Monday, 6 January

Due to suspected raider D/F signals, battlecruiser REPULSE with destroyers BEDOUIN, ELECTRA, ESCAPADE departed Scapa Flow at 0401 to cover convoy HX.99.

Destroyer MASHONA setting out on this sortie collided with destroyer SIKH at buoy at Scapa Flow.

The destroyer was unable to proceed and was taken to West Hartlepool for docking on the 9th.

Destroyer SIKH was docked at Scapa Flow for temporary repairs. The destroyer departed Scapa Flow for the Tyne on the 18th, escorted by destroyer PUNJABI but was forced to return due to a snow storm. The destroyer sailed again at 1000/20th escorted by destroyer WHITSHED and arrived in the Tyne at noon on the 21st. Destroyer WHITSHED continued to Chatham to return to the Nore Command.

Light cruisers MANCHESTER and EDINBURGH departed Scapa Flow at 0401 and proceeded to position 63N, 04.

Armed merchant cruisers CHITRAL, LETITIA, WOLFE, CILICIA at sea were advised of the signals. Armed merchant cruisers CHITRAL and LETITIA returned to the Denmark Strait.

Later this day, destroyers NAPIER and PIORUN and armed merchant cruisers CHITRAL and LETITIA refuelled at Reykjavik. When refuelling was completed, the destroyers escorted the cruisers to the Minches. The destroyers arrived back at Scapa Flow after this duty on the 11th.

Battlecruiser RENOWN and destroyers BEDOUIN, ESCAPADE, ELECTRA arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1940/7th.

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Destroyer BRILLIANT departed Scapa Flow at 0110 for Greenock to join destroyer BEAGLE in the escort of convoy WS.5B.

Destroyer BRILLIANT arrived at Greenock at 1700.

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Destroyer SOMALI arrived at Scapa Flow from Rosyth following repairs to her gun shield.

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Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA departed Scapa Flow to escort convoy WN.64 from the Pentland Firth to moonset.

The ship arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1000/7th.

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Convoy FN.377 departed Southend, and arrived at Methil on the 8th.

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Tug LION (87grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine two and a half cables 320° from No. 5 Medway Buoy.

All crew were lost.

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British trawler GADRA (219grt/总吨位) was sunk on a British mine one and a half miles off Myling Head, Faroes.

Seven crew of a ten man crew were lost.

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Aircraft carrier EAGLE with four destroyers departed Alexandria for flying exercises.

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Light cruisers GLOUCESTER and SOUTHAMPTON embarked twenty five officers and 484 other ranks of Army and RAF for Malta.

The light cruisers and destroyers ILEX and JANUS departed Alexandria at 1315.

This group was designated Group B for Operation MC.4.

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The 9th Italian Destroyer Division of destroyers ALFIERI, CARDUCCI, FULMINE, GIOBERTI and the 14th Torpedo Boat Division of torpedo boats PARTENOPE, PALLADE, ROMEDA, ALTAIR shelled Greek positions at Porto Palmermo in Albania.

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U.124 sank British steamer EMPIRE THUNDER (5965grt/总吨位) in 59-14N, 12-43.

Nine crew were lost.

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Greek steamer ANTONIS (3729grt/总吨位) was sunk by German raider KORMORAN at 8-17N, 23-32.

The entire crew was made prisoners of war.

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Heavy cruiser NORFOLK, which departed the UK on 18 December for the South Atlantic, was attached to the South Atlantic Command.

The heavy cruiser was involved immediately in searching for the German raider KORMORAN on the SL.convoy route.

Heavy cruiser DEVONSHIRE was searching for the armed merchant cruiser at the last known position.

This search continued until 29 January.

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Convoy HX.101 departed Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser AUSONIA, corvette COLLNGWOOD, patrol vessel OTTER. The corvette and the patrol vessel were detached the next day.

Convoy BHX.101 departed Bermuda on the 3rdescorted by ocean escort armed merchant cruiser RAJPUTANA. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy HX.101 on the 9th and the armed merchant cruiser was detached.

On the 17th, the armed merchant cruiser was detached and destroyer AMBUSCADE, corvettes AUBRETIA, HEARTSEASE, HOLLYHOCK, anti-submarine trawlers ANGLE, DANEMAN, LADY LILLIAN joined. Corvette AUBRETIA and the three anti-submarine trawlers were detached later that day. Destroyer AMBUSCADE was detached on the 20th, corvette HOLLYHOCK on the 21st, corvette HEARTSEASE on the 22nd, and arrived at Liverpool on the 22nd.

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German tanker NORDMARK replenished German heavy cruiser ADMIRAL SCHEER at sea.

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New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER departed escort of convoy BN.12 and took over convoy BS.12 in the Red Sea.

Convoy BS.12 arrived at Aden on the 11th.

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New Zealand light cruiser ACHILLES departed Auckland escorting British steamer EMPRESS OF RUSSIA (16,810grt/总吨位) to Fiji.

They arrived on the 9th. The light cruiser departed Fiji on the 10th to return to Auckland.