer ARROW departed
Scapa Flow at 0830 to meet steamer BEN MY CHREE off
Aberdeen at 1630 and escort her to Thorshavn.
The ships arrived at
Thorshavn on the 5th.
After this duty, destroyer
ARROW arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1300/7th.
_____
Destroyer ELECTRA departed
the Humber at 1030/completion of repairs. The destroyer proceeded to
Aberdeen where she
rendezvoused with steamer AMSTERDAM at 0600/5th.
Destroyer ELECTRA escorted
the steamer to Lerwick.
At 2000/6th, both ships departed to return to Aberdeen.
Destroyer ELECTRA arrived
back at Scapa Flow after this duty at 1600/7th.
_____
Minelayer PLOVER laid
minefield ZME.21 in the Irish Sea. The minelaying
continued on the 6th with ZME.22,
ZME.23 on the 14th, ZME.24 on the 20th, ZME.25/26th, and
ZME.26 on the 30th
laid by minelayer PLOVER
The series continued in
April, completing on 21
April.
_____
British steamer ANONITY
(303grt) was sunk on a mine
at one and a half miles southeast of Skegness Pier.
Four crew were lost of a
six man crew.
_____
British steamer RUTH II
(321grt) was damaged on a
mine two cables NNE of Bar Light Vessel.
_____
British trawler EAST
COAST (192grt) was damaged by German bombing off Fastnet.
_____
British steamer ANGLIAN
COAST (594grt) was damaged on a mine two cables 75° from Bar Light Vessel.
_____
British pilot carrier
LYNDIS KITWOOD (20grt) was
damaged on a mine off Skegness.
_____
British cruisers ORION,
AJAX, PERTH, and GLOUCESTER departed Suda Bay
with troops for Piraeus.
The troops were
disembarked at Piraeus on the 5th.
The cruisers then operate
in the Aegean with four destroyers to cover other troop convoys.
_____
Convoy AN.17 of four
steamers (British CITY OF NORWICH (6726grt) and
ARABISTAN (5874grt), two
others) departed Alexandria escorted destroyer HEREWARD
and from Port Said escorted by destroyer STUART.
Anti-aircraft cruiser
COVENTRY departed Alexandria on the 5th and joined the
convoy at daylight on
the 7th.
This convoy carried the
first LUSTRE Force. The
convoy arrived at Piraeus on the 8th.
_____
Convoy AN.16 of British
steamer ALAVI (3566grt)
arrived at Piraeus during the forenoon with destroyer
GREYHOUND.
_____
Convoy AS.16 of four
British, fourteen Greek, and
one other ship departed Pireaus escorted by
anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA and destroyers GREYHOUND
and HAVOCK.
Light cruisers AJAX and
PERTH departed Piraeus to cover the passage of convoy
AS.16 and then
proceeded to Alexandria, via the west of Crete.
Convoy AS.16 arrived at
Alexandria on the 7th. The Port Said units arrived on
the 8th.
_____
British troopship ULSTER
PRINCE (3791grt), escorted by destroyer HOTSPUR,
arrived at Suda Bay
from Piraeus.
The troopship, after
unloading stores and Fleet Air
Arm personnel, embarked the ABSTENTION Commando Unit.
_____
Submarine UTMOST arrived
at Malta after an operation in the Gulf of Hammamet.
_____
Light cruiser SHEFFIELD
arrived at Gibraltar and was docked for repairs after
convoy SL.65
duties.
_____
Norwegian tanker KETTY
BROVIG (7031grt), captured
by German raider ATLANTIS on 2 February 1941, was
sighted by an Australian cruiser seaplane.
The tanker scuttled
herself when she was
intercepted by cruiser CANBERRA.
German supply ship COBURG
(7400grt), company with the tanker, was pursued by
the heavy cruiser's Walrus aircraft. The Walrus landed
alongside the steamer.
The British pilot boarded the steamer and some ship's
papers were captured.
German ship COBURG
scuttled herself at 8-40S, 61-25E before the heavy
cruiser arrived on the scene.
New Zealand light cruiser
LEANDER had departed heavy cruiser CANBERRA earlier on
the 4th, but returned to assist in
rescue of the survivors from the German ships.
Australian heavy cruiser
CANBERRA and New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER arrived
at Mauritius on the 8th with the crews of the German
ships.
_____
Convoy BS.18 departed
Suez, escorted by sloop CLIVE. Destroyer KINGSTON and
sloop YARRA joined on the 8th. The convoy was
dispersed on the 12th.
_____
Convoy BM.4 departed
Karachi on the 4th with steamers
TALMA (10,000grt) and VARELA (4651grt), escorted by
armed merchant cruiser
ANTENOR from 4 March to 12 March. Further units departed
Bombay on the 8th
with steamers EGRA (5108grt), SANTHIA (7754grt), EL
MADINA (3962grt), FELIX
ROUSSEL (17, 083grt), NEURALIA (9182grt), RAJULA
(8478grt), and ROHNA
(8602grt) and joined the convoy.
Light cruiser EMERALD
escorted the convoy from 12
to 15 March. Light cruiser DAUNTLESS escorted the convoy
from 13 to 16 March.
The armed merchant cruiser was detached on the 16th.
Steamers BAHADUR,
JAPAYAMUNA, and JALADUTA departed
Bombay on the 7th for Penang, independently, carrying lorries, petrol, ordnance, and stores. The
convoy arrived at Penang
on the 18th. All but TALMA departed on the 24th,
escorted by armed merchant cruiser ANTENOR and light
cruiser DURBAN. The convoy arrived at Singapore on the
26th.
Wednesday,
5 March
Destroyer LIDDESDALE
arrived at Scapa Flow at 0100 from Rosyth to carry out
working up
exercises.
_____
Battlecruiser REPULSE,
aircraft carrier FURIOUS,
armed merchant cruiser ALCANTARA. and steamer STRATHMORE
(23, 428grt)
departed the Clyde for Gibraltar,
escorted by destroyers OTTAWA,
ASSINIBOINE, VANSITTART, and CHURCHILL.
The aircraft carrier was
carrying aircraft to
Takoradi to be delivered on the 22nd in operation
SUMMER.
The aircraft carrier,
light cruiser DRAGON, and
destroyers DUNCAN and FOXHOUND departed Freetown on the
18th.
The aircraft carrier
arrived at Takoradi on the
22nd, escorted by light cruiser DRAGON, which landed
passengers and to refuel
the destroyers. Light cruiser DRAGON then proceeded to
Lagos to refuel.
The aircraft carrier and
the destroyers arrived
back at Freetown on the 25th.
_____
Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA
departed Scapa Flow at 0900 and join convoy EN.81 off
Aberdeen at 1600.
The ship remained with the
convoy until midnight. The ship arrived at Scapa Flow at
0730/6th.
_____
Convoy OB.294 departed
Liverpool escorted by destroyers WANDERER, WITCH,
MONTGOMERY, and VIVIEN and corvettes NASTURTIUM,
PERIWINKLE,
and PRIMROSE.
When the convoy was
dispersed on the 9th, the
escorts proceeded to join convoy SL.66.
_____
Tug SILVERSTONE (58grt)
was sunk on a mine three
miles above Rochester Bridge, Medway.
Tug SILVERSTONE was towing
barges ROCKSTONE
(96grt), SANDSTONE (96grt), STONECURB (96grt), and
CESTONE (96grt).
Barges ROCKSTONE and
SANDSTONE were lost with the
tug.
The entire crew on the tug
were lost.
_____
U.95 sank Swedish steamer
MURJEK (5070grt) in the North Atlantic.
There were no survivors on
the steamer.
_____
German torpedo boats ILTIS
and JAGUAR laid
minefield AUGBURG off Eastbourne.
