Sunday, 12 November
Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, and destroyers FAULKNOR, FORTUNE, FORESIGHT, FOXHOUND, FAME departed Rosyth to carry out full calibre firings before proceeding on patrol between the Faroes and Norway to cover convoys ON.2/HN.2. The force was joined by destroyer FURY at sea. ON.2, consisting of just one British ship, departed Methil escorted by destroyers IMOGEN, ICARUS and IMPULSIVE. Light cruiser AURORA left Immingham to provide near cover and anti-aircraft cruiser CURLEW was ordered to guard ON.2, but the order was changed and CAIRO was assigned. CAIRO joined at daylight on the 14th and arrived at Rosyth on the 17th after this duty. ICARUS, IMOGEN and IMPULSIVE refuelled at Sullom Voe on the 14th, and ON.2 arrived without incident at Bergen on the 15th. The big ships arrived at Loch Ewe on the 17th, departed on the 20th after refuelling and reached the Clyde on the 21st.
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Light cruiser EDINBURGH and destroyers AFRIDI and MAORI departed Rosyth for the Humber, arriving that afternoon.
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Destroyer KINGSTON departed Rosyth for repairs at Leith, completed on the 19th.
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Destroyer IMPERIAL departed Rosyth for boiler cleaning.
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Submarine SEAHORSE departed Blyth for a patrol off Terschelling, arriving back on the 28th.
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On Northern Patrol were two cruisers between the Orkneys and Faroes, three cruisers and one AMC between the Faroes and Iceland, and light cruiser NEWCASTLE and two AMCs in the Denmark Strait.
Light cruisers CALYPSO, CALEDON and CERES departed Sullom Voe on Northern Patrol duty. CALEDON suffered damage to her upper deck in heavy weather on the 15th.
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Anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA departed Rosyth and arrived in the Humber on the 13th.
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On East Coast patrol, destroyer KEITH was off Orfordness and the Polish BURZA off the Sunk.
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Destroyers GRIFFIN (D.1), GIPSY, GREYHOUND and GLOWWORM arrived at Harwich from Plymouth, when Captain Creasy's designation changed from D.1 to D.22. GIPSY and GREYHOUND were in a collision which caused minor damage to both ships. GIPSY repaired at Harwich and GREYHOUND at Sheerness. GLOWWORM escorted convoy HXF.7A to the Sunk.
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Destroyer VIMY on patrol reported a split in her hull which contaminated her fuel, and was forced to return to port.
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Steamers APPLEDORE (5218grt/总吨位), CLAN MACGILLIVRAY (6464grt/总吨位), DEERPOOL (5167grt/总吨位) SAINT MARGARET (4312grt/总吨位), MAIHAR (7563grt/总吨位) and tanker ATHELKING (9557grt/总吨位) of convoy FN.35 all ran aground off Lowestoft, each following the next one on to the shore. Steamer FLIMSTONE (4674grt/总吨位), managed to avoid this fate but only after colliding with SAINT MARGARET.
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German steamer MECKLENBURG (7892grt/总吨位) had left Pernambuco on 14 October disguised as Dutch steamer HOOGKERK. She was intercepted on the 12th in 62?37N, 10?36 by light cruiser DELHI and scuttled to avoid capture NW of the Faroes in 63?09N, 11?38. DELHI arrived at Sullom Voe with her 56 man crew on the 15th.
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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURLEW departed Rosyth and arrived at Grimsby on the 13th.
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Destroyers ESK, EXPRESS, BLANCHE and BASILISK departing Rosyth for the Humber, were held up by fog near Outer Dowsing.
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In a German air attack on Sullom Voe and Lerwick, two Sunderland flying boats at Lerwick were destroyed.
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Sloop FLAMINGO departed Rosyth with submarines SEALION, SHARK, SNAPPER and SUNFISH for passage to Harwich, arriving on the 14th.
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Convoy OA.34 of 14 ships departed Southend escorted by destroyers ELECTRA and ESCORT from the 12th to 14th.
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Convoy OB.34 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers VANESSA until the 13th, and destroyers WARWICK and WHIRLWIND until the 15th.
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U.41 badly damaged Norwegian tanker ARNE KJODE (11,019grt/总吨位) in 58?51N, 08?07 and five crew were lost. Destroyer ISIS and net layer GUARDIAN took the stern portion of the ship in tow and were later joined by destroyer KASHMIR. However, the tanker was beyond saving. ISIS rescued the survivors and sank the stern in 59-20N, 7-12 on the 15th, while armed merchant cruiser CHITRAL sank the fore section with gunfire in 59-06N, 6-55.
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U.41 sank trawler CRESSWELL (275grt/总吨位) 18 miles NW by N of Flannan Island, Outer Hebrides, 40 miles WSW of the Butt of Lewis; six crew were lost, her survivors rescued by the U-boat and later transferred to trawler PHYLLISIA (324grt/总吨位).
