Saturday, 7 October

Battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN departed Portsmouth at 0042, escorted by destroyers SALADIN and SCIMITAR and arrived at Devonport at 1240 to complete her refitting.

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Destroyer ECHO departed Dover and arrived at Devonport on the 12th.

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Destroyer ESKIMO arrived at Scapa Flow after repairs in the Tyne.

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Battleships REVENGE, RESOLUTION and aircraft carrier HERMES, escorted by destroyers WOLVERINE, WITHERINGTON, VOLUNTEER and VERITY departed Portland at 0930, and light cruisers EMERALD, ENTERPRISE, CARADOC, escorted by destroyers INGLEFIELD and IVANHOE, departed Plymouth, all on 7th. At 1910/7th both forces rendezvoused for passage to Halifax for escort duty. CARADOC had been at Plymouth since 25 September repairing defects prior to leaving station. Her refit completed on the 6th.

HERMES and CARADOC proceeded to Brest and en route, HERMES was met by French destroyers BOURRASQUE, ORAGE, and MISTRAL, which had also departed Brest on the 7th. The French ships arrived back on the 8th.

CARADOC rejoined the force at 0735/10th, and all ships arrived safely at Halifax on the 16th escorted into port by Canadian destroyers FRASER and ST LAURENT which joined on the 15th. In addition to their convoy escort duties, REVENGE and RESOLUTION were carrying a large amount of British silver for safekeeping in Canada. The Halifax Escort Force was commanded by Rear Admiral L E Holland who was relieved by Rear Admiral Stuart S Bonham-Carter on 1 January 1940. From Halifax, the Force could offer convoy protection in the Western Atlantic.

French battleship STRASBOURG and destroyers LE FANTASQUE, LE TERRIBLE and L'AUDACIEUX left Brest, still on the 7th, to join HERMES for operations as Hunter Group N and set out that evening for Dakar. Heavy cruisers ALGéRIE and DUPLEIX joined en route and Group N arrived at Dakar on the 14th, where after refuelling, the Force was due to proceed to the West Indies.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA departed Grimsby on escort duties and arrived back the same day.

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Destroyer WREN attacked a submarine contact in 50?36N, 00?14, off Brighton.

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Convoy OA.16G of 27 ships departed Southend, escorted by destroyer ECHO from the 7th to 9th, and merged with OB.16G escorted by destroyer VIMY and patrol ship/minesweeper GLEANER to the 10th, on the 11th to form OG.2. This convoy reached Gibraltar on the 17th.

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French patrol vessel BELFORT attacked a submarine six miles 100° from Cape Barfleur, Cherbourg.

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Minesweepers SELKIRK and NIGER sweeping mines 35 miles ENE of Cromer were strafed by German flying boats, but were not damaged.

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Dutch steamer BINNENDIJK (6873grt/总吨位) was badly damaged two miles SE of Shambles Light Vessel on a mine laid by U.26 on 8 September. She sank one mile north of the Light Vessel at 0200/8th.

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On the 7th, the Admiralty ordered the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY, and sloops FLEETWOOD and GRIMSBY, now serving in the Mediterranean to sail for Portland with moderate dispatch.

Meanwhile, light cruiser GALATEA and destroyers MOHAWK, AFRIDI, GURKHA, SIKH had departed Alexandria on the 1st on patrol. The destroyers called at Malta in turn to refuel, in order AFRIDI, SIKH, MOHAWK, GURKHA. In addition, SIKH entered the dockyard at Malta on the 5th for turbine repairs. MOHAWK departed Malta on the 7th and Gibraltar on the 9th to return to England, reached Portland on the 11th, refuelled at Harwich and arrived at Humber on the 12th to join Rosyth Command.

GALATEA departed Malta on the 7th for Alexandria, arriving on the 10th. AFRIDI and GURKHA reached Malta on the 7th, left next day en route to England, departed Gibraltar on the 10th and arrived at Portland on the 13th for duty with the Home Fleet.

COSSACK, MAORI, ZULU, NUBIAN arrived at Alexandria on the 2nd from escorting convoy Green 2, and after refuelling left Alexandria on the 7th for Malta. COVENTRY left Alexandria on the 7th and arrived at Malta on the 9th. All five ships then sailed from Malta on the 9th, arrived at Gibraltar on the 11th and left the same day, arriving at Portland on the 14th without NUBIAN which reached Portsmouth the same day.

COVENTRY departed Portland on the 14th, and arrived at Portsmouth that night, left on the 19th for the Humber and reached Immingham on the 20th. COSSACK, MAORI, ZULU departed Portland immediately after refuelling and proceeded to the North Sea for escort duties.

FLEETWOOD departed Gibraltar on the 7th and arrived at Portland on the 11th. GRIMSBY was with convoy Blue 3, arrived at Gibraltar on the 11th and departed that day for Portland. In 36-02N, 6-50, she attacked a submarine contact.

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German pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE sank steamer ASHLEA (4222grt/总吨位) in the South Atlantic in 09S, 03 after the crew was put aboard captured steamer NEWTON BEECH.

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Heavy cruiser BERWICK called at Bermuda, departed again the same day, and arrived back on the 18th.

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Light cruiser LIVERPOOL departed Colombo and arrived at Bombay on the 9th.

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Convoy SL.4 departed Freetown escorted by light cruiser NEPTUNE, and on the 23rd was joined by destroyers MACKAY, VENETIA, VESPER and VIMY.

VESPER was relieved by destroyer WIVERN on the 25th and the convoy arrived on the 26th, still with four destroyers.

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Light cruiser DANAE departed Capetown on escort duties.

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French submarines FRESNEL, LE GLORIEUX and REDOUTABLE departed Toulon and arrived at Gibraltar on the 10th escorted by destroyer LA RAILLEUSE. They departed that day, escorted by destroyer LYNX and arrived at Casablanca on the 13th. LA RAILLEUSE left Gibraltar on the 11th to return to Toulon.

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German trawler SKOLPENBANK (381grt/总吨位) was lost.