_____
German steamer STOLZENFELS
(7512grt) was sunk by
war cause near Schiermonnikoog.
_____
After reports of shipping
at sea, Submarines
UPRIGHT and UTMOST departed Malta for patrol on the
Tripoli convoy routes. Submarine TRUANT departed for a
coastal patrol in the Gulf of Sirte.
_____
Submarine TRIUMPH sank
Italian steamers MARZAMEMI
(958grt) and COLOMBO LO FARO
(897grt) in 37-54N, 15-46E off Calabria.
_____
Convoy ANF.17 of six
British and two other ships departed Alexandria escorted
by destroyers ILEX, HERO, and HASTY.
Anti-aircraft cruiser
CALCUTTA joined the convoy at noon on the 6th. The
convoy arrived at Piraeus on the 8th with destroyer
HERO. Cruiser CALCUTTA and destroyers ILEX and HASTY
left the convoy to
arrive at Suda Bay
during the morning of 8 March.
_____
Aircraft carrier
FORMIDABLE, escorted by destroyers
JUNO and GRIFFIN, departed Port Sudan for Suez.
_____
An Italian convoy of
steamers CASTELLON (2086grt), RUHR (5954grt), and MARITZA (2910grt) departed
Tripoli escorted by
Italian armed merchant cruiser RAMB III and torpedo
boats ORIONE and PEGASO. The convoy
arrived at Naples on the 7th.
_____
Lt D. M. Cheeke DSC, Lt
(A) R. S. Illingworth, and
Leading Airman G. Mitchell of 700 Squadron from heavy
cruiser DORSETSHIRE
were killed when their Walrus crashed into a hillside at
Port Victoria in the
Seychilles.
_____
Light cruiser MAURITIUS
arrived at Freetown with convoy WS.6B.
_____
Convoy HX.113 departed
Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser ALANIA and
corvettes BITTERSWEET and FENNEL.
Convoy BHX.113 departed
Bermuda on the 3rd escorted by ocean escort armed merchant cruiser PRINCE
DAVID. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy HX.113 on the
8th and the armed
merchant cruiser was detached.
Battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN
joined on the 15th and
the armed merchant cruiser was detached on the 16th. The
battleship was
detached on the 16th. On 17 March, destroyers KEPPEL,
LINCOLN, SABRE, VENOMOUS, and WOOLSTON, corvette
SUNFLOWER, and anti-submarine trawler WELLARD joined the
escort. Trawler
WELLARD was detached on the 19th and the escort, less
the two corvettes which
had departed at the start, on the 20th. The two
corvettes were detached when
the convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 21st.
_____
Ocean boarding vessel
CORINTHIAN captured French
trawler BIJOU BIHON (112grt) in 32-59N, 12-19W and sent
her to Gibraltar.
_____
Convoy BN.18 departed
Aden, escorted by sloop YARRA. Destroyer KINGSTON joined
for escort during 8 March. The convoy
arrived at Suez on the 11th.
Thursday,
6 March
Destroyer ACTIVE arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1630 from Greenock to join the Home Fleet.
_____
Minesweeping trawler
KERYADO (252grt, Chief Skipper
H. C. Gue RNR) was sunk on a mine eight miles south of
Newhaven.
Nine ratings were lost on
the trawler.
_____
British barge QUEEN WASP
(196grt) and echo sounding
boat MOUSE were lost in Falmouth Inner Harbour while attempting
to recover a mine.
P/T/Sub Lt R. B.
Sutherland RNVR, and five ratings
from VERNON were killed in the explosion. Four men were
wounded.
_____
Tug SUN VII (202grt) was sunk on a
mine 1-2 miles 60° from
North Knob Buoy, Barrow Deep.
Five crew were lost.
_____
Norwegian tanker MEXICO
(3017grt) was sunk on a mine in 51-53N, 1-37E.
Ten crew were lost and
twenty three were rescued.
_____
British steamer EILIAN
HILL (781grt) was damaged on
a mine off Nell's Point, Barry Island.
_____
German minelayers BRUMMER,
COBRA, and KONIGIN
LUISE, escorted by the 5th Minesweeper Flotilla, laid
mines forty five miles
east of the Outer Skerries in minefield WOLLEN during
the night of 6/7 March.
_____
Battlecruiser RENOWN with
destroyers FORTUNE,
DUNCAN, and VELOX departed Gibraltar to conduct
exercises. They were joined at sea by
destroyers FEARLESS, FORESIGHT, and FOXHOUND.
The ships arrived back at
Gibraltar on the 7th.
_____
Italian submarine
ANFITRITE was sunk at 0715 by
destroyer GREYHOUND in Kaso Strait, in 34-55N, 23-45E.
The Commanding Officer and
thirty eight prisoners
were rescued.
Destroyer GREYHOUND was
escorting convoy AS.16 with
destroyer HAVOCK at this time.
_____
Battleships BARHAM and
VALIANT and destroyers
JERVIS, JANUS, JAGUAR, HOTSPUR, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN
departed Alexandria at 0700/6th to carry out gunnery
exercises. The
force, designated Force A, then proceed to the west of
Crete to operate from Suda Bay
in support of the LUSTRE operations.
Troops were embarked on
heavy cruiser YORK and light cruisers BONAVENTURE and
GLOUCESTER which sailed at noon as convoy AG.1.
British steamers CLAN
MACAULEY (10,492grt) and
CINGALESE PRINCE (8474grt), loaded with tanks, departed
Alexandria as convoy AG.2, escorted by destroyers
NUBIAN,
MOHAWK, and WRYNECK, for Piraeus.
Convoy AG.1 arrived at
Piraeus on the 7th and the troops and cargo were
disembarked. Convoy AG.2 arrived at Piraeus on the 8th
and the cargo was safely disembarked.
The cruisers of AG.1
departed Piraeus the same day and returned as convoy
GA.1, arriving
at Alexandria on the 8th.
Convoy AG.2 arrived at
Piraeus on the 8th.
_____
Convoys AN.17 and AS.16
were attacked by Italian
bombing south of the Kaso Straits.
No damage was done, but
the destroyers used from
thirty to fifty per cent of their ammunition repelling
the attacks.
_____
Light cruiser AJAX and
Australian light cruiser PERTH arrived at Alexandria
from the Aegean.
_____
Corvette SALVIA departed
Tobruk to return with
defects to Alexandria.
Friday,
7 March
Heavy cruiser LONDON,
escorted by destroyer
MATABELE, which had set off from Scapa Flow earlier in
the day, arrived at
Scapa Flow at 1500 after refitting.
Destroyer MASHONA, which
departed Hartlepool at 0035, had also been detailed to
escort the
cruiser LONDON, but did not make contact. The destroyer
arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1600.
_____
Light cruiser DIDO parted
company with convoy SL.65
and arrived in the Clyde.
The cruiser sustained
structural damage from heavy
weather during this duty.
Cruiser DIDO was repaired
in the Clyde and departed on the 22nd for
Scapa Flow.
_____
Destroyer NIZAM departed
Scapa Flow at 1600 for Greenock on completion of working up exercises.
The destroyer arrived at
Greenock at 1000/8th.
_____
Motor torpedo boat MTB.28
was lost by fire at Portsmouth.
_____
Submarine PORPOISE made an
unsuccessful torpedo
attack against a German submarine in 57-50N, 19-50W.
_____
Convoy OG.55 departed
Liverpool escorted by destroyers ACHATES, BOREAS, and
RAMSAY, sloops EGRET and WESTON, corvettes, AZALEA,
FLEUR DE LYS, HEATHER,
PICOTEE, and SNOWDROP, anti-submarine trawlers ARAB,
AYRSHIRE, KINGSTON
CHRYSOLITE, and LADY MADELEINE.
