Thursday, 2 November

Light cruiser GLASGOW located American steamer CITY OF FLINT at 2356/2nd and her escort, Norwegian minelayer OLAV TRYGGVASON, NW of Stavanger inside Norwegian waters. The minelayer illuminated GLASGOW with searchlights and ordered her out of the territorial waters. CITY OF FLINT put into Haugesand almost immediately.

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A submarine was sighted east of Margate Buoy and destroyers KEITH, BLANCHE and GURKHA spent some time searching. After the search was abandoned, KEITH and BLANCHE patrolled between North Goodwins and Edinburgh Channel.

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Destroyers GREYHOUND and GRENVILLE were searching for a U-boat 17 miles 213° from Start Point.

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Belgian steamer BRUGES (4984grt/总吨位) reported at 1500 that she was stopped in 45-06N, 8-04 by a U-boat with a skull and crossbones painted on the conning tower. At 0230/3rd, Greek steamer KORTHION (2116grt/总吨位) was stopped in 44-32N, 8-12 and reported she had been stopped by the same submarine.

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For East Coast Defence, available ships of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla were ordered to Rosyth for escort duties. MAORI proceeded direct and ZULU and GURKHA departed Grimsby escorting convoy FN.30 en route. Destroyers JERVIS, JERSEY, JAGUAR, JACKAL and JUPITER were in the Humber. Of the 19th, 22nd and 23rd Destroyer Flotillas, eight British and one Polish destroyer were at Harwich, two were on patrol off Lowestoft, two on East Coast convoy duty, and BASILISK, BEAGLE, BLANCHE, BOADICEA, BRAZEN and VANSITTART were proceeding from Harwich to Dover to cover minelaying mission HW which took place at 1400/2nd.

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Operation HW was carried out by auxiliary minelayers HAMPTON, SHEPPERTON and PLOVER laying 502 mines between Tail of the Falls and Sandettie Bank. The 5th Minesweeping Squadron swept ahead, screened by the D.19 destroyers.

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Light cruisers CALEDON and CERES departed Sullom Voe on Northern Patrol duties, and arrived back on the 9th.

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On Northern Patrol, light cruisers DELHI, DUNEDIN and CALYPSO were between the Orkneys and the Faroes, light cruisers COLOMBO, DRAGON, DIOMEDE and AMC SCOTSTOUN between the Faroes and Iceland, and light cruiser SOUTHAMPTON and AMCs CHITRAL, AURANIA and RAWALPINDI in the Denmark Strait.

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Anti-aircraft cruisers CALCUTTA and CAIRO departed Grimsby on escort duties and arrived back later the same day.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURLEW departed Rosyth after covering the Narvik iron ore convoy passage and arrived at Scapa Flow later the same day. She took over the duties of radar direction finding while the Netherbutton radar station was out of service for 24 hours for repair. The radar station resumed operation at 1505/8th.

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Convoy OA.29 of 12 ships departed Southend escorted by destroyers WOLVERINE and VERITY from the 2nd to the 7th. Destroyer ARDENT was with the convoy on the 2nd only.

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Convoy OB.29 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WREN and ESK on the 2nd, and destroyers WARWICK and WHIRLWIND to the 5th, when they detached to convoy HX.6.

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Convoy HX.7 departed Halifax at 0700 escorted by Canadian destroyers FRASER and ST LAURENT, which detached on the 3rd. Ocean escort was cruiser ENTERPRISE which departed Halifax with the convoy. The convoy was joined on the 14th by destroyer GRAFTON and sloop ENCHANTRESS which remained until its arrival on the 17th. ENTERPRISE arrived at Portsmouth on the 15th and the convoy at Liverpool on the 16th.

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Light cruiser DAUNTLESS, now attached to the 5th Cruiser Squadron, departed Singapore on patrol duties.

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Light cruiser DURBAN departed Singapore for Hong Kong, arriving on the 6th for refit and docking, which was completed on the 24th.

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Light cruiser DANAE departed Simonstown for Mauritius.

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Destroyers GRENADE and GRIFFIN departed Gibraltar on 25 October to escort convoy SL.5 to England. However, GRIFFIN returned to Gibraltar on the 26th to await convoy SL.6. GRENADE arrived at Plymouth on the 2nd for duties with the 1st Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich.