Tuesday, 9 July

BATTLE OF CALABRIA or PUNTA STILO

The battle took place between the Mediterranean Fleet and Italian Fleet units, both on convoy escort missions.

Light cruiser GLOUCESTER operated with aircraft carrier EAGLE.

Italian heavy cruiser BOLZANO was hit by three medium caliber hits.

Italian battleship CESARE (Flagship of Campioni) was hit by one 381 mm shell.

Light cruiser NEPTUNE was damaged at 1525 by a near miss which damaged her aircraft and catapult.

Battleship WARSPITE had a fire, caused by the flash of her own guns which fired and demolished one of her seaplanes.

Destroyers STUART and VOYAGER attacked an Italian submarine during the engagement.

Destroyers NUBIAN, MOHAWK, JUNO, and JANUS were formed into a group to fend off Italian ships that might attempt to fire torpedoes at the British ships.

Submarine PARTHIAN was at sea in the area during the battle.

————

Force H was to have raided Cagliari. Before the raid was launched, Force H was attacked by Italian bombers south of Minorca. Battleship RESOLUTION was straddled and battlecruiser HOOD was near missed. The raid was cancelled.

————

A convoy of merchant ships, MF.1, consisting of Egyptian steamer EL NID (7769grt/总吨位), British steamer KNIGHT OF MALTA (1553grt/总吨位), and former Italian steamer RODI (3220grt/总吨位) put to sea from Malta at 2300/9th escorted by destroyers VENDETTA, JERVIS, and DIAMOND.

Light cruiser GLOUCESTER and destroyer STUART also arrived for refuelling. After refuelling, they joined the convoy which was covered by light cruisers ORION and NEPTUNE.

Destroyers STUART, DAINTY, DEFENDER, HYPERION, HOSTILE, HASTY, ILEX, and JUNO were detached to Malta to refuel late on the 9th. They arrived at 0530 and departed at 1115 on the 10th.

In turn, destroyers HERO, HEREWARD, DECOY, VAMPIRE, and VOYAGER were sent to Malta to refuel.

A slow convoy, MS.1, of four merchant ships, British steamers KIRKLAND (1361grt/总吨位), TWEED (2697grt/总吨位), and MASIRAH (6578grt/总吨位), former Dutch steamer under British flag ZEELAND (2726grt/总吨位), and Norwegian steamer NOVASLI (3204grt/总吨位), departed Malta early on the 10th escorted by destroyers DECOY, VAMPIRE, and VOYAGER.

At 2030/10th, battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN with destroyers NUBIAN, MOHAWK, and JANUS were to detached to refuel at Malta.

This group sailed at 0800/11th with destroyers HERO and HEREWARD. Destroyers HERO and HEREWARD later were transferred to convoy MF.1 and destroyer JANUS joined MS.1, replacing destroyer VAMPIRE.

On the 11th, air attacks on the British ships saw Gunner (T) J. H. Endicott on Australian destroyer VAMPIRE badly wounded by bomb splinters. He was transferred to destroyer MOHAWK and died of wounds later that day.

On the 12th, air attacks on the British ships saw two ratings killed in LIVERPOOL and several wounded, including Cdr J. J. Weld MVO.

Both convoys were given cover by battleships ROYAL SOVEREIGN and MALAYA, aircraft carrier EAGLE, light cruiser GLOUCESTER, and destroyers HASTY, HYPERION, ILEX, HOSTILE, DEFENDER, DAINTY, HERO, and HEREWARD.

Battleship WARSPITE, light cruisers LIVERPOOL and SYDNEY, and destroyers NUBIAN, MOHAWK, VAMPIRE, and JUNO pressed onto Alexandria arriving at 0600/13th.

The fast convoy MF.1 arrived safely at Alexandria at 0900/13th.

On the 13th, Light cruisers CALEDON and CAPETOWN of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron met convoy MS.1 midway between Cape Spada and Derna. These ships were given heavy support by battleship RAMILLIES and destroyers DIAMOND, HAVOCK, IMPERIAL, and VENDETTA which departed Alexandria on the 13th.

At 0900/15th, battleship RAMILLIES, the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, and the slow convoy arrived safely at Alexandria.

