Monday, 3 February

Minesweeping trawler ARCTIC TRAPPER (352grt, T/Skipper L. M. Harvey RNR) was sunk by German bombing off Ramsgate.

Harvey, T/A/Lt R. S. Meirick RNVR, fifteen ratings were lost on the trawler.

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Convoy OB.282 departed Liverpool, escorted by destroyers ACHATES, ANTELOPE, ANTHONY, GEORGETOWN, sloop FLEETWOOD, corvette HEATHER, anti-submarine trawlers AYRSHIRE and LADY MADELEINE. On the 5th, trawler LADY MADELEINE was detached. Corvette PICOTEE joined on the 6th. Destroyers ACHATES, ANTELOPE, ANTHONY, sloop FLEETWOOD, trawler AYRSHIRE were detached on the 7th. On the 8th destroyer GEORGETOWN and corvette HEATHER were detached when the convoy dispersed.

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Convoy FS.403 departed Methil, and arrived at Southend on the 5th.

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Motor anti-submarine boat MA/SB.12 was mined off Milford Haven. The boat sank in tow on the 6th.

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Naval drifter MIDAS (89grt, Skipper H. Holden RNR) was sunk in a collision off Dungeness.

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Destroyer WILD SWAN, corvette ANEMONE, minesweeper FITZROY departed Loch Ewe for Londonderry for refuelling.

Destroyer WILD SWAN and corvette ANEMONE joined destroyers WITCH and MONTGOMERY, corvettes CAMPANULA, PERIWINKLE, PIMPERNEL to escort convoy HX.105.

The destroyers were detached en route to escort convoy OB.281.

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U.107 sank British steamer EMPIRE CITIZEN (4683grt/总吨位), from convoy OB.279, in 58-12N, 23-22.

Of sixty nine crew, two gunners, twelve passengers, only four crew and one gunner were rescued.

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U.107 badly damaged Ocean boarding vessel CRISPIN (5051grt, A/Commander B. Moloney DSO RNR), after being detached from convoy OB.280, in 56-54N, 20-22.

The armed boarding vessel had been detached from the convoy with armed yacht PHILANTE, corvette ARBUTUS, British steamer COPELAND (1526grt/总吨位).

Moloney, T/Lt B. . Freeman RNVR, Midshipman R. H. Holmes RNR, T/A/Sub Lt (E) . Mulcahy RNVR, T/Lt (E) N. B. Smith-Cross, Lt Cdr S. T. Whiteside RNR, thirteen ratings were missing and one rating was killed.

Lt G. L. Fraser RNR, RAF flight officers G. Henderson and R. . G. Holdsworth were wounded on the vessel.

The vessel sank on the 4th.

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British steamer DIONE II (2660grt/总吨位) in convoy SC.20 was damaged by German bombing in 55-40N, 14-23.

The steamer was sunk the next day in a submarine attack.

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British steamer CALYX (212grt/总吨位) was damaged on a mine eight miles northeast of Bar Light Vessel.

The steamer arrived at Liverpool on the 3rd with engine damage.

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During the night of 3/4 February, minefield RUGEN was laid by German minelayers TANNENBERG and BRUMMER, escorted by the 1st and 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla and torpedo boat FALKE off the Norwegian coast.

Same force composition as minefield began on 26 January.

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Convoy AS.14 of six ships, two of which were British, departed Piraeus escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY and corvettes SALVIA and HYACINTH.

Destroyers VAMPIRE and VENDETTA relieved the corvettes on the 4th, and arrived at Alexandria with cruiser COVENTRY and destroyer VAMPIRE on the 6th. The Port Said section was escorted by destroyer VENDETTA which arrived at Alexandria on the 7th.

Destroyer VENDETTA, en route from Port Said to Alexandria, developed a mechanical defect requiring ten days to repair.

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Convoy ASF.14 of British steamers LANARKSHIRE, ETHIOPIA, PORT HALIFAX departed Piraeus escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA and destroyers HASTY and DAINTY, and arrived at Alexandria on the 6th.

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On the 1st, Italian steamers MULTEDO (1130grt/总吨位), GIOVINEZZA (2362grt/总吨位), UTILITAS (5342grt/总吨位) departed Benghazi for Tripoli escorted by torpedo boats CIGNO and CENTAURO.

Italian steamer MULTEDO was lost in the Gulf of Sirte in probably a marine assident. Attacks by submarine TRUANT did not account for the loss. Three torpedoes fired by submarine TRUANT missed steamers GIOVENEZZA and UTILITAS.

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A Swordfish of 815 Squadron from Maleme forced landed on Antikythera Island. Lt A. . B. Drayson and Lt J. A. Caldecott-Smith were uninjured.

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British steamer DERWENTHALL (4934grt/总吨位) was damaged by a mine in the Suez Canal.

The steamer sustained no casualties.

The rudder was blown off. The steamer arrived at Suez on 28 March in tow. Steamer DERWENTHALL was towed to Calcutta for repairs.

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Heavy cruisers NORFOLK and DORSETSHIRE departed Freetown to search for German armed merchant cruiser KORMORAN.

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Convoy HX.107 departed Halifax, escorted by armed merchant cruiser LACONIA and corvettes MAYFLOWER and SNOWBERRY. The corvettes were detached the next day and the armed merchant cruiser on the 16th. On the 17th, corvette HOLLYHOCK joined the convoy. On the 18th, destroyer SABRE joined the escort and on the 20th, destroyers ARROW and WANDERER and corvette NASTURTIUM joined. Destroyers ARROW, SABRE, WANDERER and corvettes HOLLYHOCK and NASTURTIUM were detached on the 20th, and arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.