Thursday, 8 February

Destroyers GALLANT and BOREAS unsuccessfully searched for a submarine reported at 2057, nine miles 207° from Sumburgh Head.

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Destroyer GRIFFIN departed Aberdeen to search for a submarine SSE of Buchanness. Destroyers IVANHOE and ESCAPADE joined her to assist in the hunt.

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Destroyer KIPLING attacked a submarine contact in Shapinsay Sound in 59-01N, 2-51.

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Anti-submarine trawlers of the 17th Anti-Submarine Striking Force were searching for destroyer DELIGHT's contact of the day before – the 7th - NNE of St Abbs Head in 56-04N, 2-14. LE TIGRE (516grt/总吨位) attacked a contact and signalled CAPE WARWICK (516grt/总吨位) which altered course to assist. CAPE WARWICK then struck a submerged object a glancing blow on the starboard side and dropped depth charges.

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Light cruiser SHEFFIELD arrived in the Tyne.

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Destroyer DARING rendezvoused with tanker BRITISH GOVERNOR (6840grt/总吨位) and former German merchant ship ILSENSTEIN (8216grt/总吨位) for escort to Scapa Flow, where they arrived safely on the 10th. ILSENSTEIN was sunk as a blockship at Scapa Flow on the 18th.

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Destroyers ESK and EXPRESS arrived at Aberdeen, and BOREAS departed

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Destroyers BRAZEN arrived at Rosyth, as did INTREPID and IVANHOE, and JAVELIN after dark.

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Destroyers KIPLING and KIMBERLEY arrived at Scapa Flow. KIPLING immediately departed again to hunt a submarine.

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Destroyers GURKHA and NUBIAN departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow.

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Netlayer GUARDIAN departed Scapa Flow for Rosyth, and from there was due to proceed to the Clyde for refitting.

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Minelayer PRINCESS VICTORIA and destroyers ESK and EXPRESS departed Aberdeen later that day on minelaying operation LD 3.

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Submarines TRUANT arrived at Rosyth from patrol, and SEALION departed on patrol.

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Submarine TRITON and minesweepers SEAGULL and SHARPSHOOTER departed Scapa Flow for Rosyth where they arrived on the 9th.

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Armed merchant cruiser ANDANIA arrived in the Clyde from Northern Patrol.

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Armed merchant cruiser WOLFE departed the Clyde to relieve light cruiser NEWCASTLE on Northern Patrol Station 53 and allow her to proceed to Station 3.

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Armed merchant cruiser FORFAR arrived at Greenock from Northern Patrol.

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Armed merchant cruiser CIRCASSIA investigated the report of a Fleetwood trawler about the sighting of a large merchant ship in company with a submarine.

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U.37 landed two agents in Donegal Bay, Ireland.

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Convoy HN.10 with two British, nineteen Norwegian, nine Swedish, two Finnish, six Estonian and one Panamanian ship departed Bergen escorted by destroyers IMOGEN, IMPERIAL, ILEX, DELIGHT and submarine NARWHAL. DELIGHT detected a submarine contact SSE of Copinsay in 58?55N, 02?09, and destroyers GALLANT, GRIFFIN and anti-submarine trawlers of the 11th Anti-Submarine Group joined in the hunt. Destroyer GURKHA and NUBIAN departed Scapa Flow the same day on anti-submarine patrol and attacked a contact shortly after sailing. On the 10th, destroyers KIMBERLEY and NUBIAN took over the escort of the twelve ships of the west coast portion of HN.10, while destroyers KANDAHAR, KHARTOUM, KASHMIR and KINGSTON departed the Clyde, also on the 10th to meet this section. At dawn on the 11th, NUBIAN and KIMBERLEY left the convoy in 58-20N, 09-00. (After her escort duties, destroyer GURKHA was to join.) On the 12th, a German submarine was located near the west coast portion of HN.10 and attacks by destroyers GURKHA and NUBIAN prevented any damage being done to the convoy. Meanwhile, the east coast portion of the convoy had arrived at Methil safely on the 11th.

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Convoy FS.91 departed the Tyne at 2300, escorted by destroyers VIVIEN and JAVELIN, and arrived at Southend on the 10th.

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Heavy cruisers DORSETSHIRE and SHROPSHIRE arrived at Buenos Aires and Montevideo, respectively, to refuel after escorting heavy cruiser EXETER.

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German steamers CORDILLERA (12,055grt/总吨位) had departed Livinston, Guatemala, on 25 August and arrived at Murmansk on 10 September while PHOENICIA (4124grt/总吨位) had left Curacao on the same day in August and reached Murmansk in mid-September. There, they were assigned respectively as accommodation and replenishment ships for German submarines to operate against British lumber and ore shipping out of Murmansk and Narvik. Both steamers departed Murmansk on 2 December 1939 for Zapadnaya Litsa Bay, which was to be known as Basis Nord, and fishing vessel SACHSENWALD (650grt/总吨位) arrived there with supplies a day earlier. Her job was to serve as a dispatch vessel. At the end of November, U.36 and U.38 departed Germany for Basis Nord, but were reassigned for operations against British shipping off northern Norway. The base itself was never used, CORDILLERA almost immediately returned to Murmansk, and then completed her voyage home reaching Hamburg on 8 February

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German steamer KONIGSBERG (6466grt/总吨位) departed Para, Brazi, but returned on the 16th after failing to break away from coastal patrol boats.

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On the 8th, a Berlin communiqué admitted the following merchant shipping losses - 13,196 tons captured in enemy harbours (steamers POMONA, CHRISTOPH V. DOORNUM and HAGEN in September 1939), 82,236 tons captured at sea by the enemy, and 141,525 tons scuttled to avoid capture. (See British list of 30 January).