————

Submarine SALMON (Lt Cdr E. O. B. Bickford DSO) was sunk in mining off Egersund in 57?22N, 5?00E.

Lt Cdr Bickford, Lt M. F. Wykeham-Martin DSC, Lt R. H. M. Hancock DSC, Lt K. D. Skelt, Warrant Engineer . L. Davis, and the thirty six ratings of the crew were lost with SALMON.

————

Sloop FOXGLOVE, proceeding to Portsmouth, was bombed at 1130 and badly damaged off the Nab.

Acting Gunner F. Brown died of wounds on the sloop.

Sloop FOXGLOVE was able to proceed under tow by naval trawler HOLLY, which was relieved en route by tug RESOLVE to Portsmouth, where she was under repair until July 1941.

————

At 0030/9th, heavy cruisers SHROPSHIRE and SUSSEX and destroyers FIREDRAKE and ECHO departed the Clyde to escort British troopships ORMONDE (14,982grt/总吨位) and ULSTER PRINCE (3791grt/总吨位) to Iceland.

They convoy arrived at Reykavik at 2030/11th.

Destroyer ECHO took ULSTER PRINCE departed Reykavik at 1430/12th for Akreyri arriving on the 13th. Then they proceeded on to Seidisfjord on the 13th.

Destroyer ECHO and troopship ULSTER PRINCE departed Seidisfjord on the 15th and returned to Reykavik.

The heavy cruisers arrived at Scapa Flow after the operation on the 14th. On the 16th, the Destroyers and troopships departed Reykavik on their return.

————

Destroyers INGLEFIELD, IMOGEN, HAMBLEDON, FERNIE, and ATHERSTONE departed Scapa Flow at 2145 for Loch Alsh for escort duties with the 1st Minelaying Squadron.

————

Convoy FN.218 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON, sloop FLEETWOOD, and patrol sloop PINTAIL. The convoy was joined on the 10th by destroyers JAVELIN and JUPITER. The two J destroyers and the patrol sloop were detached later on the 10th. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 11th.

————

Convoy MT.105 departed Methil. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 11th.

There was no convoy MT.106

————

Convoy FS.217 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer VIMIERA and sloop LONDONDERRY. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 10th.

————

German armed merchant cruiser KOMET sailed from Bergen to raid in the Pacific. She reached this destination by going around the north of Russia assisted by Russian icebreakers.

Armed merchant cruiser KOMET carried twenty five ground mines for this operation.

————

German armed merchant cruiser THOR sank Belgian steamer BRUGES (4983grt/总吨位) in the South Atlantic in 4S, 28. The crew was made prisoners of war.

————

U.34 sank Estonian steamer TIIU (1865grt/总吨位) 280 miles west of St Ann's in 50?20, 12. The entire crew was rescued.

————

U.43 sank British steamer AYLESBURY (3944grt/总吨位) in 48?39N, 13?55. The entire crew was rescued.

————

Latvian steamer TALVALDIS (534grt/总吨位) in convoy CW.2 was sunk by German bombing three miles 120° from Prawle Point. One crewman was lost.

————

British steamer SAN FELIPE (5919grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing at Roath Docks, Cardiff.

————

British steamer KENNETH HAWKSFIELD (1546grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing in the Dover area.

————

British steamer POLGRANGE (804grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing in 51?46N, 01?46E.

————

British steamer EMPIRE DIAFFODIL (398grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing 13 miles SSW of Portland.

————

Dutch steamer JOLA (269grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing three miles SW of Start Point.

————

Greek steamer AEGEON (5285grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing at Weymouth.

————

Submarine PROTEUS arrived at Gibraltar after patrol off Mer el Kebir.

————

Convoy SL.39 departed Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser CORFU. When the cruiser was damaged in a collision the next day with aircraft carrier HERMES, armed merchant cruiser DUNVEGAN CASTLE joined the convoy to 25 July. The convoy merged with convoy SLF.39 on the 19th.

Armed merchant cruiser DUNVEGAN CASTLE arrived at the Clyde for refuelling and watering on the 26th.

On the 25th, destroyers HESPERUS, RESTIGOUCHE, and WALKER and corvette MALLOW joined the convoy and escorted it Liverpool, arriving on the 29th.