Wednesday, 2 April

Battleship KING GEORGE V, heavy cruiser LONDON, light cruiser DIDO, destroyers SOMALI, BEDOUIN, MATABELE, and MASHONA departed Scapa Flow at 1100 to relieve battlecruiser HOOD and light cruisers NIGERIA and FIJI on the OG/HG.route.

Light cruiser FIJI was ordered to Gibraltar to join temporarily Force H

The destroyers were detached to Londonderry on the 6th to refuel, arriving at 0600/6th. They sailed again on the 7th and rejoined at 0937 on the 8th.

On the 8th at 2000, the ships left patrol and battleship KING GEORGE V and destroyers SOMALI and MASHONA arrived at Scapa Flow at 1730/10th.

Destroyer MATABELE was detached at 0600/10th and proceeded to Barrow for refitting, calling at Belfast to refuel en route.

Destroyer BEDOUIN was detached at 1547 on the 10th to investigate a burning ship west of Flannan Island. The destroyer was unable to locate the ship and arrived at Scapa Flow on the 12th.

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Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH with destroyers INGLEFIELD, ESKIMO, and ECLIPSE departed Scapa Flow at 1701.

Destroyers INGLEFIELD and ECLIPSE on the 6th were detached to Reykjavik, arriving at 0600/7th, and operated under Flag Officer Iceland to screen cruisers in and out of Reykjavik. Destroyer ESKIMO returned to Scapa Flow.

Destroyer ESKIMO was ordered to return to Scapa Flow.

The battleship continued to Halifax to escort convoy TC.10 due to depart on the 10th.

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Convoy OB.305 departed liverpool, escorted by corvette ABELIA and anti-submarine trawler ROWAN. The trawler was detached the next day. On the 3rd, destroyers BROKE, DOUGLAS, ROXBOROUGH, SALISBURY, and VICEROY, corvette ANCHUSA, and anti-submarine trawlers ST ELSTAN, ST KENAN, and ST ZENO joined the convoy. The escort was detached on the 6th when the convoy dispersed.

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Destroyer ERIDGE departed Scapa Flow at 1200 to meet steamer AMSTERDAM off the entrance to Aberdeen and escort her to Lerwick.

The ships arrived at Lerwick at 0800/3rd and departed at 2000 that day to return to Aberdeen.

Destroyer ERIDGE arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1600/4th after this duty.

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Anti-aircraft ship CURACOA departed Scapa Flow at 0945 to meet convoy WN.7 n the Pentland Firth and remain in company until dark.

The ship arrived back at Scapa Flow at 0430/3rd.

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Minelayer PLOVER laid minefield ZME.27 in the Irish Sea. The minelayer laid minefields ZME.28 on the 5th, ZME.29 on the 16th, ZME.30/18th, and ZME.31 on the 21st.

Minefield ZME.31 completed the series.

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Minesweeping trawlers CRAMOND ISLAND (180grt, P/T/Skipper E. C. Garnett RNR) and FORTUNA (259grt, T/Skipper . T. M. Charlton RNR) were sunk by German bombing five miles 120° from St Abb's Head.

Trawler FORTUNA was proceeding to the assistance of trawler CRAMOND ISLAND when sunk. The entire crew, Charlton and fourteen ratings, of trawler FORTUNA were lost. Two bodies washed ashore at Berwick on the 5th. Two ratings were killed and three ratings died of wounds on trawler CRAMOND ISLAND.

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U.46 made attacks on convoy SC.26.

British tanker BRITISH RELIANCE (7000grt/总吨位) was sunk in 58-21N, 28-30.

The submarine made another attack on a steamer on the 2nd. The entire crew of the tanker were rescued.

The attacks continued on the 3rd.

British steamer ALDERPOOL (4313grt/总吨位) was sunk in 58-21N, 27-59. The entire crew was rescued.

British steamer THIRLBY (4887grt/总吨位) was torpedoed.

