Saturday, 9 March

Light cruisers NEWCASTLE and GALATEA, departed Scapa Flow on Northern Patrol.

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Destroyer JERVIS attacked a submarine contact 4.6 miles 102° from Bell Rock. Sisters ship JUPITER and JANUS hunted in the area until dark. Meanwhile JERVIS and JAGUAR, also sister ships, arrived at Rosyth after escort duty with convoy ON.17 A, with JUPITER and JANUS reaching there on the 9th.

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Destroyers KHARTOUM and KINGSTON arrived at Falmouth for refittings.

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Destroyer KANDAHAR departed Scapa Flow at 0745 for Hull to repair structural damage to her petrol tank compartment. On passage she attacked a submarine contact east of Berwick in 55?04N, 1?41 at 2042, and another one off Filey Brig in 54?17N, 00?09 at 0735/10th before arriving in the Humber on the 10th.

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Destroyer ESKIMO departed Portsmouth on the 8th after refitting at Southampton and arrived at the Clyde on the 9th.

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Destroyers HOTSPUR and MASHONA departed the Clyde at 1200 to provide escort for armed merchant cruiser LETITIA on a full calibre firings in the Forth of Clyde. Afterwards, the destroyers carried out their own full calibre firing. LETITIA proceeded to her station on Northern Patrol, and the destroyers arrived at Tail of the Bank.

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Submarine SEAWOLF departed Harwich for a special patrol in the vicinity of Outer Dowsing Light Vessel.

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Convoy FN.116 departed Southend with destroyer VIMIERA joining on the 9th for the voyage to Rosyth. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 11th.

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Convoy FS.117 departed the Tyne escorted by sloop EGRET and destroyer WHITLEY, and arrived at Southend on the 11th.

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Anti-submarine trawler CORNELIAN (568grt/总吨位) on patrol near Bar Light Vessel in Liverpool Bay in 51-30.5N, 3-29 attacked a submarine contact. Destroyer WHIRLWIND and anti-submarine yacht VIRGINIA (712grt/总吨位) searched the area on the 10th in daylight, but were unable to reestablish contact.

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Trawler JUST REWARD sighted a light nine miles NE by E of Scarborough, and considering it to be a dan buoy, approached. However, on arrival at the light, the trawler found a submarine which dived immediately.

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Convoy BC.28 of steamers BARON CARNEGIE (Commodore), BATNA, KERMA, LOCHEE, PIZARRO and RAMON DE LARRINAGA departed the Loire escorted by destroyer VIVACIOUS, and arrived in the Bristol Channel on the 11th.

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U.14 sank steamers BORTHWICK (1097grt/总吨位) and AKELD (643grt/总吨位) in 51?44N, 03?22E and steamer ABBOTSFORD (1585grt/总吨位) in the North Sea. A Dutch coast guard cutter assisted in the rescue of the entire crew of BORTHWICK, but all thirteen crew on AKELD were lost, and there were no survivors from ABBOTSFORD.

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U.28 sank Greek steamer P. MARGARONIS (4979grt/总吨位) southwest of Lands End.

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U.38 sank trawler LEUKOS (216grt/总吨位) northwest of Tory Island.

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Steamer ASHLEY (1323grt/总吨位) ran aground 1.4 miles 225° from East Goodwins Light Vessel. Destroyer BEAGLE was dispatched to assist, but returned to patrol when two tugs arrived. The steamer broke up on the tide on the 11th.

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Steamer MAINDY HILL (1918grt/总吨位) was lost in collision with steamer ST ROSARIO (4312grt/总吨位) three miles NE of Hartlepool. ST ROSARIO was able to proceed to the Tees.

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Belgian fishing vessel SANTA GODELIVIA (33grt/总吨位) was lost to unknown cause in the North Sea. Later research attributes her loss to attack by aircraft of KG26.

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Convoy HG.22F departed Gibraltar with 30 ships escorted by French destroyer TIGRE, patrol vessel VIKINGS and British destroyer ACTIVE. The French ships detached on the 15th and arrived at Brest on the 16th. The convoy was escorted at sea by sloop LEITH and destroyer VANOC, and arrived at Liverpool on the 18th.

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French battleship PROVENCE, heavy cruiser DUQUESNE and British aircraft carrier HERMES with destroyers DECOY and DEFENDER departed Dakar for a sweep, returning on the 16th.

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Base ship EDINBURGH CASTLE arrived at Freetown.

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Convoy HX.26 departed Halifax at 0800 escorted by Canadian destroyers SAGUENAY and SKEENA. Canadian destroyer OTTAWA also escorted the convoy at the start. At 1800/11th, the convoy was turned over to battleship MALAYA, which detached on the 22nd. Destroyers VANSITTART, VENETIA, VIMY and WOLVERINE escorted the convoy from the 24th to 26th, when it arrived at Liverpool.

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Convoy SLF.23 departed Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser JERVIS BAY, and on the 19th, merged with SL.23, the combined convoy arriving at Liverpool on the 22nd.