Saturday, 6 July

French Amiral Estava from Bizerte made a broadcast that French battleship DUNKERQUE was not seriously damaged in the 3 July Mer el Kebir attack and would soon be repaired.

Upon receipt of this, British Force H, which was about to strike at French battleship RICHELIEU at Dakar, was ordered to make a second strike on DUNKERQUE.

Force H departed Gibraltar at 2000/5th with battlecruiser HOOD, battleship VALIANT, aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL, light cruisers ARETHUSA and ENTERPRISE, and destroyers FEARLESS, FOXHOUND, FORESTER, ESCORT, WISHART, VORTIGERN, VIDETTE, ACTIVE, and VELOX on operation LEVER, the neutralization of French battleship DUNKERQUE.

Aircraft from aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL arrived at Mer el Kebir and sank French auxiliary minesweeper ESTEREL V (30grt/总吨位). One petty officer and five ratings were lost in the minesweeper.

French auxiliary patrol boat TERRE NEUVE (780grt/总吨位), alongside DUNKERQUE, was sunk and her depth charges exploded ripping a huge gash in DUNKERQUE's side. Four officers and one hundred and fifty ratings were killed or wounded. One officer, one petty officer, and six ratings were killed in the patrol boat.

Total French casualties for the raids of 3 and 6 July on Mer el Kebir were 1297 killed and 351 wounded.

Battleship DUNKERQUE was repaired sufficiently to be moved in February 1942. She arrived at Toulon on 19 February, escorted by destroyers FOUGUEUX, FRONDEUR, KERSAINT, TARTU, and VAUQUELIN.

A Skua of 803 Squadron was damaged by gunfire from French fighters and ditched off Oran. Petty Officer G. . Peacock and Leading Airman B. P. Dearnley were rescued.

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Light cruisers CAPETOWN and CALEDON of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron and destroyers JANUS, JUNO, ILEX, and IMPERIAL bombarded Bardia from 0537 to 0631. Italian steamer AXUM (249grt/总吨位) was sunk and one merchant ship was damaged.

At 0820, the force was attacked by Italian bombers, but no damage was done.

The British force arrived back at Alexandria on the 6th.

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An Italian convoy of steamers ESPERIA (11,398grt/总吨位), CALITEA (4013grt/总吨位), MARCO FOSCARINI (6342grt/总吨位), and VETTOR PISANI (6339grt/总吨位) escorted by Italian torpedo boats ORSA, PEGASO, PROCIONE, and ORIONE of the 4th Torpedo Boat Division departed Naples for Benghazi. The convoy was joined on the 7th by Italian steamer FRANCESCO BARBERO (6343grt/总吨位) and torpedo boats ABBA and PILO from Catania.

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Submarine SEALION had attacked a German convoy off Skudesnshavn in Boknafjord at 1550/3rd. She came under heavy counterattack for forty five hours and withdrew.

However, submarine SHARK (Lt Cdr P. N. Buckley) coming into the patrol area to relieve SEALION was taken under attack at 2200 at 5 July and badly damaged by German auxiliary minesweepers M.1803 (trawler SPITZBERGEN: 469grt/总吨位), M.1806 (trawler CUXHAVEN: 491grt/总吨位), and M.1807 (trawler MULSUM: 480grt/总吨位) in 58?18N, 5?13E.

Submarine SHARK was able to get off a distress message at 2250 advising her location of 58-51N, 4-50E and that she was unable to dive.

Light cruiser SOUTHAMPTON, anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY, and destroyers COSSACK (D.4), MAORI, FAME, and FORTUNE set out from Scapa Flow at 0215 to escort submarine SHARK to Rosyth.

However, SHARK was captured and sank in tow before the British force could arrive. Lt Cdr Buckley, Lt D. H. B. Barrett, Lt D. E. Wheeler, S/Lt R. D. J. Barnes RNR, Warrant Engineer C. C. Loder (act), and twenty seven ratings were captured and taken prisoner. Two crew were killed and one crewman was fatally wounded. Also, another rating was killed 27 August when dealing with an unexploded British bomb near the prison camp.

By 1000, the destroyers had searched submarine SHARK's track without success.

Destroyer FAME was damaged at 1240 aft by the straddling of a salvo of nine bombs twenty eight miles west of Scotstoun Head.

Destroyer FAME's speed was reduced to twenty knots.

Lt (E) A. R. R. Knowles and two ratings were killed, one rating died of wounds, and sixteen ratings were wounded on destroyer FAME.

The entire British force proceeded to Rosyth, arriving at 2330. The force passed Oxcars Boom at 0040/7th.

Destroyer FAME began repairs at Rosyth completed 5 October.

The British force departed Rosyth at 2015 on the 7th for Scapa Flow, arriving at 0830/8th with SOUTHAMPTON, which had conducted firing practices, arriving at 1130.

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Destroyer GARTH arrived at Scapa Flow at 1840 to work up.

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Convoy FN.215 departed Southend, escorted by sloops LOWESTOFT and WESTON and patrol sloop MALLARD. Destroyers KASHMIR and KELVIN joined the convoy for 7 July. Sloop MALLARD was detached on the 7th. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 8th.

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U.30 sank British steamer SEA GLORY (1964grt/总吨位) south of Ireland.

There were no survivors and the fate of SEA GLORY is not certain. She was reported missing on the 11th. She may have been sunk by U.34 on the 6th or U.99 on the 7th.

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U.34 sank Estonian steamer VAPPER (4543grt/总吨位) in 49?30N, 09?15.

One crewman was killed on the Estonian steamer. The survivors were rescued by Canadian destroyer RESTIGOUCHE.

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British steamer APRICITY (402grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing south of Portland Bill.

Steamer APRICITY in convoy OA.178 had been attacked on the 4th, but not damaged.

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Convoy BC of troopships REINA DEL PACIFICO, ORION, STRATHEDEN, KENYA, KARANJA, and ASKA departed Freetown escorted by heavy cruiser CORNWALL. The convoy arrived in England on the 19th.