Saturday, 14 October

U.47 sank battleship ROYAL OAK (right - Maritime Quest) (Flagship Rear Admiral H E C Blagrove, Captain G Benn) at 0058 at anchor in Scapa Flow and escaped unharmed. Rear Admiral Blagrove, Lt Cdr S D Roper, Lt J E Moore, Captain H E Balls RM, Instructor Lt H Stewart, Lt (E) R L Clark, Lt (E) C H Cock, Lt (E) M P Roupell, Surgeon Lt (D) A Dickie, Surgeon Lt H J Cornelius RNVR, Sub Lt J L T Graham Brown, Chaplain Reverend J D B Cree, Midshipmen P C Graham, E J Martin, N M Patterson, PG Piddington, S R M Wilson, Paymaster Midshipman J R Bowhay, Commissioned Gunner A Powell Rtd, Commissioned Telegrapher R Hughes Rowlands, Warrant Engineer H G Cheesley, Warrant Ordnance Officer R D Ward, Naval Cadets V G U Jay, A D McDermott, and eight hundred and nine ratings were lost. (Casualty List)

Anti-submarine operations were conducted in the harbour by destroyers SOMALI, MASHONA, ASHANTI until the 22nd, but without result as U.47 had escaped the area shortly after sinking ROYAL OAK. The first attack made was by destroyer ASHANTI at 1030/13th, long after the submarine had departed. Fortunately, most of the Fleet was at Loch Ewe. However, old seaplane tender PEGASUS was in the berth next to ROYAL OAK and, although identified by U.47 as battlecruiser REPULSE, was not damaged.

Light cruisers AURORA at 0829 and BELFAST at 0730 and most of the fleet auxiliaries in the Orkneys left for Loch Ewe, arriving on the 14th. Anti-aircraft ship CURLEW was able to proceed there on the 16th.

The cruisers on Northern Patrol were transferred to Sullom Voe which was only protected by an anti-submarine net. Light cruisers CALEDON, CARDIFF, DELHI and COLOMBO at 0730 and armed merchant cruisers CALIFORNIA, MONTCLARE, SCOTSTOUN, SALOPIAN and CHITRAL departed Scapa Flow on the 14th, and AMCs AURANIA, RAWALPINDI and TRANSYLVANIA on the 15th.

Remaining at Scapa Flow were: base ship IRON DUKE, accommodation ship VOLTAIRE, destroyers SOMALI, MASHONA, ESKIMO, ASHANTI which were standing by for convoy duty, destroyer TARTAR with serious defects and minesweepers HAZARD, HEBE, SEAGULL, SHARPSHOOTER, SPEEDY.

Light cruiser CALEDON arrived at Kirkwall on the 18th, and COLOMBO at Sullom Voe on the 18th.

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Destroyers COSSACK, MAORI, ZULU which had departed Gibraltar on the 11th, arrived at Portland. Sister ship NUBIAN, left with the other three, and reached Portsmouth on the 14th. Because of turbine defects, she was towed to Southampton on the 20th and was under repair until 23 November, but did not leave Portsmouth until the 30th for duty with the Home Fleet. The final unit of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, destroyer SIKH, remained in the Mediterranean with turbine defects until 20 December and did not arrive at Dover until the 23rd.

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Submarine STURGEON fired three torpedoes at U.23, 20 miles E of the Skaw in 57-50N, 9-59E at 1452.

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Polish submarine ORZEL, which escaped internment at Tallinn on 18 September, was met in the North Sea 30 miles east of May Island by fast escort ship/destroyer VALOROUS and escorted into Rosyth.

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Convoy FS.21 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers VIVIEN, WHITLEY, WITCH and sloop STORK, and arrived at Southend on the 16th. There was no convoy FN.21.

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French destroyers BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS departed Brest for Cherbourg, where BRESTOIS began refitting. The third destroyer of the 5th Division, FOUDROYANT, was on escort duty in the Atlantic and joined the other two on 2 November.

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U.48 sank steamer SNEATON (3678grt/总吨位) in 49?05N, 13?05, 150 miles SW of Fastnet, with the loss of one crewman. The survivors were picked up by Belgian tanker ALEXANDRE ANDRE (5261grt/总吨位).

