Tuesday, 4 February

The 1st Minelaying Squadron with minelayers SOUTHERN PRINCE, AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS, PORT QUEBEC departed Loch Alsh on the 4th to lay minefield SN.7A, escorted by destroyers BRIGHTON, LANCASTER, ST ALBANS, CHARLESTOWN.

Light cruiser NIGERIA was the escort for the operation.

Battleship RODNEY and destroyers INGLEFIELD, ELECTRA, ECHO, BRILLIANT departed at 2105 from Scapa Flow to cover.

En route to the operation, minelayer MENESTHEUS exploded a mine nearby damaging her engines. This mine was twenty miles off the western end of minefield SN.3. There was no hull damage and no casualties.

Minelayer MENESTHEUS was taken in tow by minelayer AGAMEMNON and arrived at Loch Alsh at 1115/7th.

The mines were laid on the 6th.

Battleship RODNEY, light cruiser NIGERIA, destroyers INGLEFIELD, ECHO, ELECTRA, BRILLIANT arrived at Scapa Flow at 1530/7th.

————

Minelayer TEVIOTBANK, escorted by destroyer MEYNELL, departed Immingham on the 3rd. The minelayer laid minefield BS.50 off the East coast of England on the 4th.

This operation had been cancelled several times prior due to weather. The operation was first attempted on 18 January, when the minelayer and destroyer IMPULSIVE departed Immingham. Bad weather forced cancellation and the minelayer arrived at Rosyth and the destroyer returned to Immingham. On 24 January, minelayer TEVIOTBANK, escorted by destroyer WITHERINGTON, departed, but again was forced to return. On 30 January, the minelayer, escorted by destroyer QUORN, was forced to turn back from Spurn Point due to weather.

————

Polish destroyer PIORUN departed Scapa Flow for Greenock at 1100 to form part of the escort for convoy WS.6.

The destroyer arrived at 2000/5th.

————

Convoy FN.399 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers HOLDERNESS and WOOLSTON. Corvette SNAPDRAGON joined on the 6th, and arrived at Methil on the 6th.

————

Convoy FN.400 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers VANITY, VORTIGERN, WORCESTER, and arrived at Methil on the 6th.

————

Naval drifter IMBAT (92grt/总吨位) was sunk in a collision at Scapa Flow.

————

Minesweepers KELLETT and LEDA collided at Aberdeen.

There was very minor damage to minesweeper KELLETT.

Minesweeper LEDA was repaired at Leith from 4 February to 9 June.

————

British steamer GWYNWOOD (1177grt/总吨位) was sunk by a parachute mine in the Humber anchorage.

Nine crew and two gunners were lost.

————

U.52 sank Norwegian steamer RINGHORN (1298grt/总吨位) in 55-46N, 22-36.

Fourteen crew were lost. Five crew were rescued.

————

U.93 sank British steamer DIONE II (2660grt/总吨位), which was straggling behind convoy SC.20, in 55-50N, 10-30.

Only one crewman was rescued.

————

U.123 sank British steamer EMPIRE ENGINEER (5358grt/总吨位), which was last seen 2 February straggling behind convoy SC.20, west of Ireland.

————

Greek steamer CALATATIS (4443grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in 56-27N, 13-40.

Eighteen crew were missing from the steamer.

————

British troopship ULSTER PRINCE (3791grt/总吨位) and steamer DEVIS (6054grt/总吨位) departed Alexandria at noon with troops from Tobruk.

When news of aerial mining of Tobruk Harbour was received, the ships were recalled to Alexandria.

————

As there were no magnetic minesweepers available for Tobruk, Corvettes PEONY, GLOXINIA, SALVIA, HYACINTH were recalled to Alexandria from the Kithera Patrol for refitting for L. L. sweeping.

Corvettes SALVIA and HYACINTH arrived at Alexandria on the 5th. The other two corvettes arrived the next day.

————

Submarine TRUANT attacked Italian steamer CALINO (5186grt/总吨位) was the steamer was departing Benghasi Harbour, escorted by torpedo boat LA FARINO. No damage was done.

————

Greek steamer AGHIOS GEORGIOS (3283grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine in the Suez Canal.

Two crew were killed and one was missing.

The wreck was removed to clear the canal.

————

Australian troop convoy US.9 departed Sydney with troopships AQUITANIA (44,786grt/总吨位), MAURETANIA (35,739grt/总吨位), NIEUW AMSTERDAM (36,287grt/总吨位), QUEEN MARY (81,235grt/总吨位).

From 4 to 6 February, Australian light cruiser HOBART escorted the convoy from Sydney to Fremantle.

On the 12th, the convoy departed Fremantle escorted by Australian heavy cruiser CANBERRA.

On the 16th, liner QUEEN MARY was detached to Singapore.

Off Colombo on the 20th, heavy cruiser CANBERRA was relieved by New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER.