Monday, 13 November

Anti-aircraft cruiser CAIRO departed Rosyth.

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On Northern Patrol were three cruisers between Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers between the Faroes and Iceland, and two cruisers and two AMCs in the Denmark Strait.

Two German air raids on Sullom Voe and the Northern Patrol cruisers there did not cause any damage. The air raids and the U-boats reported off Sullom Voe resulted in the 7th and 11th Cruiser Squadron of the Northern Patrol being ordered to Loch Ewe.

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Convoy SA.17 of two steamers departed Southampton, escorted by destroyers SKATE and SCIMITAR, and arrived at Brest on the 14th.

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Convoy FN.36 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers WHITLEY, WALLACE and sloop STORK which had arrived from Harwich. The convoy reached Methil on the 15th.

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Convoy FS.36 departed Methil, escorted by sloops GRIMSBY and WESTON. Sloop FLAMINGO, which had been on other escort duty, joined off the Tyne, and the convoy arrived at Southend on the 15th.

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Sub Lt D Copsey was killed when his RAF Harvard of the RAF No.1 SFTS crashed near Netheravon airfield. Flight Lt T I Hammond of the RAF was also killed.

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German steamer PARANA (6038grt/总吨位), which had departed Buenos Aires on 7 October, was intercepted on the 12th by light cruiser NEWCASTLE west of Iceland in 65?48N, 25?19, and scuttled herself in 65?14N, 25?22. The wreck was sunk by gunfire from NEWCASTLE and she left her Denmark Strait patrol station at 2000/13th with the German survivors.

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German steamer HUGO OSTENDORFF (3986grt/总吨位), which had departed San Juan del Puerto on 25 October, was not far astern of PARANA. Hearing her interception, she arrived at Hafnarfjoedr (Hvammasfjord) on the south coast of Iceland, set off again on the 24th and arrived at Stettin on 5 December.

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Sloop ENCHANTRESS attacked a submarine contact in 49-40N, 12-04.

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U.28 laid mines in Bristol Channel, on which one merchant ship was lost.

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German minesweeper M.132 was badly damaged by depth charges from minesweeper M.61 in an anti-submarine hunt near List in the North Sea, and was beached, a total loss.

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Australian destroyers STUART, VAMPIRE, VOYAGER, VENDETTA and WATERHEN departed Singapore for Colombo. On the 17th, VAMPIRE and VOYAGER detached to Trincomalee to join Force J (heavy cruiser KENT and the French SUFFREN) in the Nicobar Island area. STUART and WATERHEN arrived at Colombo on the 18th and VENDETTA on the 19th. WATERHEN was attached to Force I, while VENDETTA was employed in anti-submarine patrols off Colombo. On the 25th, STUART departed Colombo for Madagascar to join light cruiser GLOUCESTER and French sloop RIGAULT DE GENOUILLY.

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French tanker SAN JOSE (6013grt/总吨位) was chased by an unidentified submarine in 27?34N, 57?58, seven miles from Willemstad. The submarine was later identified as one of the French submarines based at Martinique.

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Steamer SIRDHANA (7745grt/总吨位) was sunk on a British defensive minefield in Singapore Roads, 3? miles 148° from Fort Canning Light; twenty crew were killed.

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In operations in the South Atlantic, a Swordfish of 814 Squadron from aircraft carrier HERMES crashed into the sea on landing. Lt J H Dundas and crew were picked up by French large destroyer LE FANTASQUE.

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French sloop D'ENTRECASTEAUX reported sighting a submarine in 12-56N, 22-24.

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French large destroyer LION arrived at Gibraltar at 0800 and departed at 1025 eastward.

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French submarine L'ESPOIR departed Colombo for Djibouti and Toulon.

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French submarine SIDI FERRUCH departed Port of Spain on patrol.

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Light cruiser ORION departed Kingston on patrol and arrived back at Kingston on the 25th.

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Light cruiser BIRMINGHAM departed Hong Kong on patrol in Chinese waters.