Trawler KINGSTON
CHRYSOLITE joined the convoy on
the 7th. Destroyers ACHATES and BOREAS, corvettes
HEATHER and SNOWDROP, and
the trawlers were detached on the 12th. On 14 March,
submarine PANDORA and
corvette COREOPSIS joined the convoy. The convoy arrived
at Gibraltar on the 21st with destroyer RAMSAY, sloop
EGRET,
submarine PANDORA, corvettes AZALEA, COREOPSIS, and
FLEUR DE LYS, and trawler
KINGSTON CHRYSOLITE.
_____
Convoy OB.293 was sighted
by U.47.
German submarines U.47,
U.99, U.70, and U.A
attacked the convoy.
U.99 torpedoed British
whaling vessel TERJE VIKEN
(20,638grt) in 60N, 12-50W.
The entire crew of the
whaling vessel was rescued.
The wreck of the whaling
vessel was sunk by two
Destroyers and one corvette on the 14th.
U.70 damaged British
steamer DELILIAN (6423grt) in
60-28N, 13-38W.
Steamer DELILIAN returned
to Glasgow.
U.70 damaged Dutch motor
tanker MIJDRECHT (7493grt)
in 60-31N, 13-52W.
The tanker arrived in
Rothesay
Bay
with extensive damage. Tanker MIJDRECHT was temporarily
repaired at Govan.
U.70 claimed hitting two
more ships in the convoy
before being lost herself.
Submarine U.70 was forced
to the surface after an
attack by corvettes ARBUTUS and CAMELIA and her
commanding officer and twenty
four men were picked up. Twenty ratings were lost.
U.99 sank British tanker
ATHELBEACH (6568grt) in
60-30N, 13-30W.
Seven crew were lost on
tanker ATHELBEACH.
Convoy escorts destroyers
WOLVERINE and VERITY and
corvettes ARBUTUS and CAMELLIA made further
anti-submarine attacks.
U.47 was lost at this
time, probably to marine
accident. All forty eight crew were lost in the
submarine.
U.A was damaged by
destroyer WOLVERINE.
On 8 March, U.74 attacked
a ship, escorted by two destroyers
in the area.
_____
U.37 sank Greek steamer
MENTOR (3050grt) from dispersed convoy OB.292 in 59-30N,
25W.
Seven crew were lost on
the steamer.
_____
The German 1st MTB
Flotilla of S.26, S.27, S.28, S.29, S.39, S.101,
and S.102 and 3rd MTB Flotilla of S.31, S.57, S.59,
S.60, and S.61 made
a sortie against convoys FN.426 and FS.429 off Yarmouth
and Cromer during the
night of 7/8 March.
Convoy FS.429 was escorted
by destroyer PYTCHLEY
and patrol sloop PUFFIN. Convoy FN.426 was escorted by
destroyers VERSATILE, BERKELEY, and patrol sloop
SHELDRAKE.
Destroyers WORCESTER
(D.16, Captain Halsey aboard)
and WHITSHED were dispatched to cover both convoys.
Before midnight, five steamers were sunk.
British steamer DOTTEREL
(1385grt) was badly damaged
by S.29 off Number 6 Buoy, Southwold.
The steamer went ashore in
52-41N, 1-59E. There was
no possibility of salvage.
Eight crew were lost on
the steamer. Lt C. W. C.
Checucci and two ratings of patrol sloop SHELDRAKE was
lost trying to board
the steamer. Nineteen survivors were rescued.
Sloop SHELDRAKE was near
missed by a torpedo.
British steamer KENTON
(1047grt) was sunk by S.31
in 52-57N, 1-30W.
Four crew were lost on the
steamer.
British steamer CORDUFF
(2345grt) was sunk by S.28 off
Number 8 Buoy near Cromer.
Fourteen crew were
rescued, two taken as prisoner,
and seven lost.
British steamer
BOULDERPOOL (4805grt) was sunk by
S.61 in 52-58N, 1-28E, ten miles south of Sheringham
Buoy.
The crew was rescued.
British steamer RYE
(1048grt) was sunk by an S.27 off Cromer.
The entire crew of twenty
two and two gunners were
lost.
After midnight, two more ships were sunk.
British steamer TOGSTON
(1547grt) was sunk by
S.102, two miles 305° from Smith's Knoll.
Eight crew were missing
from the steamer.
British steamer NORMAN
QUEEN (957grt) was sunk byS
102 off S. Haisborough Buoy, east of Cromer.
Twelve crew and two
gunners were lost on the
steamer. One crewman was taken as a prisoner of war.
_____
British steamer FLASHLIGHT
(934grt) was sunk by
German bombing in 53-34N, 00-49E.
The entire crew was
rescued.
_____
Destroyers FEARLESS,
FORESIGHT, FORTUNE, and
FOXHOUND departed Gibraltar at 2300 to rendezvous with
Battlecruiser REPULSE,
aircraft carrier FURIOUS, and troopship STRATHMORE and
escort them into Gibraltar.
_____
Light cruisers ORION and
AJAX and Australian light cruiser PERTH, comprising
convoy AG.3, departed Alexandria with 1900 troops for
Piraeus arriving at 1000/8th.
The cruisers were ordered
to remain in the Aegean to cover convoys.
_____
Convoy AN.18 of two
British, two Greek, and one
other ship departed Alexandria and Port
Said escorted
by destroyer HAVOCK and corvette HYACINTH. The convoy
was later joined by
anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA
and destroyer ILEX. Destroyer GREYHOUND operated in the
area of the convoy.
The convoy arrived at Piraeus
on the 11th.
_____
Greek personnel ships
CORINTHIA (3701grt), IONIA (1936grt), HELLAS (2295grt),
and MARIE MAERSK (8271grt) departed Piraeus on the 7th
as convoy GA.1 1/2, escorted by Greek
destroyers SPETSAI and HYDRA. The convoy arrived at
Alexandria on the 10th.
_____
German bombing attacks on
the Malta shipyard caused additional damage during the
night
of 7/8 March.
British steamer ESSEX
(11,063grt) was struck by
three bombs and further damaged.
Destroyer IMPERIAL was
slightly damaged by
splinters from the German bombing.
_____
Light cruiser EMERALD
arrived at Colombo.
Saturday,
8 March
Destroyer MATABELE
departed Scapa Flow at 0815 for Scrabster to embark the
body of the
late Air Vice Marshal Breese and provide facilities for
a burial at sea.
The destroyer arrived back
at Scapa Flow later in the day.
_____
Destroyer GURKHA arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1400 from Greenock to carry out working up exercises.
_____
Convoy OB.295 departed
Liverpool, escorted by corvette HELIOTROPE and
anti-submarine trawler NORTHERN DAWN. On 9 March,
destroyers ECHO, ELECTRA, INGLEFIELD, SARDONYX,
SCIMITAR, and
VALOROUS, corvettes ARABIS, MALLOW, and VIOLET, and
anti-submarine trawlers
NORTHERN GEM, and NORTHERN WAVE joined the escort.
_____
Destroyers INGLEFIELD,
ELECTRA, and ECHO departed Scapa Flow at 2200
to join convoy OB.295 at 1440/10th in 58-08N, 5-43W.
The destroyers returned to
Scapa Flow at 1300/15th.
_____
Destroyer BEVERLEY,
operating in the Western
Approaches, broke down with her port engine inoperative.
The destroyer was
asssisted by destroyer HARVESTER.
Destroyer BEVERLEY
proceeded to the Tyne for repairs completed on 31 May.
_____
UA torpedoed British
steamer DUNAFF HEAD (5258grt)
from convoy OB.293 in 60-33N, 18-50W.
Five crew were lost on the
steamer.
