Tuesday, 8 October

Anti-aircraft cruiser CURACOA departed Rosyth at 0830 to overtake convoy OA.226 and give them anti-aircraft cover until midnight. She then proceeded to Scapa Flow arriving at 0720/9th.

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Light cruiser DUNEDIN departed Greenock after refitting there in September and October.

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Destroyer MASHONA departed Greenock after refitting at 1840. She arrived at Scapa Flow at 1630/9th.

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Destroyer ESKIMO sank a floating British mine in 59-07N, 3-56 at 1200 in the Fleet exercise area.

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Convoy OA.226 departed Methil escorted by sloop ABERDEEN and corvette PRIMROSE from 8 to 11 October. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy OB.226.

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Convoy FN.303 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers VEGA and VIMIERA. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 10th.

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Convoy FS.304 departed Methil, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON and sloop BLACK SWAN. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 10th.

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Submarine TRIDENT and U.31 were in a gun duel in the Bay of Biscay. TRIDENT missed U.31 with torpedoes, but hit the German submarine with gunfire, doing minor damage.

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Minesweeper KELLET was damaged in a collision with the West Pier at Granton. She repaired at Rosyth in October.

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Gunboat LOCUST struck a mine three and a half cables north of N. . Shingles Beacon, and was seriously damaged. She was able to proceed under her own power until weather deteriorated when she was taken in tow. LOCUST repaired at Tilbury, completing on 7 January 1941.

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U.58 badly damaged steamer CONFIELD (4956grt/总吨位), a straggler from convoy HX.76, in 56?48N, 10?17, and then sank her before noon on the 9th. One crewman was lost.

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Steamer BELLONA II (840grt/总吨位) was hit by German bombing four miles east of Gourdon, Kincardineshire, then went ashore at Streathlethan Bay, south of Stonehaven. Six crew and three cargo workers were lost.

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Troopship ORONSAY (20, 043grt/总吨位) of convoy WS 3 was damaged by German bombing 56?00N, 10?00, and forced to leave the convoy, escorted by armed merchant cruiser CHESHIRE and destroyers ARROW and OTTAWA. ORONSAY was joined by anti-aircraft cruiser CAIRO which took her safely into Lough Foyle.

Destroyer SABRE departed Londonderry to join the damaged troopship. CAIRO, armed merchant cruiser CHESHIRE, destroyers DOUGLAS, VISCOUNT and SABRE escorted the troopship to the Clyde arriving at 0937 on the 9th. Destroyer VERITY was also signalled to escort ORONSAY, but was unable to join.

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US Destroyer Divisions 68 and 71 destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend Lease.

US Name

British Name

Commanding Officer

USS SATTERLEE (DD.190)

HMS BELMONT

Cdr P J Fitzgerald Rtd

USS MASON (DD.191)

HMS BROADWATER

Cdr C H de H Bell RD RNR

USS HUNT (DD.194)

HMS BROADWAY

Lt Cdr T Taylor

USS BRANCH (DD.197)

HMS BEVERLEY

Cdr E F Fitzgerald Rtd

USS AULICK (DD.258)

HMS BURNHAM

Lt Cdr J Bostock

USS LAUB (DD.263)

HMS BURWELL

Lt Cdr S.R J Woods RNR

USS MCLANAHAN (DD.264)

HMS BRADFORD

(Lt Cdr M. T. Collier)

USS EDWARDS (DD.256)

HMS BUXTON

(Lt Cdr The Earl Beatty (Emgcy)

On 15 October, BEVERLEY, BELMONT, BROADWAY, BROADWATER, BURNHAM and BRADFORD departed St Johns and arrived at the Clyde on the 26th going on to Plymouth arriving on 28 and 29 October.

BUXTON departed with the group, but had to return with defects arriving at St Johns on the 16th, and did not make the Atlantic crossing until September 1941 after a major refitting at Boston. BURWELL departed after the rest of her group and arrived at Devonport on 11 November.

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Convoy HX.79 departed Halifax at 1330 escorted by Canadian destroyer SAGUENAY and auxiliary patrol boats FRENCH and REINDEER. Convoy commodore was on steamer SALACIA (5495grt/总吨位). Patrol boat FRENCH departed convoy at dusk and destroyer SAGUENAY departed convoy at 1400/9th.