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A group of merchant ships from convoy KJF.3, en route to France and escorted by French submarine SURCOUF, were attacked by U.37, U.45, U.46, U.48, south of Ireland early on the 14th, after SURCOUF lost touch in a storm. U.45, on her second war patrol, sank two ships from the group. French liner BRETAGNE (10,108grt/总吨位) went down 130 miles SW of Fastnet in 50?20N, 12?45, and her survivors were picked up by destroyers IMOGEN and ILEX, arriving Plymouth on the 15th. British steamer LOCHAVON (9205grt/总吨位) was torpedoed 230 miles SW of Fastnet in 50?25N, 13?10 early on the 14th, sinking at 1800/16th, 150 miles SW of Fastnet. She lost seven crew with her survivors rescued by destroyer ISIS, which had left Plymouth on the 8th for escort duty with sister ship IMPERIAL. Steamer KARAMEA (8457grt/总吨位) was also attacked by U.45, 100 miles SW of Fastnet in 50?30N, 12?14, but escaped unharmed. U.45 was then sunk south of Ireland in 50?58N, 12?56 by destroyers INGLEFIELD, IVANHOE, INTREPID and ICARUS, which departed Plymouth on the 13th for anti-submarine patrol in support of KJF.3. All 38 crew were lost.

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German pocket battleship DEUTSCHLAND sank Norwegian steamer LORENTZ HANSEN (1918grt/总吨位) east of Newfoundland in 49?05N, 43?44, with the loss of three crew. The survivors were put aboard Norwegian tanker KONGSDAL (9959grt/总吨位) stopped later the same day.

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Aircraft carrier HERMES and French battlecruiser STRASBOURG arrived at Dakar having departed Plymouth and Brest, respectively, on the 7th.

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Light cruiser DAUNTLESS departed Malta and reached Port Said on the 16th.

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Destroyers GRAFTON and GALLANT reached Gibraltar to escort battleship RAMILLIES, and DUCHESS to escort convoy Green 5.

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Destroyers HAVOCK and HOTSPUR arrived off Montevideo for refuelling and left again that evening.

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Heavy cruisers SUSSEX and SHROPSHIRE of British Force H, departed Simonstown and swept the southern half of the Capetown to Freetown route. On the 22nd, they returned to refuel - SUSSEX at Simonstown and SHROPSHIRE at Capetown.

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Australian light cruiser HOBART departed Sydney late on the 13th, with Australian destroyers STUART, VENDETTA and WATERHEN leaving at 0900/14th (local time) and all four proceeded in company. HOBART reached Darwin on the 21st, left the same day and proceeding via Lombok Strait, arrived at Singapore on the 26th. Meanwhile, the three destroyers reached Brisbane on the 15th to refuel and shelter from heavy weather, departed on the 16th, refuelled at Townsville on the 18th, arrived Darwin on the 22nd, departed on the 23rd and reached Singapore on the 29th.

Australian destroyers VOYAGER and VAMPIRE also left on the 14th, from Fremantle, and proceeded to Singapore via the Sunda Strait, arriving on the 21st. All six ships were initially assigned to convoy duty from Singapore. On 13 November, the destroyers left Singapore for Colombo.

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German steamer MARION TRUBER (2334grt/总吨位) was lost by grounding near Oxelosund.

Mid-October

By mid October, the British and French Admiralties had organized the following Hunter Groups which were formed on the 5th in response to sinkings by German battleships:

Force F - heavy cruisers BERWICK and YORK stationed in the West Indies and North America. YORK was detached from the America and West Indies Station, but did not serve in Force F. She was maintained for Halifax convoy cover)

Force G - heavy cruisers CUMBERLAND and EXETER stationed off South America with New Zealand light cruiser ACHILLES detailed on the 5th to join them.

Force H - heavy cruisers SUSSEX and SHROPSHIRE near the Cape of Good Hope.

Force I - aircraft carrier EAGLE, heavy cruisers CORNWALL and DORSETSHIRE off Ceylon.

Force J - aircraft carrier GLORIOUS and battleship MALAYA off Aden in the approaches to the Red Sea.

Force K - aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL and battlecruiser RENOWN near Pernambuco.

Force L - French battlecruiser DUNKERQUE, aircraft carrier BéARN, light cruisers GLOIRE, MONTCALM, GEORGES LEYGUES at Brest.

Force M - French heavy cruisers DUPLEIX and FOCH at Dakar.

Force N - French battlecruiser STRASBOURG, aircraft carrier HERMES, French heavy cruiser ALGéRIE and light cruiser NEPTUNE to be based at Jamaica, but reassigned to Dakar.

STRASBOURG, DUPLEIX and ALGéRIE travelled in company to Dakar.

Force N was never formed. FOCH did not arrive at Dakar until mid-November, then as Force X with DUPLEIX.