_____
Aircraft from Battleship
MALAYA, escorting convoy
SL.67 with armed merchant cruiser CILICIA and
corvette ASPHODEL, sighted German battlecruisers
GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST
350 miles north of Cape Verde
Islands. Later the battleship sighted the German ships
herself.
Destroyer FORESTER
patrolling nearby also reported
the warships.
A Swordfish from MALAYA ran out of fuel on the 8thshadowing the German ships and its crew of
Lt G. R. Brown DSC, Sub Lt R. G. Drake, and
TAG R. H. George were
picked up by Spanish steamer
CABO DE BUERNA ESPERANZA and interned in the Spain.
Battleship MALAYA and destroyer FAULKNOR joined destroyer FORESTER and proceeded
towards the German ships, but no action ensued as the
German ships withdrew.
Battlecruiser RENOWN,
aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL,
light cruiser ARETHUSA, and destroyers VELOX and
WRESTLER departed Gibraltar at 2115/7th towards SL.67.
Destroyers FEARLESS,
FORESIGHT, FORTUNE, and
FOXHOUND met battlecruiser REPULSE and aircraft carrier
FURIOUS.
The battlecruiser and
aircraft carrier were placed
under the command of Force H
Liner STRATHMORE was
detached and FEARLESS,
FORTUNE, and FORESIGHT escorted her to Gibraltar,
arriving on the 10th. Battlecruiser REPULSE and
aircraft carrier FURIOUS with destroyer FOXHOUND arrived
at Gibraltar on the 10th. Light cruiser ARETHUSA also
arrived
back at Gibraltar on the 10th.
German submarines U.105
and U.124 attacked convoy
SL.67 on the 8th.
Submarine U.105 sank
British steamer HARMODIUS
(5229grt) at 20-35N, 20-40W.
Eleven crew was lost on
the steamer.
Submarine U.124 sank
British steamer NARDANA
(7974grt) at 20-51N, 20-32W.
Nineteen crew were lost on
the steamer.
Submarine U.124 sank
British steamer HINDPOOL
(4897grt) at 20-51N, 20-32W.
Twenty eight crew were
lost.
Submarine U.124 sank
British steamer TIELBANK
(5084grt) at 20-51N, 20-32W.
Four crew were lost on the
British steamer.
Submarine U.124 sank
British steamer LAHORE (5304grt) at 21-03N, 20-38W.
The entire crew were
rescued from the steamer.
Submarine U.124 also
claimed two more ships hit by
torpedoes.
Destroyers FAULKNOR and
FORESTER rescued over three
hundred survivors from the sunken merchant steamers. The
destroyers arrived
at Gibraltar on the 16th.
Force H escorted convoy
SL.67 until Light cruiser KENYA relieved them on the
19th for the final leg to England.
_____
German tanker NORDMARK
replenished German heavy
cruiser ADMIRAL SCHEER at sea.
_____
Norwegian steamer NURGIS
(700grt) was sunk by
German bombing seven miles west by north of Lizard.
The entire crew was
rescued.
_____
Dutch steamer PRINS
FREDERIK HENDRIK (128grt) was
sunk by German bombing in 52-20N, 5-37W.
Eight crew were lost on
the steamer.
_____
Convoy AS.17 of four
British ships departed Piraeus escorted by anti-aircraft
cruiser COVENTRY and destroyers STUART and HEREWARD. The
convoy
arrived at Alexandria on the 12th.
_____
Convoy ANF.18 of five
British ships departed Alexandria escorted by destroyer
GREYHOUND. The convoy joined
convoy AN.18 escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA
and destroyer ILEX. The convoy arrived at Piraeus on the
11th. Convoy ANF.18 with destroyers ILEX, GREYHOUND, and
HAVOCK at
0750. Convoy AN.18 with anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA
and destroyer ILEX at 1800.
_____
Battleships BARHAM and
VALIANT and destroyers
JERVIS, JANUS, JAGUAR, HOTSPUR, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN
departed Suda
Bay
to cover movements of convoys through Kithera Straits.
Destroyer HOTSPUR rescued
Lt R. A. Brabner and Lt
J. A. Shuttleworth from a Fulmar of 806 Squadron which
had force landed in Suda Bay
on the 10th.
The British ships arrived
at Suda
Bay
late on the 10th.
_____
Egyptian steamer STAR OF
MEX (1116grt), en route to Tobruk from Alexandria with
petrol, ran aground near British steamer
KNIGHT OF MALTA off Ras Assaz at 0650.
Corvette PEONY was sent to
assist the tanker. The
corvette was able to tow the tanker off successfully.
Steamer STAR OF MEX was
sailed to Alexandria for repairs, escorted by
anti-submarine whaler
SOUTHERN ISLE.
_____
Minesweeping boat DART was
sunk on a mine in the Suez Canal.
Two crew were killed and
two were seriously
wounded.
_____
A German supply convoy of
steamers ALICANTE (2140grt), ARCTURUS (2596grt),
WACHTFELS
(8467grt), and RIALTO (6099grt), escorted by destroyers
FULMINE, BALENO,
and TURBINE, departed Naples
for Tripoli, arriving on the 12th without event.
On 12 March, steamers
ARCTURUS and WACHTEFELS and
destroyers LAMPO and FULMINE departed Tripoli to return
to Naples, arriving on 14 February.
Sunday,
9 March
Destroyers ZULU and MAORI
departed Scapa Flow at 1630 and destroyer COSSACK
departed Scapa Flow at 1800 to rendezvous with the 1st
Minelaying
Squadron in the Minches for escort duty.
1st Minelaying Squadron of
minelayers SOUTHERN
PRINCE, AGAMEMNON, PORT QUEBEC, and MENESTHEUS departed
Loch Alsh to lay
minefield SN.68 B, escorted by destroyer ST MARYS.
Light cruisers EDINBURGH
and NIGERIA departed
Scapa Flow at 2335
the same day to cover. They rendezvoused with the
minelayers on the 10th.
The mines were laid on the
11th.
The ships arrived back on
the 12th. Cruisers EDINBURGH arrived at 1919 and NIGERIA
at 2105 at Scapa Flow. Destroyers COSSACK, MAORI, and
ZULU refuelled at
Loch Alsh on the 13th.
Destroyers COSSACK, ZULU,
and MAORI departed Loch
Alsh at 0835/14th and joined convoy OB.297 at 1100 in
the Minches.
_____
Battleships KING GEORGE V
and RODNEY escorted by
destroyers SOMALI, BEDOUIN, PUNJABI, TARTAR, MATABELE,
and ESKIMO departed Scapa Flow at 0740 to cover the
convoy route.
The destroyers arrived
back at Scapa Flow at 1130/13th.
Battleship KING GEORGE V
proceeded to Halifax arriving on the 15th. The
battleship departed Halifax on the 17th escorting convoy
HX.115. She arrived
at Scapa Flow on the 31st.
Battleship RODNEY escorted
convoy HX.114. She then
proceeded to Reykjavik to refuel arriving on the 24th.
Battleship RODNEY
proceeded to Halifax arriving on the 31st.
_____
Destroyers MASHONA and
ACTIVE departed Scapa Flow at 0600 to rendezvous with
armed merchant cruiser
AUSONIA in 61N, 15W and escort her to the Minches.
After this duty, both
destroyers arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1715/11th.
_____
Anti-aircraft cruiser
CURACOA departed Scapa Flow at 1100 to meet convoy WN.95
in Pentland Firth and provide cover.
The ship after this duty
transferred to convoy
EN.83.
On arrival in Pentland
Firth on the 10th, ship CURACOA transferred to convoy
WN.96.
Off Aberdeen, the ship
parted company and arrived back at Scapa Flow at
0330/11th.
_____
Anti-submarine trawler
GULFOSS (730grt, T/Skipper
A. Hill RNR) was sunk on a mine in the English Channel.
T/Sub Lt G. K. Swindells
RNVR, and nine ratings
were missing on the trawler.