The steamer was damaged by German bombing on the 10th en route to Loch Ewe. Steamer THIRLBY arrived at Loch Ewe on the 11th.

British steamer ATHENIC (5351grt/总吨位) was damaged by torpedo. Steamer ATHENIC was assisted by corvette ARBUTUS.

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British steamer BEAVERDALE (9957grt/总吨位) was sunk by U.48 in 60-50N, 29-19.

Twenty crew and one gunner was lost on the steamer.

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British steamer FERMAIN (759grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in 50-35N, 00-52E. The entire crew was rescued.

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British steamer MELROSE ABBEY (1908grt/总吨位) was damaged on a mine in the River Ythan (north of Aberdeen).

The steamer settled onto the river bed. The steamer was refloated on 26 July and towed to Aberdeen.

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British tanker WILD ROSE (873grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing twelve miles southeast of Tuskar Light House.

The tanker was taken in tow and beached near Rosslare Harbour. The tanker was later refloated and towed to Dublin arriving on 4 May.

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Battlecruiser RENOWN, aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL (with twelve Hurricanes embarked from aircraft carrier ARGUS), light cruiser SHEFFIELD, and destroyers FAULKNOR, FEARLESS, FORESIGHT, FORTUNE, and FURY departed Gibraltar on Operation WINCH.

On the 3rd, the flyoff of the Hurricanes to Malta was successfully accomplished. The Force arrived back at Gibraltar on the 4th. Aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL and destroyers FAULKNOR and FORTUNE were sent ahead to receive aircraft from aircraft carrier FURIOUS in Operation TENDER. Four Swordfish, fitted with ASVs, of 825 Squadron and ten Fulmars of 807 Squadron were transferred to ARK ROYAL and four Swordfish and nine Skuas of 800 Squadron were transferred to aircraft carrier FURIOUS. The remainder of Force H arrived at Gibraltar an half hour later.

After the transfer, aircraft carrier FURIOUS, escorted by destroyers FAULKNOR and FORTUNE, proceeded to join battlecruiser REPULSE, en route to England.

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Light cruiser AJAX and Australian light cruiser PERTH departed Piraeus to cover convoys ANF.24 and AG.10. They returned to Pireaus on the 5th.

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Convoy AS.23 was attacked by German bombers in the Aegean.

British steamer HOMEFIELD (5324grt/总吨位) and Greek steamer COULOURAS XENOS (4914grt/总吨位) were sunk by German bombing off Gavdo Island.

Steamer HOMEFIELD was later scuttled by destroyer NUBIAN of the convoy ANF.24 escort. Her survivors were taken off by destroyer VOYAGER.

Greek steamer TETI (2747grt/总吨位) was damaged by near misses of German bombing off Gavdo Island.

Steamer TETI was able to proceed to Crete.

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British steamer DEVIS (6054grt/总吨位) in convoy ANF.24 was damaged by German bombing off Gavdo Island.

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Corvette HYACINTH in the convoy ANF.24 escort attacked a submarine contact 170 miles south of Scarpanto.

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Yugoslavian steamers KARADJORDJE (1293grt/总吨位) and PRESTOLONASLEDNIK PETAR (1726grt/总吨位) were sunk by mining off Sibenik.

The crews of both steamers were rescued.

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A supply convoy for the Afrika Korps departed Naples with steamers ALICANTE (2140grt/总吨位), MARITZA (2910grt/总吨位), SANTA FE (4627grt/总吨位), PROCIDA (5366grt/总吨位), and TEMBIEN (5584grt/总吨位) escorted by destroyers SAETTA and TURBINE and torpedo boat ORSA for Tripoli, arriving on the 5th.

Italian destroyers PANTERA, TIGRE, MANIN, BATTISTI, and SAURO departed Massawa to bombard Port Sudan.

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Italian steamers GIUSEPPE MAZZINI (7669grt/总吨位) and URANIA (7099grt/总吨位) were sunk by British bombing near Dalac Island.

The steamers were later salved by the British.