Monday, 6 November

Destroyer KHARTOUM (Cdr D T Dowler) was completed. Following working up at Portland, she joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla operating with the Home Fleet on 1 December.

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Destroyer AFRIDI, whose defects were repaired in the Tyne, departed the Tyne and arrived at Rosyth on the 7th for operations.

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On Northern Patrol, there were three cruisers on patrol between the Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers and one AMC between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and two AMCs in the Denmark Strait.

Light cruisers CARDIFF, COLOMBO and DRAGON departed Sullom Voe on Northern Patrol duties, and arrived back on the 12th.

Light cruisers DUNEDIN, DELHI, CALYPSO arrived at Sullom Voe from Northern Patrol.

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Armed boarding vessel NORTHERN DUKE received instructions to take over a merchant ship from light cruiser CERES and escort her into Kirkwall.

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Anti-aircraft cruisers CAIRO and CALCUTTA arrived at Rosyth to strengthen the air defences at Rosyth while the Home Fleet was refuelling there.

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Sloop FLAMINGO, en route from the Clyde to Rosyth, was ordered to attempt to locate an aircraft down in the sea 20 miles northeast of Fraserburgh. She was unable to locate it and arrived at Rosyth on the 8th.

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Polish submarine ORZEL, escorted by destroyer WHITEHALL, departed Rosyth for Dundee for docking. After the escort duty, WHITEHALL arrived back the same day.

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Destroyers INTREPID and IVANHOE arrived at Scapa Flow, and after refuelling, departed for Plymouth, arriving on the 11th. They departed later that day and anchored in the Medway on the 12th, before reaching Chatham on the 13th for conversion to minelaying destroyers. On 4 December, the conversions were completed and both destroyers departed Chatham for Sheerness. At this time, INTREPID and IVANHOE were detached from the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla and attached to the 20th Flotilla.

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Submarine SEALION on Dogger Bank Patrol at 0943 fired six torpedoes at U.21 in 55-10N, 02-11E.

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Convoy OA.31 of 16 ships departed Southend escorted by destroyers ANTELOPE and VISCOUNT from the 6th to 10th. When the convoy was dispersed, the destroyers joined inbound HXF.7.

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Convoy OB.31 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WINCHELSEA and WITHERINGTON to the 9th.

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Convoy AXS.4 of one steamer departed Fowey, escorted by destroyer WAKEFUL, and arrived at Brest on the 7th. Of the next three convoys, AXS.5 through 7, no information or dates are available. Convoy AXS.8 arrived at Brest on 11 December.

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Convoy SA.16 departed Southampton with one steamer, escorted by destroyers SALADIN and SARDONYX, and arrived at Brest on the 7th.

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Battleship WARSPITE escorted by destroyers DAINTY and DIANA arrived at Gibraltar from Malta. WARSPITE departed Gibraltar the same day escorted by destroyers ISIS, ILEX, DAINTY and DIANA and crossed the Atlantic arriving at Halifax on the 14th. She remained there until the 18th when she left as heavy escort for convoy HX.9.

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Convoy HX.6 of 52 ships, escorted by battleship RESOLUTION was met in the Western Approaches by eight destroyers, including WARWICK and WHIRLWIND. The convoy split on the 7th. RESOLUTION with two destroyers proceeded directly to Plymouth, leaving the two convoy sections each escorted by three destroyers.

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Convoy HG.6 departed Gibraltar with 34 ships, escorted by destroyers WATCHMAN, VORTIGERN and the French CHACAL and MISTRAL. The French ships were escorts from the 6th and patrolled in 43-30N, 12-30 on the 10th. On the 13th, they arrived at Brest. Destroyer ISIS, after joining with captured German steamer LEANDER, was with the convoy from the 12th to 14th. Submarine depot ship CYCLOPS travelled in convoy returning to England for duty in Home Waters. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 14th.

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Light cruiser GALATEA departed Port Said, arrived at Haifa on the 7th, and Alexandria on the 8th.

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Armed merchant cruiser ASCANIA carrying ￡2,000,000 in gold bullion arrived at Halifax, escorted into port by Canadian destroyers FRASER and ST LAURENT.

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French large cruiser MILAN passed Gibraltar east to west.

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Finnish steamer JESSIE (1405grt/总吨位) was seized in the Baltic by a German warship, and taken to Kiel.