Hill was wounded.
_____
Minesweeping trawler
HATSUSE (295grt, Skipper G.
Stewart RNR) was mined 1.2 miles 180° from Penlee
Point. She was beached in Cawsand Bay
in a sinking condition, salved and
taken to Plymouth on the 11th for repair.
_____
Greek steamer MARATHON (7296grt) was sunk by German battlecruiser SCHARNHORST at 21N, 25W.
The entire crew were taken prisoner.
_____
In German bombing attacks
on convoys EN.83 and
WN.95, British steamer ESMOND (4976grt) was damaged off
Buchan Ness in
57-21N, 1-38W. She sustained seven casualties.
_____
British steamer SYLVIA
BEALE (1040grt) was damaged
by German bombing five miles ENE off
Dungeness.
_____
British cruisers YORK,
BONAVENTURE, and GLOUCESTER departed Alexandria at noon as convoy AG.4.
The cruisers arrived at
Pireaus on the 10th. After
disembarkation, the cruisers sailed to arrived at Suda
Bay
at 0630/11th to take over the Aegean patrol duties.
British cruisers ORION and
AJAX and Australian light cruiser PERTH arrived at Suda
Bay
at 0630/10th for fuel. They sailed that day for
Alexandria.
Cruisers ORION and PERTH
arrived at Alexandria to fit additional anti-aircraft
weapons.
Cruiser AJAX was detached
to Port Said, to arrive at 0630/12th, to have her
catapult
removed prior to anti-aircraft gun installations.
Destroyers NUBIAN and
MOHAWK, formerly of convoy
AG.2, oiled at Suda Bay and then joined the
British Force A west of the
Kithera Channel.
_____
A German supply convoy of
steamers ANKARA
(4768grt), KYBFELS (7764grt), MARBURG (7564grt), and
REICHENFELS (7744grt)
escorted by destroyers VIVALDI, DA NOLI, MALOCELLO,
FOLGORE, and LAMPO, which
departed Naples on the 5th and arrived at Palermo on the
8th, departed
Palermo on the 9th.
Italian steamers SEBASTINO
VENIER (6311grt) and
ANDREA GRITTI (6338grt) which departed Naples on the 6th
escorted by torpedo
boat ALCIONE, arrived at Palermo on the 8th. The convoy
was joined by torpedo
boats PALLADE and POLLUCE from Palermo.
Both convoys were joined
by torpedo boats CLIO and
CENTAURO from Tripoli. The German convoy arrived at
Tripoli at noon on the 10th and the Italian convoy at 1330/11th.
_____
An Italian convoy of
steamers TANARO , CAFFARO
(6476grt), FENICIA (2584grt), and CAPO VITA (5683grt)
escorted by torpedo boat PAPA and armed
merchant cruiser DEFFENU, departed Palermo, via Trapani,
for Tripoli. When the convoy departed Trapani, it was
escorted by merchant cruiser DEFFENU only.
Steamer CAFFARO was
detached with mechanical
problems and returned with steamer TANARO to Trapani.
Submarine UTMOST sank
Italian steamer CAPO VITA in 36-09N, 11-07E in the Gulf
of Hammanet.
Submarine UTMOST made an
unsuccessful attack on
DEFFENU.
Italian steamer FENICIA
was sunk by submarine
UNIQUE on the 10th in 34-19N, 12-40E, sixty miles
southeast of Kerkenah.
_____
Convoy GA.2 of empty
personnel ships departed Piraeus escorted by destroyers
JAGUAR, WRYNECK, and
VAMPIRE. The convoy arrived at Alexandria on the 11th.
_____
Two Greek destroyers
patrolled between Santorin Island and Kaso
Straits during the night of 9/10 March.
_____
Destroyer VENDETTA
departed Alexandria for Port Said for escort duties in
convoy AN.19.
_____
Aircraft carrier
FORMIDABLE and destroyers JUNO and GRIFFIN departed Port
Said at 1900 for Alexandria, arriving on the 10th.
Anti-aircraft cruiser
CARLISLE, which traveled through the Canal with the aircraft carrier,
accompanied the ships from Port
Said to Alexandria.
Sloop GRIMSBY, which also
traveled with these ships through the
Canal, remained at Port
Said for
convoy AN.19 duties.
_____
French submarine depot
ship JULES VERNE, escorted
by destroyers ALBATROS and TEMPETE passed Gibraltar
westbound on the 9th.
Both escort ships had come
from Casablanca. Destroyer TEMPETE arrived at Oran with
convoy K 28 on the 1st and destroyer ALBATROS
with convoy K 29 on the 3rd. The submarine depot ship
departed Bizerte on the 4th and arrived at Casablanca on
the 10th.
Monday,
10 March
Captain W. N. T. Beckett
MVO, DSC, commanding
officer of the heavy cruiser EXETER completing repairs
at Devonport, died.
Captain O. L. Gordon took
over command of the
cruiser on the 11th.
On the 24th, cruiser
EXETER departed Devonport to work up at Scapa Flow.
_____
Convoy OB.296 departed
Liverpool, escorted by destroyer VANQUISHER and
corvettes
CAMPANULA, FREESIA, and PIMPERNEL. The escort was joined
on the 11th by
destroyers WHITEHALL and WINCHELSEA and on the 12th by
destroyer
VICEROY. On 13 March, destroyer VICEROY was detached.
The three corvettes
were detached on the 14th. The remaining three
destroyers were detached on
the 15th when the convoy was dispersed. destroyer
CALDWELL joined on 10
February.
_____
Destroyer WORCESTER,
escorting convoy FN.428 drove
off three German S-boats off the coast of Norfolk.
Destroyer SOUTHDOWN,
escorting convoy FS.429A drove
off German S-boats off Sheringham.
There was no damage to
either convoy.
_____
Submarine H.28 was in a
collision with an unknown
merchant ship in the Irish
Sea.
The submarine was repaired
at Belfast from 12 March to 14 April.
_____
British steamers CORINIA
(870grt), SPARTA (708grt), and WATERLAND (1107grt) were
sunk on
mines in 50-55N, 00-35E.
Nine crew and five gunners
were lost on steamer
CORINIA.
Nine crew were missing on
steamer SPARTA.
Five crew and two gunners
were lost on steamer
WATERLAND.
_____
U.552 sank Icelandic
trawler REYKJABORG (687grt)
459 miles southeast of Iceland.
Two crew from the trawler
were saved.
_____
German tanker NORDMARK met
German supply ship
ALSTERUFER (2704grt) on the 10th. On 11 March, the
tanker replenished the
supply ship.
_____
Norwegian steamer BUR
(4343grt) was damaged by German bombing in 52-12N,
5-52W.
The ship put into
Fishguard during the evening of
10 March in a sinking condition. The ship was beached on
Goodwick Sands and
later repaired at Barry.
_____
Dutch steamer LIBRA
(391grt) was damaged by near
misses of German bombing in 52-05N, 5-51W.
The steamer was towed into
Swansea.
_____
German minelayers KONIGIN
LUISE and COBRA, escorted
by the 5th Minesweeping Flotilla, laid minefield PREGEL
during the night of 10/11
March extending the Westwall minefield northwards.
_____
Damaged Aircraft carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS departed Alexandria, escorted by destroyers
JUNO and GRIFFIN, for Port Said.
Due to mining, the transit
of the aircraft carrier
through the Canal was delayed. The destroyers returned
to Alexandria on the 11th.
Aircraft carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS was able to begin her
transit of the Canal on the 15th.
The aircraft carrier was
en route for repairs in
the United
States. These repairs required eleven months to complete.
