Monday, 11 November

Destroyer VEGA, escorting convoy FS.332, was mined off Sunk Head Buoy. She was taken in tow by British tug ST MELLONS and taken to Harwich.

Destroyer VEGA was taken to the Humber on the 17th for repair. She departed the Humber on 2 July 1941 by British tug STALWART for Sheerness arriving on 3 July.

Destroyer VEGA was repairing until 14 November 1942.

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Destroyer SOMALI (D.6) departed Scapa Flow at midnight 11/12 November for boiler cleaning and repairs at Rosyth.

The destroyer arrived at Rosyth at 1130/12th.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURACOA arrived at Scapa Flow at 1030 after escorting convoy EN.22 to Pentland Firth.

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Convoy OB.242 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WANDERER, WARWICK, WILD SWAN and corvettes CYCLAMEN and HIBISCUS. Destroyers WANDERER and WILD SWAN and corvette CYCLAMEN were detached that day. On the 12th, destroyer CLARE joined the convoy and remained with it until 14 November when she was detached with destroyer WARWICK. The corvettes GARDENIA and NASTURTIUM were with the convoy only on the 13th.

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Convoy FN.332 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer VIVIEN and sloop LONDONDERRY. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 14th.

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Convoy FS.333 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers EGLINTON and WATCHMAN. The convoy arrived off Southend on the 13th.

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German bombers attacked convoy EN.23/WN 34 at 1352, 1745, 1751, 1802, 1834.

Convoy WN.34 was being covered by anti-aircraft ship ALYNBANK which also provided cover to convoy EN.23.

British steamer TREBARTHA (4597grt/总吨位) in convoy EN.23 was sunk by German bombing four miles southeast of Aberdeen.

Four crew were lost on the British steamer.

British steamer CREEMUIR (3997grt/总吨位) in convoy EN.23 was sunk at 1751 by German bombing ten miles southeast of Aberdeen.

Twenty six crew and the naval gunner were lost with the steamer.

British steamer HARLAW (1141grt/总吨位) in convoy WN.34 was damaged by German bombing off Aberdeen.

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British steamer BALMORE (1925grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in 52?00N, 17?00.

The entire crew of the British steamer was lost.

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British steamer SKARV (158grt/总吨位) was sunk by a mine in Bristol Channel.

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British steamer ARDMORE (1023grt/总吨位) was lost cause unknown on a voyage from Cork to Fishguard.

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German bombers attacked convoys FN.332 and FS.333.

Norwegian steamer RAVNANGER (3371grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing one to one and half miles northeast of No. 20 Buoy, Middlesborough, in Tees Bay.

One crewman was lost on the Norwegian steamer.

British steamers CORSEA (2764grt/总吨位), CORDUFF (2345grt/总吨位), and COLONEL CROMPTON (1495grt/总吨位) in a convoy were damaged by German bombing in Barrow Deep off Middlesborough.

Escorting escort vessel VIVIEN (Lt Cdr F. H. Beattie) shot down one Junkers bomber, sloop LONDONDERRY (Cdr J. S. Dalison) shot down another Junkers bomber, tug ST MELLONS (T/Lt H. L. Forster DSC RNR) shot down a Messerschmidt.

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British steamer PITWINES (932grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing north east of Yarmouth.

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British steamer GRIT (501grt/总吨位) was damaged by mine two hundred yards southwest, south of Margate Buoy.

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Minesweeping trawler STELLA ORION (417grt, Skipper . J. Barlow RNR) was lost on a mine in the Thames Estuary, two cables 262° northwest of Shingles Buoy.

There were no casualties on the trawler.

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British trawler IWATE (314grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing thirty five miles south by west of Old Head of Kinsale.

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Convoy HX.85, which had originally departed on the 1st and was recalled on the 5th, departed Sydney CB, escorted by Canadian auxiliary patrol vessel ELK. The convoy was given ocean escort by Battleship RODNEY and armed merchant cruiser RAJPUTANA, which were detached on the 21st.

On 22 November, destroyers MALCOLM and SABRE and anti-submarine trawlerVIZALMA. The trawler was detached later that day. Corvette HELIOTROPE joined on the 23rd. Corvette CLARKIA joined on the 25th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 25th.

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Destroyers WISHART and WRESTLER departed Gibraltar to rendezvous with aircraft carrier ARGUS and light cruiser DESPATCH arriving from England.

