Friday, 1 November

Destroyer BULLDOG arrived at Greenock at 0930 for convoy WS.4A escort.

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Convoy WS.4A departed the Clyde and Liverpool. This convoy was composed of troopships WARWICK CASTLE (20,445grt/总吨位), STIRLING CASTLE (25,550grt/总吨位), SCYTHIA (19,761grt/总吨位), DUNEDIN STAR (11,168grt/总吨位), HIGHLAND MONARCH (14,137grt/总吨位), PORT WYNDHAM (8580grt/总吨位), CLAN LAMONT (7262grt/总吨位), CLAN CHATTAN (7262grt/总吨位) and steamers CITY OF MANCHESTER (8917grt/总吨位), MARTAND (8000grt/总吨位), DELIUS (6065grt/总吨位), ABOSSO (11,330grt/总吨位), DUCHESS OF RICHMOND (20,022grt/总吨位), ALMANZORA (15,551grt/总吨位), AKAROA (15,130grt/总吨位), MALANCHA (8124grt/总吨位). The convoy was escorted by heavy cruiser CORNWALL and armed merchant cruiser SALOPIAN and given local escort by anti-aircraft cruiser CAIRO and destroyers OTTAWA, SKEENA, SAGUENAY, BEAGLE, BULLDOG, HESPERUS which departed Greenock at 0200/2nd. The convoy was also given local escort by destroyers HURRICANE, HARVESTER, GARLAND which departed Liverpool.

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Destroyer EXMOOR departed the Tyne at 0845 for Rosyth, but was delayed at Rosyth due to mining of the port. She departed Rosyth at 1700/2nd and arrived at Scapa Flow at 0715/3rd.

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Destroyer QUORN departed Scapa Flow at 1030 for Lerwick to escort British troopship ROYAL ULSTERMAN (3244grt/总吨位) to Aberdeen.

Upon arrival at Aberdeen at 1130/2nd, destroyer QUORN proceeded to Rosyth and continued her passage to Sheerness to join the Nore Command.

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Sloop BLACK SWAN, arriving with convoy FN.323, was mined in the Firth of Forth. No one was killed.

The sloop was towed to Rosyth, then to Dundee for repairs completed in mid April.

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Patrol sloop PINTAIL, escorting convoy FS.323 with destroyers WATCHMAN and VERDUN, was badly damaged by German bombing in the Thames Estuary. Her commanding officer Lt Cdr T. H. Hill-Walker, Sub Lt E. C. Hopkins RNVR, eight ratings were killed. Three ratings were wounded.

Sloop PINTAIL was under repair at London until mid February.

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Convoy FS.325 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers VEGA and VIMIERA. The convoy arrived at Southend on 3November.

Convoy FN.326 was cancelled.

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U.124 sank British steamer EMPIRE BISON (5612grt/总吨位), a straggler from convoy HX.82, in 59?30N, 17?40.

Thirty crew and a naval gunner were lost on the steamer.

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British steamer LETCHWORTH (1317grt/总吨位), in convoy FS.22, was sunk by German bombing one cable west by north of Oaze Buoy and one cable south, southwest of Mouse Light Vessel.

One crewman was killed on the British steamer.

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Minesweeping trawler TILBURYNESS (279grt, T/Skipper . S. Hawes RNR) was sunk by German bombing near East Oaze Buoy in the Thames Estuary.

Ten ratings were lost. Anti-aircraft ship ROYAL EAGLE and tug SALVO rescued the survivors.

Auxiliary anti-aircraft ship ROYAL EAGLE (T/Lt Cdr E. F. A. Farrow RNR) shot down a bomber during these air raids in the Thames Estuary.

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British drifter TORBAY II (83grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing off Downs.

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Dutch steamer SANTA LUCIA (379grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine 3.6 miles 44° from Pile Light, Belfast.

Four crew were lost on the Dutch steamer.

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Norwegian steamer HUNDVAAG (690grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine one to two cables west of No. 1 Buoy (former S. Goodwin Lightship).

One crewman was lost on the Norwegian steamer.

This mine was laid by German torpedo boats 29/30 October in minefield designated “ALFRED. ”

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Convoy HX.85 departed Halifax at 1430 escorted by Canadian destroyer ASSINIBOINE and auxiliary patrol vessels FRENCH and ELK.

At 1745, FRENCH departed the convoy and ASSINIBOINE departed the convoy at 1730/2nd.

Convoy BHX.85 departed Bermuda on 30 October escorted by ocean escort armed merchant cruiser AUSONIA. The convoy rendezvoused with HX.85 on the 4th and the armed merchant cruiser was detached.

Ocean escort was armed merchant cruiser RAJPUTANA. With the attack by German heavy cruiser ADMIRAL SCHEER on convoy HX.84, convoy HX.85 was diverted to Sydney CB, where itarrived on the 9th.

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Light cruiser AJAX, which departed Alexandria on 30 October, landed troops of the 2nd Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment at Suda Bay on the 1st.

Light cruiser AJAX was near missed by Italian bombing on the 1st.

Destroyers MOHAWK and NUBIAN examined Navarin Bay.

As the force departed Suda Bay on the 2nd, light cruiser AJAX and anti-aircraft cruisers CALCUTTA and COVENTRY were taken under Italian bombing. Light cruiser AJAX was again near missed.

The ships arrived at Alexandria on the 4th.

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The US Atlantic Fleet was redesignated the Patrol Force, United States Fleet.

This designation remained until 1 February 1941 when the old name US Atlantic Fleet was revived.

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Convoy SLS.54 departed Freetown and arrived at Liverpool on the 26th.