Thursday, 4 April

Battleship WARSPITE with destroyers GRIFFIN, MOHAWK, HERO and JUPITER departed Scapa Flow at 0130 for the Clyde. JUPITER was relieved later on the 4th by destroyer DELIGHT . Destroyer ASHANTI departed the Clyde at 0400/4th to relieve HERO which returned to Scapa Flow arriving at 0600/5th. The force arrived at the Clyde without incident at 0600/5th. Upon arrival, GRIFFIN and MOHAWK returned to Scapa Flow. WARSPITE departed the Clyde on the 7th escorted by destroyers HESPERUS, HAVANT, MACKAY. She was due to arrive at Gibraltar on the 12th to return to the Mediterranean Fleet, but was soon recalled due to events in Norway.

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Submarine NARWHAL, which departed Rosyth on the 2nd,laid mines at 0413 in the Heligoland Bight area in 54-37N, 6-35E. This minefield, designated FD.1, had no confirmed victims, but may have been responsible for U.1's loss. German trawler DEUTSCHLAND (432grt/总吨位) was damaged on this field on the 13th.

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Convoy HN.24 with three British, twelve Norwegian, five Swedish, fourteen Danish, three Finnish and three Estonian ships departed Bergen escorted by destroyers SOMALI, MATABELE, MASHONA and TARTAR. Light cruisers PENELOPE, SHEFFIELD and anti-aircraft cruiser CAIRO provided close support. Destroyers CODRINGTON (D.1) and JANUS departed Scapa Flow at 1300/5th and were ordered to search for a German submarine reported in 59?00N, 0?52. At daylight on the 6th, CODRINGTON joined destroyer KIMBERLEY, which had departed Scapa Flow at 1200/5th with anti-submarine trawlers MAN O' WAR (517grt/总吨位) and LADY ELSA (518grt/总吨位) to escort six ships of the west coast portion of the convoy. HN.24 arrived safely at Methil on the 7th. KIMBERLEY and CODRINGTON reached Scapa Flow at 0630/7th after the convoy dispersed off Cape Wrath.

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Convoy FN.137 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer WOLSEY and sloop AUCKLAND. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 6th.

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Convoy FS.138 departed the Tyne, escorted by sloop FLEETWOOD and HASTINGS. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 6th.

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Convoy MT.44 departed Methil, escorted by destroyer WESTMINSTER and the anti-submarine trawlers of the 19th Anti-Submarine Group. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day.

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Blockship REDSTONE (3110grt/总吨位) departed Rosyth at 1030 under the tow of tug IRISHMAN for Scapa Flow escorted by destroyers BRAZEN and ELECTRA. The ship was joined in heavy weather on the 6th by tug BRIGAND from Kirkwall. REDSTONE arrived at Scapa Flow at 1900/6th and was sunk as a blockship at Scapa Flow on 2 May.

NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN

BRITISH TRANSPORTS FOR ALLIED LANDINGS

Admiral Sir Edward Evans (British commander of the Narvik operation) hoisted his flag on light cruiser AURORA which arrived in the Clyde on the 4th. AURORA and another light cruiser at Scapa Flow were to escort a large transport to Narvik. Another large transport with troops and supplies for Trondheim was also in the Clyde.

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ALLIED SUBMARINE MOVEMENTS IN ANTICIPATION OF NORWEGIAN OPERATIONS

Composition of the Submarine Flotillas in Home waters just prior to the start of the Norwegian campaign. Vice Admiral Submarines - Vice Admiral Sir Max K Horton.

2nd Submarine Flotilla (Captain G C P Menzies)

Depot ship FORTH

Submarines THISTLE (Lt Cdr F Hanselfoot), TRIAD (Lt Cdr E R.J Oddie), TRIBUNE (Lt Cdr G P S Davies, refitting, Lt E F Balston from 8 May), TRIDENT (Lt Cdr A G L Seale, Lt Cdr G M Sladen from 18 April), TRITON (Lt Cdr E F Pizey), TRUANT (Lt Cdr C H Hutchinson, Lt Cdr H A V Haggard from early May), TRIUMPH (Lt J S Stevens, refitting, Lt E Bruce from 13 April), SEAL (Lt Cdr R.P Lonsdale), PORPOISE (Cdr P Q Roberts), Polish ORZEL (Lt Cdr Jan Grudzinski, ORP) and WILK (Lt Cdr Boguslaw Krawczyk, ORP) refitting

3rd Submarine Flotilla (Captain P Ruck-Keene)

Depot ship CYCLOPS

Submarines SALMON (Lt Cdr E O B Bickford DSO) refitting, SEALION (Lt Cdr B Bryant), SEAWOLF (Lt Cdr J Studholme), SHARK (Lt Cdr P N Buckley), SNAPPER(Lt D A King), STERLET (Lt Cdr G H S Haward), SUNFISH (Lt Cdr J E Slaughter)

6th Submarine Flotilla (Captain J S Bethell)

Depot ship TITANIA

Submarines STURGEON (Lt G D A Gregory), UNITY (Lt J F B Brown, Lt F J Brooks from 20 April), URSULA (Lt Cdr K A N Cavaye), SPEARFISH (Lt Cdr J H Forbes), SWORDFISH (Lt P J Cowell), CLYDE (Lt Cdr R.L S Gaisford, Lt Cdr D C Ingram from 18 April), SEVERN (Lt Cdr B Taylor), NARWHAL (Lt Cdr R.J Burch)