Ocean escort was armed merchant cruiser MONTCLARE and Dutch submarine O.14, which were detached on the 18th. Armed merchant cruiser ALAUNIA later supplemented escort. After the convoy duty, O.14 arrived at Rothesay on the 29th.

On 19 October, destroyers STURDY and WHITEHALL, escort ship JASON, corvettes ARABIS, COREOPSIS, HIBISCUS, anti-submarine trawlers BLACKFLY and LADY ELSA joined the convoy. The escort ship and the trawlers were with the convoy only on the 19th. Destroyer SARDONYX joined on the 20th. Corvette COREOPSIS was detached on the 22nd. The convoy arrived at Liverpool 23 October.

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German armed merchant cruiser THOR sank steamer NATIA (8715grt/总吨位) in the South Atlantic at 00?44N, 32?12. Two crew were lost, eighty three crew and the naval gunner were made prisoners of war.

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German trawler HECHT (222grt/总吨位) was sunk by enemy action.

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During the night of 8/9 October, German torpedo boats GREIF, SEEADLER, KONDOR, FALKE, WOLF and JAGUAR operated off the Isle of Wight.

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The British Mediterranean Fleet with battleships WARSPITE, VALIANT, MALAYA, RAMILLIES, aircraft carriers EAGLE and ILLUSTRIOUS, heavy cruiser YORK, light cruisers LIVERPOOL and GLOUCESTER of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, light cruisers ORION, AJAX, SYDNEY of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, destroyers HYPERION, HAVOCK, HERO, HEREWARD, HASTY, ILEX, IMPERIAL of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, DAINTY, DECOY, DEFENDER of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, JERVIS, NUBIAN, JUNO, JANUS of the 14th Destroyer Flotilla departed Alexandria to cover Malta bound convoy MF 3 (Operation MB 6) of British steamers MEMNON (7506grt/总吨位), LANARKSHIRE (11, 275grt/总吨位), CLAN MACAULEY (10, 492grt/总吨位), CLAN FERGUSON (7347grt/总吨位) escorted by anti-aircraft cruisers CALCUTTA and COVENTRY and VOYAGER, STUART, WATERHEN, WRYNECK.

At 0524 on the 9th, NUBIAN made a submarine contact in 35-11N, 27-20E and HYPERION reported a torpedo at the end of its run near MALAYA.

On 9 October, light cruiser LIVERPOOL and destroyer DIAMOND, which had been delayed in leaving Alexandria, joined the Main Fleet.

Submarines TRIAD, ROVER, PROTEUS, RAINBOW, REGENT and PARTHIAN were at sea to cover the operation.

The Italian Fleet status at that time at Taranto were in the 1st Squadron, 9th Division, battleships LITTORIO and VENETO; 5th Division, battleships CESARE and CAVOUR; 6th Division, battleship DUILO; 1st Cruiser Division, heavy cruisers POLA, ZARA, GORIZIA, FIUME; 7th Cruiser Division, light cruisers EUGENIO, MONTECUCCOLI, AOSTA, ATTENDOLO; 8th Cruiser Division, light cruisers ABRUZZI and GARIBALDI.

At Messina was the 4th Cruiser Division, light cruisers DIAZ and GIUSSANNO. Under repair were light cruisers BANDE NERE, CARDONA at Spezia, and DI BARBIANO at Pola.

Four Italian battleships and their covering forces were at sea during the passage of Convoy MF 3.

On 10 October, destroyers JERVIS, JUNO, ILEX were sent ahead of the fleet to investigate a submarine contact reported by aircraft.

At 1715 on the 10th, battleship RAMILLIES and destroyer NUBIAN, HERO, HEREWARD were detached to refuel at Malta. At 1800, destroyers HYPERION, HASTY, ILEX were also detached to refuel.

Destroyer DEFENDER attacked a submarine contact at 1825.

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Heavy cruiser SHROPSHIRE arrived at Aden and joined the Red Sea Force. In December, she returned to the East Indies Command.

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Australian light cruiser ADELAIDE arrived back at Sydney from Noumea, having departed on the 5th.