_____
Battlecruiser REPULSE,
aircraft carrier FURIOUS,
anddestroyers DUNCAN and FOXHOUND departed Gibraltar to
protect the SL.convoy route.
They relieved battleship
MALAYA of convoy SL.67.
Battleship MALAYA and destroyers FAULKNOR and FORESTER then proceeded to
Gibraltar.
Destroyers VERITY,
VETERAN, HESPERUS, HAVELOCK, and HURRICANE from convoy
OB.298 joined convoy
SL.67.
Convoy SL.67 was also soon
joined by destroyers
DOUGLAS, CHELSEA, WOLSEY, MANSFIELD, SALISBURY, BROKE,
and SALADIN.
_____
Dutch submarine O.23
arrived at Gibraltar from England.
_____
Convoy SC.25 departed
Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser LACONIA and
submarine THUNDERBOLT. The submarine was detached
on the 15th and the armed merchant cruiser on the 24th.
On 26 March,
destroyers CHESTERFIELD, GARLAND, and OTTAWA, sloop
WESTON, and corvettes
HEATHER, HEPATICA, and PICOTEE joined the escort. The
escorts were detached
when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 29th.
_____
Convoy BN.19 departed
Aden, escorted by sloop AUCKLAND. The convoy arrived at
Suez on the 17th.
_____
Australian heavy cruiser
CANBERRA and New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER departed
Mauritius to patrol 400 miles southeast of Madagascar
with armed merchant cruiser CITY OF DURBAN.
On 20 March, light cruiser
LEANDER left for patrol
and returned to Mauritius arriving on the
22nd. She refuelled and departed
the same day to patrol a line between Mauritius and
Madagascar.
Tuesday,
11 March
Destroyer ESCAPADE
departed Rosyth for Scapa Flow following repairs, and
arrived at 0730/12th.
_____
Destroyer WITHERINGTON was
damaged by German
bombing while alongside the jetty at Portsmouth.
The destroyer was towed to
a mud bank and beached.
Repair was completed in five and a half months at
Portsmouth.
In this heavy bombing at
Portsmouth during the night of 10/11 March, the
following
officers of HMS VERNON were killed A/Sub Lt L. Farman,
Lt Cdr G. R. Murray,
Lt Cdr W. H. Newman (ret), T/Paymaster Sub Lt J. A.
Hewlett RNVR,
Commissioned Electrician W. J. Gulliford and Lt H. Mould
(ret). Lt J. H.
Rogers RNVR, also of VERNON,
died of injuries from this raid of 15 March.
Gunner J. Apps (ret),
A/Sub Lt J. A. Stobbs, and
Skipper J. Watt RNR, of HMS EXCELLENT were also killed
in this air
raid.
_____
Destroyer TYNEDALE was
damaged by near misses
German bombing while berthed at Pitch House Jetty at
Portsmouth.
The destroyer was repaired
in nine days.
_____
Destroyer SHERWOOD, under
repair at Portsmouth, was damaged by a near miss of
German bombing.
_____
During the night of 10/11
March, Minesweeping
trawler REVELLO (230grt, A/T/Lt Cdr L. C. Gilbert RNR)
was sunk by German bombing at Portsmouth.
T/Lt J. P. Thorpe RNVR,
was lost in trawler
REVELLO.
The trawler was raised and
drydocked on 20 August.
The ship was repaired and recommissioned.
_____
Monitor MARSHALL SOULt and
four minesweeping
trawlers were damaged by German bombing at Portsmouth.
_____
Destroyer CATTISTOCK in
the North Sea was damaged by German bombing.
The damage required five
days to repair.
_____
German battlecruisers
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU
refueled at sea from German tankers ERMLAND (6528grt)
and UCKERMARK
(7021grt).
After refueling, the four
ships in a line thirty
miles apart swept for British shipping.
_____
Submarine
SEVERN departed Halifax for
Freetown, arriving on the 25th for patrol duties.
_____
U.106 sank British steamer
MEMNON (7506grt) at
20-41N, 21-00W.
Five crew were lost on the
steamer. One gunner and
three passengers were taken prisoner. Twenty crew were
detained but were
subsequently released.
_____
U.37 damaged Icelandic
trawler FRODI (97grt) with
gunfire 200 miles southeast of Reykjavik.
Five crew were killed. The
trawler arrived at Vestmann Island on the 12th. She put back to
Reykjavik on the 15th.
_____
British steamer TREVETHOE
(5257grt), from convoy
FS.32, was sunk by S.28 in 52-46N, 1-57E, east of
Orfordness during the night
of 11/12 March.
One gunner was lost on the
steamer.
_____
British steamer ROYAL STAR
(7900grt) was damaged by German bombing at
Stonehaven.
_____
British trawler ABERDEEN
(163grt) was sunk by near misses of German bombing
in Cardigan Bay.
Eight crew of a ten man
crew were lost.
_____
During the night of 11/12
March, British steamers
CONTRACTOR (6004grt), NOVELIST (6133grt), and MARKHOR
(7917grt) and Swedish
steamer STELLA (1189grt) were damaged by German bombing
at Manchester.
Steamer CONTRACTOR was
damaged by a near miss.
Steamer NOVELIST had
direct hit through number 2
hatchway.
Steamer MARKHOR sustained
a direct hit. She was
repaired at Glasgow.
Steamer STELLA was sunk at
her berth. She was refloated
in October 1941 with a broken back. She was repaired and
put in service as
British steamer RIVER SWIFT.
_____
Light cruisers SHEFFIELD
and ARETHUSA and destroyers FEARLESS, FORTUNE, and
FORESIGHT departed Gibraltar escorting British troopship
STRATHMORE (23,
428grt).
On 12 March, the three
destroyers returned to Gibraltar.
Light cruiser ARETHUSA was
detached on the 15th to
support sloop SCARBOROUGH with convoy HG.55.
Destroyers LEGION,
BURWELL, BROADWATER, and RIPLEY
were sent from Falmouth for escort duty.
The first three destroyers
joined light cruiser SHEFFIELD, but destroyer RIPLEY did
not make contact.
Light cruiser SHEFFIELD
was damaged by the explosion of two British mines
close aboard off Islay Island at 0552 on the
17th.
The damage did not require
immediate repair.
The force arrived in the
Clyde on the 17th at 1315.
_____
Convoy HX.114 departed
Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser CHITRAL.
Convoy BHX.114 departed
Bermuda on the 9th escorted by ocean escort armed merchant cruiser
WORCESTERSHIRE. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy
HX.114 on the 14th and
the armed merchant cruiser was detached.
With the sailing of
BHX.114, the Admiralty
suspended the sailing of these convoys until BHX.127 on
13 May.
Battleship RODNEY was with
the convoy on the 15th
and battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN on the 16thand 17th.
Armed merchant cruiser
CHITRAL was detached on the 24th. The convoy was joined
by destroyers COLUMBIA, MONTGOMERY, VANITY, and
WANDERER, sloop WESTON, corvettes
NASTRUTIUM, PERIWINKLE, and PRIMROSE, and anti-submarine
trawlers ARAB,
AYRSHIRE, and LADY MADELEINE. Destroyers MONTGOMERY and
VANITY, sloop WESTON,
and the trawlers were detached later on the 24th. The
remainder of the escort
was dispersed when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on
the 30th.
_____
Convoy AS.18 with four
British and two other ships
departed Piraeus escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser
CALCUTTA and destroyer HASTY. The convoy was joined by
destroyer HERO from Suda Bay.
Convoy AS.18 arrived at
Alexandria on the 14th.
_____
Convoy AN.19 with eight
British ships, twelve Greek
ships, two other ships departed Alexandria escorted by
Greek destroyers SPETSAI and HYDRA.
The convoy was joined at daylight on the 13th by
Australian destroyer VENDETTA,
Sloop GRIMSBY, and the steamers of the convoy
originating at Port Said.
