Wednesday, 2 October

Destroyer TARTAR departed Scapa Flow at 1200 for Devonport for refitting, and arrived at 1700/4th.

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Destroyer MATABELE departed Kirkwall at 1300 to search for a German submarine reported at 1130, seven miles 360° from Lossiemouth. She was recalled to Scapa Flow on the 3rd and arrived at 1420.

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Destroyer BULLDOG departed Sheerness at 0740 for Rosyth to join the Home Fleet temporarily.

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British floating mines were still being destroyed west of the Orkneys and Shetlands on this date, preventing the carrying out of anti-submarine exercises in the normal area.

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Convoy OA.223 departed Methil escorted by sloop SANDWICH. Corvette HEARTSEASE joined on the 6th and both were detached later that day.

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Convoy FN.297 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers VALOROUS and WOLSEY. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 4th.

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Convoy FS.298 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers WALLACE and WATCHMAN. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 4th.

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In a raid on German shipping in Bjorne Fjord by the British 801 Squadron from Hatston, a Skua was shot down and S/Lt A. Hartoch and Naval Airman E. J. Adlam were killed.

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U.32 sank steamer KAYESON (4606grt/总吨位) in 51?12N, 24?22. The entire crew was rescued.

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Steamer LATYMER (2218grt/总吨位) in convoy HG.44 was sunk by German bombing in 51?20N, 10?30, four miles west of Skelligs.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURACOA arrived at Scapa Flow at 0400 after escorting convoy WN.19 F. She departed Scapa Flow at 1230 to cover convoy HX.74 A. The convoy was attacked by German bombers which dropped two torpedoes, but both torpedoes missed. Steamer TREHATA (4817grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing off Peterhead in convoy HX.74 A. CURACOA arrived back at Scapa Flow that evening.

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Destroyers HAVOCK and HASTY, returning to Alexandria from convoy AN 4 escort, sank Italian submarine BERRILO south of Crete in 33?09N, 26?24E. Forty five crew were rescued. HASTY and HAVOCK joined the Main Fleet at noon on the 2nd and proceeded to Alexandria.

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Early on the 2nd, light cruisers ORION and SYDNEY bombarded Maltezana in Stampalia. The ships arrived back at Alexandria on the 3rd.

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The British Mediterranean Fleet arrived back at Alexandria.

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Heavy cruiser DEVONSHIRE (Flagship Vice Admiral John Cunningham) with destroyers FAULKNOR, FORESIGHT, FURY, ESCAPADE departed Freetown for Duala, Cameroons arriving on the 4th with Dutch liner WESTERNLAND (16, 469grt/总吨位), carrying 1564 tons, French sloops COMMANDANT DOMINE and COMMANDANT DUBOC. When agreement could not be reached between De Gaulle and the British command on operations, the destroyers returned to Freetown.

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Heavy cruiser HAWKINS arrived at Durban for refitting completed on 16 November.

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Convoy BS.5 A departed Port Sudan, escorted by armed boarding vessel CHAKDINA and sloops FLAMINGO and INDUS. The convoy was dispersed off Aden on the 6th.