Thursday, 14 September

Destroyer KINGSTON – commanded by Lt Cdr P Somerville was completed, and after working up at Portland, joined the 5th Flotilla on 19 October.

United States - 68 old destroyers were ordered to be recommissioned from mothball reserve status for Neutrality Patrol duties.

British northern waters - battleship RODNEY, battlecruiser HOOD, and destroyers TARTAR, ESKIMO, BEDOUIN, PUNJABI departed Scapa Flow on the evening of the 14th and arrived at Loch Ewe next morning. En route, three of the destroyers detached to join ARK ROYAL.

Destroyer MATABELE departed Scapa Flow and arrived at Loch Ewe later the same day.

ARK ROYAL group, NW approaches - TARTAR, BEDOUIN, PUNJABI joined the screen of aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL at daylight on the 14th.

U.30 attacked steamer FANAD HEAD (5200grt/总吨位) 280 miles WNW of Malin Head in 56?43N, 15?21. Her contact report was received and ARK ROYAL launched three Skuas of 803 Squadron at 1440 and dispatched TARTAR, BEDOUIN, PUNJABI to assist. FANAD HEAD was sunk before help arrived.

The Skuas attacked U.30, but two of them were lost from the explosion of their own bombs in the sea. Both gunners, PO Airman J Simpson (Griffiths' aircraft) and PO Airman G V McKay (of Thurston's) were killed, but both 803 Squadron pilots, Lt R P Thurston (aircraft L 2957) and Lt G B K Griffiths RM (L 2873), were picked up by U.30 and made prisoners.

U.30 was damaged, headed for Reykavik while making emergency repairs and arrived on the 19th, landing a wounded crewman. Next day, the 20th September, she departed for Germany.

TARTAR picked up the survivors from the steamer and ARK ROYAL launched six more Swordfish at 1655 - three each from Nos 818 and 821 Squadrons. One of 821’s aircraft attacked a submarine contact. Destroyers FAME and FORESTER later arrived on the scene after the survivors of FANAD HEAD had already been rescued.

Steaming towards FANAD HEAD's position, ARK ROYAL escorted by destroyers FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, FORTUNE, FIREDRAKE was attacked by U.39 NW of Ireland at 1507, but the torpedoes exploded prematurely. FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, FIREDRAKE counter-attacked and sank U.39 at 1546 in 58?29N, 11?50. FAULKNOR picked all the submarine's 42 man crew.

At 1750, 60 miles SW of Rockall, seven aircraft bombed a submarine contact, and TARTAR, ESKIMO, BEDOUIN, and PUNJABI, which were hunting in the area, were dispatched to join this hunt. They arrived at Loch Ewe on the 15th.

British east coast - Convoy FS.5 departed Methil and arrived at Southend on the 16th.

North Sea - British trawler HAWARDEN CASTLE (210grt/总吨位) was lost to the gunfire of U.17.

Norwegian waters - on patrol off Norway at 56-22N, 1-28, submarine STURGEON sighted SWORDFISH, which like OXLEY on the 10th, was off station. Failing to identify SWORDFISH as friendly, STURGEON fired three torpedoes at 0043 which all missed. As a result of these potentially fatal problems, the distance between patrol stations was increased to 16 miles.

Baltic - German Stuka bombers attacked Jastarnia Harbour and sank Polish minesweeper JASKOLKA, damaged minesweepers CZAPLA and RYBITWA, and caused minor splinter damage to minesweepers CZAJKA and ZURAW.

Polish submarine ORZEL arrived at Tallinn, Estonia, escorted by Estonian torpedo boat SULEV, to land Lt Cdr Kloczkowski to hospital. The submarine was interned.

English Channel - light cruiser CARADOC departed Plymouth on patrol and arrived back on the 16th.

Destroyers KEMPENFELT and ECHO departed Plymouth on escort duties at 0703 on the 14th.

Destroyer SKATE arrived at Cherbourg.

Southwestern approaches - aircraft carrier HERMES departed Plymouth with destroyers IMOGEN and ISIS for anti-submarine duty in the Western Approaches west of 12-00 and south of 250° from Land's End. They were joined on the 16th by destroyers IMPERIAL and ILEX. On the 17th, IMOGEN attacked a submarine contact. The group was designated to relieve ARK ROYAL’s, but they returned to Plymouth on the 18th when these operations were suspended.

U.28 sank steamer VANCOUVER CITY (4955grt/总吨位) SW of Ireland in 51?23N, 07?03, with three crew lost. American steamer PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT (13,869grt/总吨位) headed for her to rescue survivors, but received a signal that a Dutch tanker had picked them up and continued on her way.

U.29 sank steamer BRITISH INFLUENCE (8431grt/总吨位) SW of Ireland in 49?43N, 12?49. Norwegian steamer IDA BAKKE (5455grt/总吨位) rescued her crew.

Freetown, Sierra Leone-UK (SL) convoys - the first of the convoys, SL.1, departed Freetown, escorted by light cruiser DAUNTLESS. She was relieved on the 21st in 25?30N, 21?40 by light cruiser CAPETOWN, which had departed Gibraltar on the 17th. CAPETOWN continued as escort until the 24th when she returned to Gibraltar. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 1 October.

Central and South Atlantic - from 14 September to 12 October, French submarines PERSéE and PONCELET, 6th Submarine Division and AGOSTA and OUESSANT, 8th Division from Admiral West patrolled the Azores area for German blockade runners. Following this operation, PERSéE and PONCELET headed for Cherbourg for long overhauls lasting until mid-June 1940, while AGOSTA and OUESSANT proceeded to Martinique, arriving on the 29th.

Light cruiser DANAE departed Simonstown on patrol.

Indian Ocean - Destroyer DARING arrived at Singapore on the 3rd while sister ships DUNCAN and DAINTY, which had departed Hong Kong on the 10th, arrived on the 13th. All three departed Singapore on the 14th to join the Mediterranean Fleet.