Tuesday, 14 November

Carrying the first shipment of French gold to the United States, French Force Z of battleship LORRAINE, and light cruisers MARSEILLAISE and JEAN DE VIENNE departed Toulon escorted by destroyers AIGLE, FORTUNE and LA RAILLEUSE in Operation MACARONI. The escort was reinforced by destroyers LION, which departed Gibraltar on the 13th and SIMOUN from Oran. The French ships, less FORTUNE, LA RAILLEUSE and SIMOUN which were detached en route for Casablanca, arrived at Mers el Kebir on the evening of the 15th when U-boats were reported in the area. The Force, escorted by LION and AIGLE, departed on the 17th and on the 19th was joined by the three destroyers which had been detached to Casablanca. Later on the 19th these three destroyers returned to Casablanca, followed by LION and AIGLE on the 20th. Force Z reached Bermuda at 0900/27th, remained until 1230/29th and arrived at Halifax at 1400 on 1 December.

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On Northern Patrol were three cruisers between the Orkneys and the Faroes, three cruisers and one AMC between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and three AMCs in the Denmark Strait.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURLEW departed Grimsby on FN.36 escort duties with destroyers JERVIS and JUPITER, and arrived back later the same day.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA with destroyers JERSEY and JAGUAR departed the Humber on FS.36 escort duties and arrived at Grimsby later the same day.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY departed Grimsby on the 14th, and in heavy weather, in the Pentland Firth, her power steering failed and she arrived at Sullom Voe under hand control. From 16 November to 14 January 1940, COVENTRY was anti-aircraft guard ship for Sullom Voe and depot ship MANELA which maintained the flying boats operating over the Arctic Ocean. Light cruiser CARDIFF was held at Sullom Voe until COVENTRY's arrival to provide anti-aircraft protection for MANELA.

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Destroyer KEITH and the Polish BURZA replaced destroyer GLOWWORM and Polish GROM on East Coast patrol.

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Light cruisers DRAGON and COLOMBO departed Sullom Voe on Northern Patrol duties, and arrived at Loch Ewe on the 20th.

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Destroyer GLOWWORM dropped depth charges on a submarine contact off North Foreland.

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Destroyer TARTAR investigated a contact 59° off Rattray Head, later determined to be the wreck of CAIRNMONA, sunk by U-boat on 30 October.

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Anti-submarine trawler IMPERIALIST (520grt/总吨位) attacked a submarine contact off Kentish Knock in 51-42N, 1-48E.

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Anti-submarine trawler LOCH TULLA (423grt/总吨位) attacked a submarine contact in Hoy Sound.

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Act/Sub Lt (A) E S Woodford was killed when his Skua of 758 Squadron from RAVEN crashed near Saverlake Forest.

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Convoy OA.35 of six ships departed Southend escorted by destroyer KEITH on the 14th and destroyers ESCAPADE and ENCOUNTER on the 14th and 15th. Submarine NARWHAL departed Gosport and escorted from the 14th to 19th, and destroyers ACASTA and ARDENT from the 15th to 19th, when the convoy dispersed and NARWHAL proceeded independently to Halifax for escort duties.

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Convoy OB.35 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WINCHELSEA and WALPOLE until the 17th.

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British steamer DOTTEREL (1385grt/总吨位) and French steamer ALASKA (5399grt/总吨位) collided seven miles east of St Catherine. DOTTEREL was able to proceed to Southampton, but ALASKA sank early on the 15th.

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Belgian fishing vessel MAURICE MARGUERITE (28grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine off Dyck Light Vessel, outside Gravelines, with the loss of three crew.

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Finnish steamer VERNA H (983grt/总吨位) was seized in the Baltic by German warships and taken to Swinemünde.

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Convoy HG.7 departed Port Said on the 3rd, Malta on the 5th, and left Gibraltar on the 14th with 31 ships, escorted by destroyers VELOX, VIDETTE and also French destroyers TARTU and VAUQUELIN from the 14th to 21st when they arrived at Brest. Destroyer WOLVERINE escorted convoy HG.7A – the east coast portion - from the 21st to 23rd, and on the 21st, 28 miles 200° off Start Point, steamers DUNBAR CASTLE (10002grt/总吨位) and CLAN MACFARLANE (6193grt/总吨位) were in collision. DUNBAR CASTLE proceeded to Southampton for repairs. HG.7 arrived at Liverpool on the 22nd, while HG.7A arrived in the Downs on the 23rd with WOLVERINE.

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Canadian destroyer FRASER was damaged in a collision with Canadian minesweeping trawler BRAS D'OR (221grt/总吨位) at Halifax. FRASER was repaired at Halifax completing on 4 December.

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Off the Azores, French armed merchant cruiser KOUTOUBIA captured German steamer TRIFELS (6198grt/总吨位) which had departed Ponta Delgada on the 12th carrying 21,000 cases of gasoline. TRIFELS was taken to Casablanca and renamed SAINT LOUISE for French service, but later returned to German service after the fall of France.

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French submarines CASABIANCA, SFAX, PASTEUR and ACHILLE of the 2nd Submarine Division departed Brest escorting French armed merchant cruiser QUERCY, and arrived at Halifax for escort duty on the 25th.