Wednesday, 7 February

Heavy cruisers DEVONSHIRE and BERWICK departed the Clyde for Northern Patrol and relieved sister ships NORFOLK and SUFFOLK.

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Armed merchant cruisers DERBYSHIRE and CIRCASSIA departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol.

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Destroyers COSSACK and SIKH were submarine hunting from Scapa Flow.

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Destroyer JANUS brushed destroyer JUPITER while berthing in the Humber. The damage to JANUS required 48 hours to repair.

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Minelayer PRINCESS VICTORIA and minelaying destroyers ESK and EXPRESS, escorted by destroyers BRAZEN and BOREAS, departed Aberdeen for minelay LD 2 in the North Sea. The minelay was successfully completed and the ships arrived at Rosyth on the 8th.

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Submarine H.43 and destroyer VETERAN collided in Plymouth Sound. VETERAN was not damaged, but H.43 required three days to repair.

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Convoy OA.87 departed Southend escorted by destroyers VANESSA and WREN. VANESSA was replaced on the 8th by sloop WELLINGTON, and on the 9th, the convoy dispersed.

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Convoy OB.86 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WITHERINGTON and WALPOLE. WALPOLE detached on the 8th, WITHERINGTON on the 9th, and the convoy dispersed on the 10th.

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Convoy OB.87 departed Liverpool escorted by sloop ROCHESTER and destroyer WALKER from the 7th to 10th, when it dispersed.

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Convoy FN.86 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer WHITLEY and sloop EGRET. In heavy fog, the convoy anchored for the night, and arrived in the Tyne on the 9th.

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Convoy FN.87 departed Southend escorted by destroyer VEGA, sloop STORK, destroyer JUPITER, and also arrived in the Tyne on the 9th. There was no convoy FN.88.

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Convoy FS.90 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyers JAGUAR, WESTMINSTER and sloop LONDONDERRY, and arrived at Southend on the 9th.

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Convoy MT.5 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers VIVIEN, JAVELIN, sloop PELICAN, and anti-submarine trawlers of the 1st A/S Group, and arrived in the Tyne on the 8th.

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Steamer CYPRIAN PRINCE (1988grt/总吨位) departed Aberdeen, but due to an error, destroyers KIMBERLEY and KIPLING did not join her as escorts until later.

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Light cruiser AURORA arrived at Rosyth from Scapa Flow for repairs to her propellers and to undergo degaussing.

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Light cruiser CERES completed her refit at Belfast, and then proceeded to the Mediterranean for duty with the Mediterranean Fleet, arriving at Malta on the 22nd.

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Armed boarding vessel KINGSTON TURQUOISE (358grt/总吨位), which had just left Kirkwall for the North Rona patrol, attacked a submarine contact off Sule Skerry in 59-15N, 4-40. Destroyer SIKH joined her and tried to remake contact.

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Destroyers JAVELIN and VIVIEN patrolled in the vicinity of Farne Island during the night of the 6th/7th.

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Patrol sloop MALLARD collided with sister ship PINTAIL off Harwich. PINTAIL's damage was slight and she was able to continue on patrol, but MALLARD required docking. Temporarily repaired at Harwich on the 8th and 9th, she went on to Lowestoft to repair from the 10th to 22nd.

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Steamer MUNSTER (4305grt/总吨位) was sunk near Mersey Light in 53?56N, 03?24 on a mine laid by U.30 on 9 January. All on board, 134 survivors in total, were rescued by steamer RINGWALL (407grt/总吨位).

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Steamer ELDONPARK (5184grt/总吨位) went ashore at Elwick.

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Polish steamer BUG went ashore at Rosehearty.

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German minelayer COBRA laid an anti-submarine mine barrier off Borkum.

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Convoy HX.19 departed Halifax at 0900 escorted by Canadian destroyers SAGUENAY, SKEENA and RESTIGOUCHE until detached on the 8th. Ocean escort was battleship REVENGE, which was in collision with tanker APPALACHEE (8826grt/总吨位) of the convoy on the 7th. The tanker was extensively damaged, and REVENGE required ten days to repair, although she was able to continue and did not detach until the 14th. The convoy was joined in Home Waters by destroyers WOLVERINE and VANOC from convoy OB.92 and destroyer VANESSA from OA.9 between the 19th to 22nd, when HX.19 arrived at Liverpool.

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French sloop COMMANDANTE RIVIERE with submarines RUBIS, SAPHIR and NAUTILUS departed Oran, and passed Gibraltar on the 8th en route for repairs to the submarines at Brest. These ships joined convoy 9R of eight steamers, escorted by sloop SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA, which left Oran on the 6th. The convoy passed Gibraltar on the 8th, and in the Atlantic, joined convoy 63 KS for the passage to Brest. 63 KS of eight steamers departed Casablanca on the 8th, escorted by destroyer CYCLONE, patrol vessel GROENLAND and submarine PASCAL.

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French light cruiser EMILE BERTIN departed Dakar to return to France in preparation for allied operations in Finland. She arrived at Casablanca on the 11th, left on the 15th, and reached Brest on the 17th. For the operations, the cruiser would be the flagship of Contre Amiral Derrien, Commander Force Z.