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GERMAN DESTROYER MINELAYING IN THAMES ESTUARY
German destroyers KARL GALSTER, HERMANN KüNNE and HANS LüDEMAN, escorted by destroyer WILHELM HEIDKAMP laid 288 magnetic mines in the Thames Estuary during the night of the 12th/13th. Destroyers ERICH GIESE, THEODOR RIEDEL and HERMANN SCHOEMANN also sailed, but when RIEDEL and SCHOEMANN broke down, they were escorted back by GIESE. On their return, they were met at sea by light cruisers K?LN, NüRNBERG and torpedo boats LEOPARD, SEEADLER, WOLF, ILTIS. Destroyer BLANCHE and thirteen merchant ships for 48,725grt were sunk in this field.
On the 12th, cruiser minelayer ADVENTURE (Captain A R Halfhide) escorted by destroyers BLANCHE (Lt Cdr R M Aubrey) and BASILISK (Cdr M Richmond) departed Grimsby en route to Portsmouth. At 0518/13th, three miles 120° from the Tongue Light Vessel, ADVENTURE struck a mine laid by the German destroyers that morning and was badly damaged; Nine ratings were killed, fifteen missing and 67 wounded. She was able to proceed under her own power at five knots to Chatham assisted by tugs DORIA and SALVA from Ramsgate and LADY BRASSEY from Dover. Sixty two wounded were transferred to BASILISK, which led ADVENTURE in to Sheerness. She was taken to Chatham for temporary repairs, departed on 19 December for Plymouth and arrived there on the 21st for permanent repairs lasting until 18 September 1940.
At 0825, near the same spot at one mile 80° from North East Spit Buoy, BLANCHE towing one of the rescue tugs, struck another mine. BLANCHE had one rating killed, one rating missing, and Midshipman C L Byrne RNR, Act/Sub Lt D L Davenport, Warrant Engineer G F D Dunn and nine ratings injured. survivors were rescued by tugs FABIA (151grt/总吨位), LADY BRASSEY (362grt/总吨位) and trawler KESTEREL (75grt/总吨位). BLANCHE sank two hours after striking the mine.
Destroyer GLOWWORM was stationed east of the Tongue Light Vessel to redirect Thames-bound shipping, and trawler MYRTLE redirected shipping coming out of the river, but the following vessels were mined and sunk in the field.
On the 13th, steamer PONZANO (1346grt/总吨位) in 51?29N, 01?25E; Her crew was rescued by two Norwegian trawlers.
On the 13th, steamer MATRA (8003grt/总吨位) from convoy HXF.7, one mile east of Tongue Light Vessel; Sixteen crewmen were lost and she was beached in Shingles Patch.
On the 15th, steamer WOODTOWN (794grt/总吨位) 3/4 mile off North East Spit Buoy, Margate; eight crewmen were lost.
On the 19th, Italian steamer GRAZIA (5857grt/总吨位), five miles north of North Foreland; six crewmen were lost and 24 survivors picked up by destroyers GRIFFIN and GIPSY.
On the 23rd, steamer HOOKWOOD (1537grt/总吨位) in convoy FS.40, 3? miles ENE of Tongue Light Vessel; two crewmen were lost and 15 survivors picked up by sloop BITTERN.
On the 27th, Dutch liner SPAARNDAM (8857grt/总吨位), two miles NE of Tongue Light Vessel; seven crewmen were lost and the survivors rescued by a pilot vessel.
On the 28th, steamer RUBISLAW (1041grt/总吨位), 1? miles ENE of Tongue Light Vessel, four cables SW of Knock South Buoy; thirteen crewmen were lost and survivors rescued by a minesweeping trawler.
On the 30th, steamer SHEAF CREST (2730grt/总吨位) in 51?32N, 01?26E; one crewman was lost, 12 survivors picked up by Polish destroyer BLYSKAWICA and taken to Harwich, and 15 other survivors picked up and taken to Ramsgate.
On 1 December, steamer DALRYAN (4558grt/总吨位), 2? miles SW of Tongue Light Vessel in 51-31N, 1-19.5E; the crew was rescued and taken to Margate.
On 2 December, tanker SAN CALISTO (8010grt/总吨位), 2? miles NNE of the Tongue Light Vessel; six crew were lost and 36 rescued.
On 6 December, Greek steamer PARALOS (3435grt/总吨位), two miles ENE of Tongue Light Vessel in 51-31N, 1-37E; three crewmen were killed and 22 rescued by British steamer ROEK (1041grt/总吨位).
On 8 December, steamer MEREL (1088grt/总吨位), 270° from Gull Light Vessel, one cable north of No. 22 North Gull Buoy near Ramsgate; sixteen crew were lost and only two saved.
On 15 December, Swedish steamer URSUS (1499grt/总吨位), off Margate in 51-35N, 1-36E; nine crew were lost and 11 survivors rescued by Dutch trawler BRINDA (200grt/总吨位).
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German destroyers BRUNO HEINEMANN, FRIEDRICH IHN, ERICH STEINBRINCK and FRIEDRICH ECKHOLDT conducted an anti-shipping sweep in the Skagerrak from the 13th to 15th.
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Heavy cruiser KENT departed Hong Kong and arrived at Singapore on the 15th.
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Heavy cruiser EXETER was bumped and damaged while alongside a tanker near Montevideo.
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Light cruiser DAUNTLESS arrived at Singapore after patrol in the Sunda Strait.
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Light cruiser CAPETOWN departed Gibraltar on escort duty and arrived back later the same day.