Wednesday, 7 May
Light cruisers EDINBURGH, MANCHESTER, and BIRMINGHAM after covering minelaying Operation SN.9 A met destroyers SOMALI, NESTOR, BEDOUIN, and ESKIMO, which had just refuelled at Skaalefjord, in 62-50N, 5-20 for Operation EB to search for a German weather vessel.
On the 7th, German weather ship MUNCHEN (306grt/总吨位) was captured off Iceland.
Destroyer SOMALI was able to recover important (Enigma code) documents from the ship.
Destroyers NESTOR arrived at Scapa Flow at 2100/8th. The cruisers and destroyer SOMALI arrived at Scapa Flow on the 10th. Destroyers BEDOUIN and ESKIMO, which had been detached to search for a submarine sixty miles west of the Shetlands, arrived at Scapa Flow at 2145/10th.
The German ship arrived at Thorshavn on the 9th. Destroyer FARNDALE departed Scapa Flow at 1900/13th to escort the ship. The destroyer arrived at 0945 and departed at 1515. The destroyer and the trawler, disguised as Norwegian trawler FROYEN, arrived at Scapa Flow at 2215/15th.
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Destroyer WALPOLE departed Scapa Flow at 1600 for Aberdeen to meet steamers AMSTERDAM and ARCHANGEL off the entrance at 2300 and escort them to Lerwick and Kirkwall, respectively.
At 2050/8th, destroyer WALPOLE departed Lerwick escorting steamer AMSTERDAM back to Aberdeen. The steamer was delivered to Aberdeen on the 9th. The destroyer returned to Kirkwall, arriving at 1300 to escort steamer ARCHANGEL to Aberdeen. They departed at 1800 and arrived off Aberdeen at 0500/10th.
Destroyer WALPOLE arrived back at Scapa Flow at 0930/10th after this escort duty.
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Convoy OB.319 departed Liverpool, escorted by corvettes ANEMONE and CLARKIA. Destroyers BURNHAM, ERIDGE, and SALISBURY, catapult ship ARIGUANI, and minesweeper HUSSAR joined the escort. Minesweeper NIGER, and anti-submarine trawlers ST ELSTAN and VIZALMA joined on the 9th. Destroyers BURNHAM and SALISBURY and the catapult ship were detached on the 12th. Destroyers MANSFIELD and WOLVERINE and corvette CONVOLVULOUS joined on the 12th. The escort was detached on the 13th when the convoy was dispersed.
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Anti-aircraft ship ALYNBANK departed Scapa Flow at 0600 to escort convoy WN.23. At 1400, she transferred to convoy EC.16.
At 0400/8th, the ship transferred to convoy WN.24 which she escorted to Methil arriving at 0730/9th.
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During the night of 7/8 May, destroyer HURRICANE was sunk by German air attack in shallow water at Liverpool.
The destroyer was salved and returned to service in January 1942.
Destroyer VISCOUNT was also damaged in this air raid. The destroyer was taken to Devonport and repair was completed in January 1942.
CAM ship MAPLIN was hit by a bomb at Liverpool.
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Minesweeping trawler SUSARION (260grt, T/Skipper P. Coull RNR) was sunk by German bombing three miles south by east of Humber Light Vessel.
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Naval drifter GOWAN HILL (96grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Greenock.
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Italian submarine TAZZOLI sank Norwegian steamer FERLANE (4310grt/总吨位) at 10-02N, 20-17. The crew were all rescued.
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U.94 attacked convoy OB.318.
British steamer IXION (10,263grt/总吨位) and Norwegian steamer EASTERN STAR (5658grt/总吨位) were sunk in 61-29N, 22-40. The entire crew on steamer IXION were rescued. Three crew were lost on the steamer EASTERN STAR.
Survivors from both ships were rescued by corvette MARIGOLD, picking up nineteen, and British steamer NAILSEA MOOR (4926grt/总吨位), rescuing eighty six.
Convoy escorts destroyer BULLDOG and sloop ROCHESTER dropped depth charges.
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British steamer RIL IDA (53grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Victoria Dock, Hull.
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British flat ELLESBASNK (43grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in Stanley Dock at Liverpool.
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Tug HORNBY (201grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Liverpool. The tug was salved and repaired.
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British steamer BLUESTONE (106grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Greenock. The crew were all rescued.
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British steam barge KINEENAN (72grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine at Liverpool.
All five crew were killed on the barge.
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British sailing barge IDA BURTON (46grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Liverpool.
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British fishing vessel WATERLILY (12grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in Bessom Creek, West Mersea.
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British steamer CLAN MACINNES (4672grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing at Liverpool.
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Minesweeper STOKE (Cdr C. J. P. Hill Rtd) was sunk by German bombing at Tobruk.
Commissioned Engineer G. L. Rose and Twenty ratings were lost on the minesweeper.
Gunboat LADYBIRD rescued the survivors.
Minesweeping whaler SVANA was damaged by a near miss in the same attack.
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Greek steamer KATINA P. (1216grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing at Astakos.
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Greek steamer TANAIS (1545grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing at Suda Bay.
The steamer sank, but was salved by the Germans for their use.
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Destroyers VELOX and WRESTLER departed Gibraltar to meet light cruiser DUNEDIN and troopships MONARCH OF BERMUDA and EMPRESS OF JAPAN, coming from Freetown.
The ships arrived at Gibraltar on the 8th. Light cruiser DUNEDIN was taken in hand for repairs to boiler tubes.
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British tanker barge SAFIYEH (176grt/总吨位) was sunk by Italian bombing three miles from Qurnan.
The barge was refloated and towed to Abadan for repair.
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Italian steamer PASCOLI (2939grt/总吨位) was sunk off Saseno on a mine.
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British tanker BRITISH EMPEROR (3663grt/总吨位) sunk by German raider PINGUIN at 8-30N, 56-25E.
Forty five crew were lost on the tanker, between the lost of the tanker and the sinking of the German cruiser the next day.
The tanker was able to radio an SOS. Aircraft carrier EAGLE and heavy cruiser HAWKINS put out from Mombasa. Heavy cruiser CORNWALL also departed Mombasa and proceeded to the area.
New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER, which had departed Colombo on the 6th with an ANZAC convoy, was ordered to turn her convoy over to Australian heavy cruiser CANBERRA and assist in the search.
Light cruisers LIVERPOOL and GLASGOW and armed merchant cruiser HECTOR also assisted in the search.