Saturday, 13 January

Late on the 13th, minelaying destroyers IVANHOE and INTREPID of the 20th Destroyer Flotilla laid minefield IE‑2 in the German channels of the West Wall minefield in the Heligoland Bight in 54‑06N, 05‑29E. They reached the Humber on the 14th after this operation. Operation IE 3 for the 17th was cancelled and the destroyers proceeded to Rosyth. ————

Light cruiser DIOMEDE departed Plymouth for Rosyth. ————

Destroyers FAME, FORESIGHT, FURY, FORESTER arrived in the Clyde. ————

Minesweeper NIGER attacked a submarine contact in Knock Deep in 51-39N, 1-33E. ————

Sloop GRIMSBY escorting a convoy attacked a submarine contact off Scarborough in 54-18N, 00-12. ————

Submarine TRIBUNE at 1900 was missed by two torpedoes in 57-58N, 10-15E. There is no German record of this attack and submarine SHARK was exercising at this time in the area, but did not report an attack on a submarine. ————

Destroyer COSSACK departed Leith on the 10th to prepare for high speed trials. Lying in the stream, she was involved in a collision with cable ship ROYAL SCOT, escorted by destroyer EXMOUTH, in the Firth of Forth on the 13th. COSSACK returned to Leith for repairs and was able to carry out her gun trials on the 15th.

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Convoy FN.70 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer VIVIEN and sloop STORK, and arrived in the Tyne on the 14th. There was no convoy FN.71. ————

Convoy FS.72 departed the Tyne, escorted by sloops AUCKLAND and STORK, and arrived at Southend on the 15th. ————

Sloop BITTERN found a German mine which she towed towards Sheerness. It was secured to the Nord Buoy and beached from there by harbour defence patrol yacht GLALA (51grt/总吨位). ————

Russian submarine SC.324 unsuccessfully attacked a Finnish convoy consisting of ANNEBORG and BORE I, escorted by patrol yacht AURA II (563grt/总吨位) and patrol boat TURSAS, in 60-23N, 19-10E. AURA II dropped depth charges, which damaged her and she later sank. ————

U.20 sank Swedish steamer SYLVIA (1524grt/总吨位) NE of Aberdeen. ————

Convoy of HG 15F of thirteen ships departed Gibraltar 13 January, escorts:

joined detached 13th Destroyers BROKE, KEPPEL, WALPOLE, WALKER from Gibraltar. Also sloop ENCHANTRESS from convoy OG.14F

15th

BROKE 17th Destroyer AMAZON KEPPEL when she was damaged in collision with French destroyer JAGUAR 19th

WALPOLE, WALKER 20th

ENCHANTRESS convoy arrived on the 22nd still with AMAZON

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Completing her time in the East Indies, aircraft carrier GLORIOUS departed Trincomalee on 29 December and arrived at Aden on 7 January, Suez on the 9th and Alexandria on the 13th. She proceeded to Malta on the 15th escorted by destroyers VENDETTA and BULLDOG, and arrived on the 17th for refitting, completed on 25 March. BULLDOG also refitted at Malta, until the 24 February. On 26 March, GLORIOUS, escorted by destroyer WESTCOTT and Australian destroyer STUART was departed Malta for flying-off exercises. ————

Convoy SLF.16 departed Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser CHESHIRE, destroyers HARDY, HOSTILE and submarine SEVERN. The destroyers and submarine were returning for duty in Home Waters. HARDY and HOSTILE left the convoy on the 20th and called at Gibraltar. Sloop ROCHESTER and destroyer VISCOUNT joined on the 24th relieving the armed merchant cruiser and submarine. SEVERN reached Portsmouth on the 24th, while the convoy arrived in port on the 27th.