Wednesday, 14 February

German supply ship ALTMARK (10,847grt/总吨位) was sighted by RAF Hudson's of 220 Sqn off Trondheim as she was being escorted to Bergen by Norwegian torpedo boats TRYGG and GARM for contraband inspection.

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Light cruiser ARETHUSA (Captain Q D Graham), with Rear Admiral Destroyers (Rear Admiral R H C Hallifax) aboard, destroyers COSSACK (Captain P L Vian), SIKH (Cdr J A Giffard), NUBIAN (Cdr R Ravenhill), INTREPID (Cdr R C Gordon) and IVANHOE (Cdr P H Hadow) departed Rosyth at 2300 on Operation DT. Light cruiser PENELOPE (Captain G D Yates) also began the sortie, but ran onto the submarine baffles at Rosyth, and with damaged propellers, was forced to remain in port for repairs. Orders on this sortie were to sweep up the Norwegian coast from Kristiansand and intercept enemy ships returning to Narvik. ARETHUSA, INTREPID and IVANHOE were assigned to one group and the Tribal destroyers to the other. Rear Admiral Destroyers normally flew his flag on light cruiser AURORA, and men from AURORA were sent to augment the crews of destroyers MAORI and COSSACK.

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After destroyer GURKHA attacked a submarine contact in Moray Firth in 58-22N, 1-40, destroyers KASHMIR, KIPLING and BOREAS joined in the search, KIPLING sailing from Scapa Flow on the same day. The search was unsuccessful and was abandoned at 1600/15th.

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Anti-submarine trawler LORD HOTHAM (464grt/总吨位), escorting tug BRIGAND and a battle target off Cape St Vincent in 36-50N, 9-46 attacked a submarine contact.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY departed Sullom Voe for repairs at Chatham, arriving en route in the Humber on the 15th.

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Armed merchant cruiser SCOTSTOUN departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol.

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Destroyers BRAZEN and DIANA departed Rosyth and BOREAS was detached from submarine hunting off Rattray Head. All three reached Invergordon on the 15th and left again later that day to escort the collision-damaged destroyer DUNCAN under tow by tugs ST MELLONS and NORMAN from Invergordon to Rosyth for repairs following the collision of 17 January. BRAZEN and BOREAS were last minute replacements for SIKH and NUBIAN which were needed for DT. DUNCAN repaired at Grangemouth completing on 22 July 1940.

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Submarine TRIDENT arrived at Rosyth from patrol.

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Submarine TRIBUNE was exercising in the Firth of Forth.

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Convoy FN.94 departed Southend escorted by destroyers VEGA, JAGUAR and sloop STORK, and arrived in the Tyne on the 16th.

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Convoy FS.96 departed the Tyne (to be checked) escorted by destroyers WESTMINSTER, JAVELIN and sloop LONDONDERRY, and WESTMINSTER and LONDONDERRY attacked a submarine contact north, NNW of St Abbs Head in 56?04N, 2?14. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 16th.

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U.26 sank steamer LANGLEFORD (4622grt/总吨位) 70 miles NW of Fastnet in 51-40N, 12-40 with the loss of four crew.

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U.48 sank steamer SULTAN STAR (12,306grt/总吨位) at 1645, southwest of Ireland in 48?54N, 10?03 with the loss of one member of crew. At the time, destroyers WHITSHED, ACASTA, VESPER were joining the screen of heavy cruiser EXETER and witnessed the torpedoing on the horizon. WHITSHED was detached to assist, and since the survivors were already in lifeboats, carried out the first attacks, and was then joined ACASTA and VESPER resulting in the claim that U.48 had been sunk, although she escaped. Seventy two survivors were picked up by WHITSHED, half were later transferred to VESPER, and she remained in the vicinity during the night making further attacks.

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U.53 sank Swedish steamer NORNA (1022grt/总吨位), which had departed Gibraltar on the 7th for Stockholm, in 55?30N, 11?00 with all hands, as well as Danish steamer MARTIN GOLDSCHMIDT (2095grt/总吨位) in 55?53N, 12?37. Fifteen of her crew were lost and five survivors rescued by Norwegian BERTO, the same steamer that had picked up the survivors of the Norwegian steamer NIDARHOLM (3482grt/总吨位) sunk on the 12th.

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U.57 torpedoed tanker GRETAFIELD (10,191grt/总吨位) east of Wick in 58?27N, 02?33 as she was straggling behind convoy HX.18. One Marine was lost and 31 survivors rescued by trawlers PEGGY NUTTEN and STRATHALLADALE. To search for the submarine responsible, destroyers BOREAS and GURKHA were detailed to search off Rattray Head, while destroyers KIPLING and KASHMIR were already hunting in the area. GURKHA made an attack on the 15th in Moray Firth in 58?32N, 2?30, and was then advised with KASHMIR that if no further contact was made, they were to join in operation WR. Still on the 15th, destroyer KINGSTON was ordered to stand by the still floating tanker for anti-submarine protection, but she run aground at Dunbeath. GRETAFIELD broke in two on 19 March and was declared a total loss.

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Convoy HG.19F departed Gibraltar with 25 ships, escorted by destroyer WISHART from the 14th to 16th, French destroyer TIGRE and auxiliary patrol ship MINERVE from the 14th to 21st, and destroyer WREN from the 21st until the 23rd, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.

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Convoy SL.20 departed Freetown on the 10th escorted by armed merchant cruiser ESPERANCE BAY until the 25th, and SLF.20 on the 14th, escorted by armed merchant cruiser CHESHIRE. The two convoys merged on the 25th when they were joined by destroyers VANQUISHER, VANSITTART, VERSATILE and VETERAN, all the escorts remaining with the convoys until its arrival on the 28th.