10th French Submarine Flotilla (Capitaine de Vaisseau F H R.De Belot)

Depot ship JULES VERNE

Submarines SYBILLE (Capitaine de Corvette A J R.Raybaud), AMAZONE (Lieutenant de Vaisseau R.H G Richard), ANTIOPE (Lieutenant de Vaisseau M A L Balastre)

Nineteen allied submarines were ordered to patrol areas in the Kattegat, Skagerrak and southern North Sea in anticipation of German military reaction to the British Norwegian operations. During the morning of 8 April the submarines were located as follows. French AMAZONE and ANTIOPE, which departed Harwich on the 4th, were on patrol off the Frisian Islands and Heligoland, respectively. SHARK and SEAWOLF, which departed Harwich on the 7th, were en route to patrol in the southwest North Sea, off Terschelling west of Jutland. UNITY, which departed Blyth on the 2nd, was in the Heligoland Bight off Horn's Reef. In the Kattegat or en route. TRITON, which departed Rosyth on 29 March, was north of Laeso. SUNFISH, which departed Harwich on the 2nd, was in the Kattegat north of Anholt. SEALION, which departed Harwich on the 1st, was in the Kattegat. SNAPPER, which departed Harwich on the 4th, was north of the German declared area in the Skagerrak. On patrol in the Skagerrak or en route. URSULA, which departed Blyth on the 8th, was west of the German declared mine area in the Skagerrak.

CLYDE, which departed Scapa Flow on the 7th, was en route to Egersund; she was being hindered by German aircraft and did not arrive until 0300/9th. SEVERN, which departed Portsmouth with new submarine TARPON on the 5th and joined convoy FN.39 for the passage to Rosyth. SEVERN was in the area of Hartlepool on passage to vicinity of 57-00N, 6-00E. TRUANT, which departed Rosyth on the 6th to relieve submarine TRIDENT, was off Egersund. TRIAD, which departed Rosyth on the 8th to relieve submarine TRITON, was on passage east of the Skaw. THISTLE, which departed Scapa Flow on the 7th, was west of the Skagerrak. SPEARFISH, which departed Blyth on the 5th to relieve SWORDFISH, was north of the German declared area in the Skagerrak off the northwest coast of Denmark. STERLET, which departed Harwich on the 8th, was on passage to the Skagerrak. TRIDENT, which departed Rosyth on 25 March, was in Bohus Bay off Larvik. Polish ORZEL, which departed Rosyth on the 3rd, was off Kristiansand. SEAL departed Rosyth on the 6th to patrol off the Norwegian coast between Egersund and Lindesnes. She was north of the German declared mine area in 56-00N, 5-20E on the 8th. After the loss of THISTLE on the 10th, she entered Stavangersfjord.

NARWHAL returned to Blyth from minelaying mission FD.1 on the 6th, briefly docked to correct leaks, proceeded to Immingham to embark mines for another minelay and set off on the 10th. PORPOISE arrived back from convoy duty at Rosyth on the 4th and after refuelling and repairs left on patrol on the 13th. SWORDFISH arrived back at Blyth on the 8th from patrol and again departed after refuelling and repairs on the 16th. French SYBILLE arrived at Harwich on the 5th after a six-day patrol in the North Sea. She departed on the 9th to patrol off Horn Reef. TARPON (Lt Cdr H J Caldwell) departed Portsmouth on the 5th in company of SEVERN for working up at Rosyth, but was ordered to patrol in the Heligoland Bight. TARPON was west of the Skagerrak on the 8th. TAKU (Lt Cdr V J Van Der Byl) departed Portsmouth on the 2nd for the Clyde escorted by destroyer MALCOLM. At 0730 next morning off Start Point, MALCOLM was relieved by destroyer FOXHOUND. TAKU and FOXHOUND arrived in the Clyde at 0600/5th. TAKU departed Greenock for patrol on the 11th to relieve submarine CLYDE off Egersund, but was diverted en route to Molde. TETRARCH (Lt Cdr R.G Mills) departed Portsmouth escorted by sloop FOXGLOVE on the 13th for working up at Rosyth, but en route was diverted off Flamborough Head on the 14th to patrol off Lister.

Destroyer SALADIN sustained damage to her hull plating while going alongside another ship in the Western Approaches Command.

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German fishing trawler FRIESLAND (247grt/总吨位) was captured by destroyer HOSTILE in 70?06N, 17?01E, northwest of Tromso, Friesland. She was taken to Kirkwall arriving on the 10th. This was not the trawler FRIESLAND used for British service; that was a Dutch trawler (180grt/总吨位).

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U.37 refuelled from German armed merchant cruiser ATLANTIS. The next day, U.37, which was unable to keep up with ATLANTIS in heavy seas, was detached from the escort of ATLANTIS in the Denmark Strait.

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French destroyer BISON departed Oran escorted armed merchant cruisers EL D'JEZAIR, EL MANSOUR, EL KANTARA and VILLE D'ORAN to Brest, arriving on the 8th for Norwegian operations.