Saturday, 7 December

Destroyer SABRE, returning to Londonderry after escorting convoy SC.13, was damaged by heavy seas northwest of Ireland.

Destroyer SABRE was repaired at Belfast completing on 18 January.

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Convoy OB.255 departed Liverpool escorted by corvette ARBUTUS. The convoy was joined the next day by destroyers CHELSEA, COTTESMORE, VERITY, VETERAN, WOLVERINE and corvette CAMELLIA. Corvette ARBUTUS was detached on the 8th and the rest of the escort on the 10th.

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Convoy FN.353 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer VORTIGERN and sloop EGRET. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 9th.

Convoy FN.354 did not sail.

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Minelayers SOUTHERN PRINCE, MENESTHEUS, PORT QUEBEC, AGAMEMNON laid minefield SN.10 A, east of Iceland at Seidisfjord and from the northern end of the Faroes - Iceland minefield, escorted by destroyers BATH, KEPPEL, DOUGLAS, ST ALBANS during the night of 7/8 December.

Battlecruiser REPULSE, light cruiser ARETHUSA, destroyers SOMALI, MASHONA, ESKIMO, BEDOUIN were at sea to cover this operation.

The REPULSE group arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1450/10th.

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Anti-aircraft cruiser CURACOA transferred to convoy EN.37 for escort to Pentland Firth.

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A northerly gale at Scapa Flow interfered with the exercises and delayed undocking of Destroyer BRADFORD.

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Destroyer BROADWAY was damaged in a collision with an unknown ship at Scapa Flow.

Destroyer BROADWAY departed Scapa Flow at 1530/9th en route to Hull. The destroyer arrived in the Humber at 1805/11th and began repairs completed on 7 January.

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Submarine SUNFISH damaged Norwegian tanker DIXIE (1715grt/总吨位) in 62-10N, 5-05E.

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British steamer YEWARCH (827grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing off Dudgeon Buoy, Humber.

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British steamer HERTFORD (10,923grt/总吨位) was damaged by a mine in 35?30S, 135?25E, west of Kangaroo Island, near Adelaide.

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Minesweeping trawler CAPRICORNUS (219grt, T/Skipper B. J. Savage RNR) was sunk by a mine two miles 94° from Nore Light Vessel.

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Minesweeping trawler CORTINA (213grt, T/Skipper T. A. Phillipson RNR) was sunk in a collision off the Humber.

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U.99 sank Dutch steamer FARMSUN (5237grt/总吨位), a straggler from convoy OB.252, in 52?11N, 22?56.

Eleven crew were killed and one missing on the steamer. Four crew later died. Destroyer AMBUSCADE later picked up fifteen survivors and arrived with them at Greenock on the 21st.

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U.65 refuelled at sea from German supply ship NORDMARK.

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Battleship RAMILLIES, aircraft carrier ARGUS, troopship FRANCONIA (20,175grt/总吨位), destroyers KELVIN, ECLIPSE, WRESTLER, VELOX departed Gibraltar to join Aircraft carrier FURIOUS and anti-aircraft cruiser DIDO, returning from Takoradi, in 37?50N, 17?30.

After the rendezvous, destroyer VELOX returned to Gibraltar and the other ships went on to England.

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Submarine TRIUMPH arrived at Gibraltar after patrol eastwards of the Straits.

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Anti-aircraft ship CALCUTTA arrived at Alexandria after covering convoy AS.6.

Light cruiser GLOUCESTER and heavy cruiser YORK arrived at Alexandria after covering convoys.

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Monitor TERROR, gunboat LADYBIRD, minesweeper BAGSHOT departed Alexandria as Force A for Mersa Matruh.

The monitor and gunboats operated supported by destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, NUBIAN during the night of 8/9 December.

Monitor TERROR and gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Sidi Barrani.

Gunboat APHIS bombarded Maktila.

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German raider KOMET sank Norwegian steamer VINNI (5181grt/总吨位) five miles south of Nauru Island in South Pacific.

There were no casualties on the Norwegian steamer.

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Submarine REGULUS (Lt Cdr F.B. Currie), which departed on patrol on 23 November, was declared lost after failing to return from a patrol in the Straits of Otranto.

Lt Cdr Currie, Lt Sir G. P. G. Muntz, Lt O. C. Round, Lt A. M. Green, Warrant Engineer . R. Fielden, the fifty ratings of the crew were lost with REGULUS.

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Convoy SL.58 departed Freetown escorted by heavy cruiser KENT, returning to England for repairs, to 23 December, sloop BRIDGEWATER to 8 December, anti-submarine trawler TURCOMAN to 9 December.

On the 23rd, destroyers KELVIN and KIPLING joined the convoy for the day and escorted the heavy cruiser to Plymouth. Destroyer SHIKARI joined on the 24th. On the 25th, destroyer BROKE, corvettes ANEMONE, HELIOTROPE, LA MALOUINE, anti-submarine trawlers ST KENAN and ST ZENO joined. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 28th.

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Convoy SLS.58 departed Freetown escorted by anti-submarine trawlers KELt and SPANIARD to 9 December.

Ocean boarding vessel MARSDALE was involved in the escort of the convoy.

On the 29th destroyers HARVESTER and HIGHLANDER joined the convoy for the day only. Also on the 29th, sloop WELLINGTON joined and was detached on the 31st. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 2 January.