Anti-aircraft cruiser
COVENTRY departed Alexandria on the 12th to join the
convoy.
Cruiser COVENTRY was able
to meet the convoy due to bad weather and
was forced to take shelter at Suda Bay
on the 14th. The convoy arrived at Piraeus on the 15th.
_____
Heavy cruiser YORK and
light cruisers BONAVENTURE and GLOUCESTER departed Suda
Bay
late on the 11th to patrol in the Western Aegean.
British tanker DESMOULEA
(8120grt), torpedoed at
the end of January, departed Suda Bay
for Piraeus towed by tug IRENE VERENICOS and escorted by
destroyer HOTSPUR.
On 12 March, destroyer
HAVOCK was sent from Piraeus to relieve destroyer
HOTSPUR and return with the
tanker to Suda Bay,
due to poor weather.
_____
Greek destroyer SPHENDONI
reported an
anti-submarine attack six miles south of Cape
Thaso at 1930/11th.
_____
Greek destroyer PSARA
attacked and claimed the
sinking of an Italian submarine at 1515/11th, twelve
miles 200° from
Falconera.
_____
British gunboat LADYBIRD
departed Alexandria to relieve gunboat GNAT in the
Inshore Squadron.
_____
Convoy BS.18 A departed
Port Sudan, escorted by sloop SHOREHAM. The convoy was
dispersed on the 15th.
_____
Convoy BS.19 departed
Suez. Sloop YARRA joined on the 17th and was detached
when the convoy dispersed on the 19th.
Wednesday,
12 March
Light cruiser FIJI arrived
at Scapa Flow at 1658 following her repair of the
September 1940
torpedo damage.
_____
Convoy OB.297 departed
Liverpool, escorted by destroyers COSSACK, KEPPEL,
LINCOLN,
MAORI, SABRE, SHIKARI, VENOMOUS, WOOLSTON, and ZULU,
corvette SUNFLOWER, and
anti-submarine trawlers NORTHERN DAWN and WELLARD.
Destroyers COSSACK, MAORI,
and ZULU were detached on the 14th. The remainder of the
escort was detached
when the convoy dispersed on the 17th.
_____
British steamer EMPIRE
FROST (7005grt) was badly
damaged by German bombing in 51-36N, 5-40W.
Six crew were lost.
The steamer in tow was
again attacked on the 13th
and sank.
_____
U.37 sank Icelandic
trawler PERTRUSEY (91grt) by
gunfire south of Iceland.
_____
British steamer CAMROUX I
(324grt) was damaged on a
mine three miles east of Blyth.
The steamer was towed to
Blyth.
_____
British steamer ESSEX
LANCE (6625grt) was damaged
by German bombing in 51-03N, 1-38E.
The steamer was taken in
tow and beached on the
13th two miles northwest of Cromer. She was refloated on
the 14th and
anchored off Immingham Dock on the 18th.
_____
Swedish steamer BUENOS
AIRES (5646grt) was sunk by German bombing at Liverpool.
The engines were removed
from the vessel which was
used as a supply ship at Scapa
Flow.
British crane MAMMOTH
(1542grt) was sunk in dock by
German bombing at Liverpool. The crane was raised during
1941.
During the night of 12/13
March, British flat
EXCELISOR (122grt) was sunk at the east end of the south
side of Trafalgar
Branch Dock, liverpool and British steamers CATRINE
(5218grt), IMPERIAL STAR (12,427grt), and ELAX
(7403grt), and British
tankers EL MIRLO (8092grt) and DELPHINULA (8120grt) were
damaged by German
bombing at Liverpool.
Steamer ELAX's machinery
was smashed. She was
anchored in the River Mersey and used as a storage ship
until a new engine
was installed.
The bomb which struck
steamer IMPERIAL STAR penetrated three decks before
exploding.
_____
Battleships BARHAM and
VALIANT and destroyers
JERVIS, JANUS, JAGUAR, HOTSPUR, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN
departed Suda
Bay
to cover movements of convoy AG.5.
Destroyers ILEX and
GREYHOUND joined this force
from Piraeus.
Destroyer HOTSPUR,
relieved of escort of tanker
DESMOULEA, and destroyer WATERHEN from Force A were
ordered to Piraeus to escort convoy AS.19.
_____
Convoy AG.5 of Greek
personnel ships CORINTHIA
(3701grt), IONIA (1936grt), HELLAS (2295grt), and MARIE MAERSK (8271grt) departed
Alexandria escorted by
destroyers VAMPIRE and WRYNECK.
Destroyer DECOY departed
Alexandria at 2100 to overtake the convoy at daylight on
the
13th and join the escort.
Tanker MARIE MAERSK lost
touch with the convoy and
proceeded to Suda Bay.
The convoy arrived at Piraeus
late on the 14th.
_____
Italian troop convoy
departed Naples with troopships CONTE ROSSO, MARCO POLO,
and VICTORIA
escorted by destroyers CAMICIA NERA and GENIERE, joined
by destroyer FOLGORE
from Palermo.
Distant cover was provided
by heavy cruisers TRIESTE, TRENTO, BOLZANO, destroyers
CARABINIERE, CORAZZIERE, and AVIERE,
torpedo boat DEZZA, and three MAS boats.
The convoy arrived at Tripoli
on the 13th.
_____
Convoy US.9/2 departed
Bombay with Danish steamer AMERIKA (10,218grt), British
EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA (21,833grt), WAIRANGI (12,436grt),
and WINDSOR
CASTLE (19,141grt), Dutch INDRAPOERA (10,825grt), JOHAN DE WITT (10,474grt),
and NIEUW ZEELAND (11,069grt), and Turkish minelayer
YUZBASHI HAKKI.
Thursday,
13 March
Rear Admiral A. T. B.
Curteis CB, was ashore sick
at Scapa Flow from 13 to 21 March.
_____
Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA
departed Scapa Flow at 0945 to meet convoy EN.85 off Tod
Head and
provide cover as far as Cape
Wrath.
The ship arrived back at
Scapa Flow at 0745/15th.
_____
Sloop SCARBOROUGH,
escorting convoy HG.55, intercepted Norwegian whalers
STAR XIX and STAR XXIV, which had been captured by
German raider
PINGUIN on 15 January, in the North Atlantic in
45N, 23W as they attempted to return to German waters.
Both whalers were scuttled
by the German prize
crews. The German crews were picked up by sloop
SCARBOROUGH.
_____
Destroyer WORCESTER off
Southwold, escorting convoy
FS.34, drove off German S-boats attempting to attack the
convoy.
_____
British steamer TACOMA
CITY (4738grt) was sunk on a mine 2½ cables 104° from
Rock Ferry Light, Mersey.
Four crew were lost on the
steamer.
_____
British steamer ULLAPOOL
(4891grt) was sunk on a
mine off Princess Stage, Mersey.
Fourteen crew and one
gunner was lost on the
steamer.
_____
Tug BULLGER (270grt) was
sunk on a mine in Druridge Bay,
sixteen miles north of the Tyne.
The entire crew was
rescued.
_____
British steamer NGATIRA
(523grt) was damaged on a
mine in 51-21N, 3-17W.
The steamer was beached
with the engine room
flooded. She was later refloated and towed to Barry.
_____
British steamers WEARWOOD
(4597grt), MOUNTSTEWART
(1099grt), and MYRMIDON (6278grt) were damaged by German
bombing at Liverpool.
The bomb which struck
steamer MOUNTSTEWART exploded
in the lower hold.
Steamer MYRMIDON was sunk
in dock. She was
refloated and drydocked on the 27th.
_____
British smack TWO BROTHERS
(17grt) was sunk by
German bombing in Bentick Dock, Kings Lynn.
