Wednesday, 1 November

Destroyers KELLY, ESKIMO, MATABELE, BEDOUIN, FEARLESS and FOXHOUND refuelled at Sullom Voe and departed on 29 October to search for American steamer CITY OF FLINT coming down the Norwegian coast. They fuelled again at Sullom Voe on the 1st to continue the search.

Light cruisers GLASGOW and NEWCASTLE, after convoy escort in the Atlantic, departed Portsmouth on 31 October, escorted by destroyers ANTHONY, BASILISK, BRAZEN, and arrived at Rosyth on the 1st. The cruisers departed Rosyth that day to provide cover for these destroyers.

Battleships NELSON (above - Navy Photos) (Forbes), RODNEY, battlecruiser HOOD, and destroyers ICARUS, INTREPID, IVANHOE, IMPULSIVE, FAULKNOR, FORESIGHT, FORTUNE and PUNJABI departed Loch Ewe at 0930/2nd to provide heavy cover for the GLASGOW force and for convoy ON.1 which departed Methil on the 5th. FEARLESS and FOXHOUND of the CITY OF FLINT operation joined NELSON at sea.

Destroyers FEARLESS, FOXHOUND, IMPERIAL and KANDAHAR, after refuelling at Scapa Flow on the 4th, departed to rejoin Forbes on the 5th. Destroyer FAME also departed Scapa Flow on the 5th to join Forbes. ICARUS and IMPULSIVE were detached for refuelling at Kirkwall on the 7th.

Very early on the 9th, HOOD was detached with FEARLESS, and passed Dunnet Head westbound as the rest of the fleet turned south for Rosyth. HOOD arrived for refit at Devonport on the 11th escorted by destroyers ISIS and ILEX, and completed on the 24th.

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

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Convoy BC.12S of fourteen ships, including BALTRADER, BARON KINNAIRD, BARON NAIRN, CITY OF KEELUNG (Commodore), CLAN MONROE and TREVERBYN departed the Loire, escorted by destroyer EXPRESS, and safely arrived in the Bristol Channel on the 3rd.

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Convoy FN.30 departed Southend, and arrived at Methil on the 3rd. There was no convoy FN.31.

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Convoy FS.30 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers WALLACE and WHITLEY and sloop STORK, and arrived at Southend on the 3rd.

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Destroyer JUPITER and sloop FLEETWOOD dropped depth charges on a submarine contact in 52?28N, 1?59E.

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Destroyers VERSATILE and VOLUNTEER were submarine hunting in 53?00N, 5?00 after a merchant ship in convoy reported a submarine 10 miles west of Holyhead.

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Destroyer BROKE searched for a submarine reported by D/F, 40 miles east of Buchan Ness in 57-20N, 0-30.

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Sloop GRIMSBY attacked a submarine contact four miles east of Whitby.

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After a submarine was reported by British fishermen off Londonderry, patrol sloops WIDGEON and SHELDRAKE unsuccessfully searched for it.

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Four destroyers from Harwich were on patrol off Smith's Knoll, NE of Yarmouth, searching for vessels reportedly cooperating with U-boats.

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Norwegian steamer MIM (4996grt/总吨位) sent to Kirkwall by light cruiser COLOMBO under guard, ran aground on Reef Dyke Skerry, and broke up the next day. Norwegian steamer HANSI (1028grt/总吨位) which was going into Kirkwall voluntarily, also ran aground at the same location; her crew was taken off by Swedish steamer CASTOR (8714grt/总吨位).

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Admiral Cunningham transferred his flag ashore at Malta from battleship WARSPITE, which was preparing to leave his command for the Home Fleet.

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Rear Admiral N A Wodehouse was relieved by Vice Admiral Sir Dudley North on the 1st as Vice Admiral North Atlantic Station, based at Gibraltar. North departed England on liner NARKUNDA (16,632grt/总吨位) on the 10th and arrived at Gibraltar on the 17th.

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Destroyer DELIGHT departed Gibraltar for Marseilles escorting liner LANCASHIRE which had arrived at Gibraltar in convoy OG.4. The two ships later departed Marseilles on the 6th and arrived at Malta on the 8th.

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French convoys 11.B of steamers ANDRE MOYRAND, SENNEVILLE, ONTARIOLITE, DJURJURA, DOUAISIEN, ANGE SCHAIFFINO and CAMBRADSIEN, which departed Brest on 26 October, and convoy 6.X of steamers PRESCAGEL, PIERRE CLAUDE, PALLAS, OPHELIE and ENSEIGNE MAURICE PRECHAC, escorted by sloop GAZELLE, from Le Verdon also on 26 October, merged on the 27th. They were joined by steamer AIN EL TURK, escorted by sloop COMMANDANT BORY. On 1 November, six steamers from 11.B were taken into Gibraltar by the two sloops, which returned to the convoy as it continued on to Casablanca. AIN EL TURK and 6.X arrived at Casablanca on the 2nd.

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Light cruiser DESPATCH departed Panama on patrol.

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Destroyers HYPERION, HUNTER, HOTSPUR and HAVOCK departed Pernambuco for Trinidad. HAVOCK stripped a turbine and was diverted at sea to Freetown, arriving on the 9th. Destroyer HEREWARD from Freetown was designated to replace her in the 4th Destroyer Division on the South America Station. HAVOCK departed Freetown on the 16th with convoy SL.9 and arrived at Gibraltar on the 27th. She then departed Gibraltar on 12 December, arrived at Sheerness on the 16th, and was under repair at Chatham until mid-March, arriving in the Clyde for duty on 26 March.

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French submarine REDOUTABLE fired four warning shots at steamer EGBA (4989grt/总吨位) at 0736 in 32-40N, 13-23 thinking she was a German blockade runner. EGBA replied with gunfire forcing the submarine to submerge. The attack was broken off when REDOUTABLE received the steamer's distress signal revealing her identity.

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Destroyer SCOUT departed Singapore for duty at Hong Kong.