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Destroyers DUNCAN and FORESTER departed Gibraltar to meet battlecruiser RENOWN returning to Gibraltar from escort duties in the Atlantic.

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A Swordfish of 819 Squadron from aircraft carrier ILLUSTRIOUS forced landed near light cruiser GLOUCESTER at 1400. The crew of Sub Lt A. F. Keith, Lt G. R. M. Going, TAG H. Phillips was picked up by GLOUCESTER's whaler and was transferred back to the carrier in the light cruiser's Walrus aircraft. This crash was later found to be due to contaminated fuel.

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FLEET AIR ARM ATTACK ON TARANTO

At Taranto on this date were the following units of the Italian Navy.

Battleships - LITTORIO, VENETO, CESARE, CAVOUR, DUILO (DORIA was refitting).

Heavy cruisers of 1st and 3rd Cruiser Squadrons - ZARA, FIUME, POLA, GORIZIA, BOLZANO, TRENTO, TRIESTE.

Light cruisers of 8th Cruiser Squadron - GARIBALDI and ABRUZZI.

Destroyer Division 7 - FRECCIA, STRALE, DARDO, SAETTA.

Destroyer Division 8 - FOLGORE, BALENO, FULMINE, LAMPO.

Destroyer Division 9 - ALFIERI, GIOBERTI, CARDUCCI, ORIANI.

Destroyer Division 10 - MAESTRALE, LIBECCIO, GRECALE, SCIROCCO.

Destroyer Division 11 - CAMICIA NERA and GENIERE.

Destroyer Division 12 - LANCIERE, CARABINIERI, CORAZZIERE, ASCARI.

Destroyer Division 13 - GRANATIERE, ALPINO, BERSAGLIERE, FUCLIERE.

Destroyer Division 16 - DA RECCO, USODIMARE, PESSAGNO.

The Mediterranean Fleet detached at 1800 aircraft carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, heavy cruisers BERWICK and YORK, light cruisers GLOUCESTER and GLASGOW, destroyers HYPERION, HAVOCK, HASTY, ILEX for operation JUDGMENT, the carrier air strike on the Italian Fleet at Taranto.

Three aircraft from 813 Squadron, nine from 815 Squadron (Lt Cdr N. . Williamson), six from 819 Squadron (Lt Cdr J. . Hale), three from 824 Squadron from Aircraft carrier ILLUSTRIOUS attacked the Italian Fleet at anchor in Taranto Harbour.

Lt Cdr N. . Williamson and Lt N. J. Scarlett of 815 Squadron were shot down and taken prisoner. Lt G. . L. A. Bayly and Lt H. J. Slaughter of the 813 Squadron were killed.

Italian battleship CAVOUR was sunk and LITTORIO and DUILO were damaged.

Heavy cruiser TRENTO was struck by a dud bomb.

Destroyers LIBECCIO and PESSAGNO were damaged by near misses and FULMINE and LANCIERE were attacked but not damaged.

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Light cruisers ORION, AJAX, SYDNEY with destroyers NUBIAN and MOHAWK were detached at 1310 to operate in the Otranto Strait. Twelve miles 315° from Saseno they encountered an Italian convoy of merchant ships ANTONIO LOCATELLI (5691grt/总吨位), CAPO VADO (4391grt/总吨位), CATALANI (2429grt/总吨位), PREMUDA (4427grt/总吨位) escorted by torpedo boat FABRIZI and armed merchant cruiser RAMB III.

All merchant ships were sunk in the engagement by The ships. Torpedo boat FABRIZI was badly damaged by gunfire in an engagement with destroyer MOHAWK.

Armed merchant cruiser RAMB III fired nineteen salvoes and then disengaged undamaged.

Italian motor torpedo boats north of Valona, Cruiser Squadron 7, consisting of light cruisers ATTENDOLO, EUGENIO, AOSTA, the 15th Destroyer Division from Brindisi, Cruiser Squadron 8, consisting of light cruisers ABRUZZI and GARIBALDI, with the 7th and 8th Destroyer Divisions from Taranto hastened to intercept the British forces in Otranto Straits but was unable to make contact.

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French large destroyers GUEPARD and VALMY arrived at Beirut.

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German armed merchant cruiser ATLANTIS captured British steamer AUTOMEDON (7528grt/总吨位) in the Bay of Bengal in 4?19N, 89?24.

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

Seventy five crew, one gunner, twenty one passengers were made prisoners of war.