Tuesday, 11 February

Monitor EREBUS, escorted by destroyers QUORN, EGLINTON and one other, bombarded Ostend between 0100 and 0140 in Operation PX.

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Convoy OB.285 departed Liverpool, escorted by destroyers ARROW, BLYSKAWICA, MISTRAL and anti-submarine trawlers DANEMAN and ST APOLLO. Destroyer BLYSKAWICA was detached on 13 January. Most of the other escorts were detached prior to dispersal on the 17th when only destroyer MISTRAL was still with the convoy.

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Submarine SNAPPER ( Lt G.V. Prowse) was sunk by German minesweepers M.2, M.13, M.25 southwest of Ushant in 47-52N, 5-47 after SNAPPER fired torpedoes at the minesweepers.

Prowse, Lt E. B. Talbot, Lt E. A. E. Ashby RNR, Sub Lt G. M. H. Alston, Warrant Engineer D. P. Halloran, thirty seven ratings were lost with the submarine.

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British steamer ICELAND (1236grt/总吨位), a straggler from convoy HG.53, was sunk by German heavy cruiser ADMIRAL HIPPER in 37-03N, 19-50.

The crew was taken prisoner.

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Minelayer PLOVER laid minefield ZME.16 in the Irish Sea.

This series continued in February with the minelayer laying ZME.17 on the 15th, ZME.18 on the 18th, ZME.19 on the 21st, ZME.20 on the 24th. This series continued in March and April.

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British trawler JOHN DUNKIN (202grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing 13 miles N by E of Buckie. One crewman was lost.

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British trawler EAMONT (227grt/总吨位) was badly damaged by German bombing in 58-15N, 3-26.

The crew of ten were all rescued.

The trawler dragged ashore in bad weather on the 12th and broke in two.

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British steamer CANTICK HEAD (488grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing thirty miles northwest of Kinnaird Head.

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British steamer JAMAICA PRODUCER (5464grt/总吨位) was chased by a German submarine in 59-25N, 9-07.

Destroyer JACKAL was sent to assist her.

No damage was done to the steamer.

Destroyer BURNHAM was sent to search for the submarine in 59-25N, 9-07.

Destroyer BURNHAM was unable to locate the submarine. She left the area to join the escort of convoy HX.106.

Destroyer JACKAL after an unsuccessful search proceeded to Skaalefjord.

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Force H arrived at Gibraltar after RESULT.

Italian Admiral Iachino, which had been at sea with considerable forces, was misled by aerial reports which mistook French convoys for Force H. Force H had escaped undamaged.

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Destroyers ILEX and HERO departed Alexandria for exercises.

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Destroyer HEREWARD was sent from Tobruk to Alexandria to collect the advance clearance party for Operation SHELFORD, the clearance of Benghazi harbour.

The destroyer arrived at Alexandria at 0100, collected the personnel and the stores from armed boarding vessel FIONA and departed at 0430

Destroyer DECOY left Tobruk with minesweeping trawlers ARTHUR CAVANAGH and MILFORD COUNTESS for Benghazi.

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Submarine TRIUMPH departed Malta on a special operation.

The operation was cancelled on the 13th and the submarine was recalled.

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Submarine TRUANT made two unsuccessful attacks against Italian stamer BAINSIZZA in 33-36N, 12-53E and 33-46N, 12-57E.

The steamer had departed Tripoli at 0830/11th for Palermo and Naples with SABAUDIA, MOTIA, UTILITAS, escorted by escort ship DEFFENU and torpedo boat MISSORI. After the attacks, the convoy returned to Tripoli until 2330 that night.

The remainder of the convoy's passage was uneventful.

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Submarine UNIQUE unsuccessfully attacked German steamer ANKARA arriving in convoy (see entry 8 February) off Tripoli.

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Naval whaler SOUTHERN FLOE (344grt, T/Lt J. E. J. Lewis, SARNVR) was sunk on a mine off Tobruk.

Lewis, T/Sub Lt D. N. Walton, SARNVR, T/Sub Lt A. E. Fairley, SARNVR, T/Sub Lt I. M. Innes, SARNVR, all but one rating, which was later picked up by destroyer VOYAGER, were lost with the whaler.

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French large destroyer TERRIBLE departed Toulon and arrived at Oran on the 12th. She departed on the 14th and arrived at Casablanca on the 15th. The destroyer went on and joined Force Y at Dakar, arriving on the 25th, replacing large destroyer AUDACIEUX which was damaged on 23 September during MENACE.

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Destroyer THRACIAN and minelayer MAN YEUNG laid mines in the approaches to Hong Kong.