The smack was raised and
placed on a mud bank.
_____
During the night of 13/14
March, British steamer
CLERMISTON (1448grt) was damaged by German bombing in
Rothesay Dock at Glasgow.
The steamer was sunk. She
was refloated in October
1941 and beached in Rames Bay. The steamer was
towed to Ardrossan in 1942.
_____
During the night of 13/14
May, in German bombing
raids on the Clyde, destroyers GOATHLAND and HALDON,
under
construction, were damaged.
_____
During the night of 13/14
March, British steamer
TREVARRACK (5270grt) was sunk by German bombing at the
Dalmuir
Basin, Clyde.
Steamer TREVARRACK was
refloated at the end of March
and repaired.
British collier BELHAVEN
(1498grt) was sunk by
German bombing at the Clyde during the night of 13/14
March.
_____
Dutch steamer PERSEUS
(1307grt) was sunk by German
bombing twelve miles northwest of Bardsey
Island.
The entire crew was
rescued.
_____
Norwegian steamer SAMLANES
(842grt) was sunk on a
mine two miles 180° from The Lizard.
The entire crew was lost.
_____
Heavy cruiser YORK and
light cruisers BONAVENTURE and GLOUCESTER arrived at
Suda Bay
at 0600/13th. Destroyers NUBIAN and MOHAWK, detached
from Force A, joined
these cruisers at Suda Bay.
The British ships departed
again later that day to
cover convoys through the Kaso Straits.
During the night of 13/14
March, the force swept
ahead of convoy AS.19 in Kaso Straits. Destroyer NUBIAN
reported three
Italian S-boats in 35-32N, 26-42E.
The S-boats were able to
escape.
Destroyers NUBIAN and
MOHAWK proceeded to Suda Bay
to refuel after the sweep.
This sweep was covered by
Force A.
_____
Convoy SL.68 departed
Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser CANTON to 21
March, light cruiser MAURITIUS to 15 March, corvettes
CALENDULA, CROCUS, and
MARGUERITE to 20 March, and anti-submarine trawlers KELt
and TURCOMAN to 15
March. Destroyer WISHART escorted the convoy on the 15th
only.
Battleship MALAYA joined on the 15th and departed after being torpedoed on the 21st.
The convoy was dispersed due to submarine activity on
the 21st and the ships
were ordered to Halifax,
Bermuda, or Trinidad.
Friday,
14 March
Battleship NELSON, light
cruiser NIGERIA, and destroyers BOADICEA, ESCAPADE, and
ACTIVE
departed Scapa Flow at 1903 to operate south of Iceland.
The ships rendezvoused at
0900/15th with destroyers
COSSACK, ZULU, and MAORI which were submarine hunting
after escorting convoy
OB.297.
The Tribal destroyers were
sent to Reykjavik to refuel on the 16th. The destroyers
sailed from Reykjavik at 2245/16th. They rejoined on the
17th at 0800
and destroyers BOADICEA, ACTIVE, and ESCAPADE were
detached at 0900 to Reykjavik to refuel.
_____
Destroyer PUNJABI departed
Scapa Flow at 1715 to escort British steamer WALMER CASTLE (906grt) to the Firth of Forth.
After the escort, the
destroyer proceeded to Rosyth
for refitting, arriving at 1100/15th.
_____
Minesweeper FRANKLIN was
damaged by four near misses from German
bombing in the North Sea.
_____
Destroyers HOLDERNESS and
VANESSA in convoy FS.35
drove off German S-boats attempting to attack the
convoy.
_____
Naval drifter JEANNIE
LEASK (95grt) was mined in
51-44N, 1-07E.
The drifter was beached in
Brightlingsea
Harbour. She was bombed on the 25th. The drifter was refloated on 13 April
and taken to Wivenhoe.
_____
Italian submarine EMO sank
British steamer WESTERN CHIEF
(5759grt), which was straggling behind convoy SC.24, in
58-52N, 21-13W.
Twenty two crew were lost
on the steamer.
_____
British steamer HERPORT
(2633grt) was sunk on a
mine in 53-15N, 1-05E.
Four crew were lost on the
steamer.
_____
British steamer STANLEIGH
(1802grt) was sunk by
German bombing 12 miles 288° from Bar Light Vessel,
Mersey.
Sixteen crew and the
gunner were lost on the
steamer.
_____
British steamer ARTEMISIA
(6507grt) was sunk by
German bombing in 52-53N, 1-39E.
One crewman and one gunner
were lost on the
steamer.
_____
Tug MINEGARTH (179grt),
tanker SCOTTISH CHIEF
(7006grt), and steamer EMPIRE SIMBA (5691grt) were
damaged by German bombing
at Liverpool.
Tanker SCOTTISH CHIEF was
struck by a direct hit.
She left Liverpool on 29 April for Manchester.
_____
Norwegian steamer TYR
(4265grt) was damaged by
German bombing off the Humber Light Vessel.
The steamer arrived at
Immingham on the 15th,
assisted by tugs.
_____
British steam drifter
PEACEFUL STAR (94grt) was sunk by German bombing
seventeen miles
east, southeast of Rockabill Light House.
The entire crew was
rescued.
_____
Finnish steamer RAINER
(2609grt) was sunk by a
submarine between Emden and Cuxhaven.
_____
Convoy HG.56 departed
Gibraltar escorted by sloop FOLKESTONE and submarine
OLYMPUS with destroyer VELOX and corvettes GERANIUM and VERBENA as local
escorts, detached on the 16th.
Light cruiser KENYA was
with the convoy on the 23rd.
The submarine was detached
on the 26th to OG.56.
On 27 March, destroyers
LEGION, SARDONYX, SCIMITAR,
WATCHMAN, and BURWELL, Polish destroyer PIORUN, sloop
FLEETSTONE, corvettes
ARABIS, MALLOW, and VIOLET, and convoy rescue ship
ZAAFAREN joined the
convoy.
French destroyer LEOPARD
was also involved in the
escort of the convoy in Home Waters.
Destroyer BURWELL was
detached on the 31st. The
convoy arrived at Liverpool with the remaining escort
ships on 2 April.
_____
Convoy ANF.20 of five
British and two other ships departed Alexandria late on
the 14th escorted by destroyers STUART and
HEREWARD and corvette SALVIA.
Anti-aircraft cruiser
CALCUTTA departed Alexandria on the 15th to join the
convoy. The convoy arrived
at Piraeus on the 17th.
_____
Convoy AS.19 of nine
British, two Greek, and one other
ship departed Piraeus escorted by destroyers HOTSPUR and
WATERHEN and
corvette HYACINTH. The convoy was dispersed at
1800/16th.
Destroyer HOTSPUR
proceeded to Haifa.
Destroyer WATERHEN and the
fast ships proceeded to
Alexandria, arriving on the 17th.
Corvette HYACINTH and the
slow ships proceeded to Port Said, arriving on the 19th.
_____
Australian destroyers
VAMPIRE and VOYAGER were
ordered to Alexandria from Piraeus and Force A,
respectively.
The destroyers arrived at
Alexandria on the 16th.
_____
Submarine
OLYMPUS departed Gibraltar was
part of the escort for convoy HG.54.
The submarine returned to
Gibraltar on 2 April in the convoy OG.54 escort.
_____
Italian hospital ship PO (7289grt) was sunk at Valona by five Swordfish of 815 Squadron flying
from Paramythia.
Italian steamer SANTA
MARIA (3539grt) was sunk also by 815 Squadron at Valona
in this raid. The steamer was later salved and restored
to duty.
Lt Cdr J. De F Jago, Lt J.
A. Caldecott-Smith, and
Leading Airman P. N. Beagley in the lead plane were shot
down. They were
picked up by an Italian MAS boat and
made prisoners of war
