Friday, 11 April

Heavy cruiser LONDON, aircraft carrier ARGUS, and steamer NARKUNDA (16,632grt/总吨位) arrived in the Clyde from Gibraltar.

Aircraft carrier FURIOUS which travelled in company proceeded to Belfast.

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Destroyer MANSFIELD with a Norwegian crew departed Lerwick on the 8th.

She carried commandoes to Hammerfest, near North Cape, to destroy a fish oil factory at Oksfjord on 11/12 April.

The destroyer arrived back on the 14th.

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Boom defence vessel OTHELLO (201grt, T/Boom Skipper . Trench RNR) and boom tender YORKSHIRE BELLE (56grt/总吨位) were sunk on a mine at the entrance to the Humber, 3? cables 10° Haile Sand Fort.

Trench, T/A/Warrant Engineer J. A. Wakefield, and nine ratings were lost in OTHELLO. Four ratings were lost in YORKSHIRE.

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U.124 sank Greek steamer AEGEON (5285grt/总吨位) in 6-55N, 15-38. Four crew were lost on the steamer.

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Destroyer GREYHOUND departed Alexandria escorting netlayer PROTECTOR and anti-submarine trawlers SYVERN and KOS 23 for Suda Bay and corvette SALVIA and South African minesweeper MUROTO for Piraeus.

The corvette and the South African minesweeper were to assist corvette HYACINTH in clearing Piraeus harbour.

Both sections arrived on the 14th.

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Light cruiser ORION with destroyers STUART, GRIFFIN, JUNO, JAGUAR, and HASTY departed Alexandria at 2000 to join light cruisers AJAX and PERTH for an offensive sweep along the Cyrenaican coast eastwards from Benghazi during the night of 12/13 April in Operation MBD.3.

Gunboats APHIS and GNAT bombarded Bomba during the night of 10/11 April.

The gunboats bombarded the same district and the Gazala airdrome during the night of 11/12 April.

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Australian destroyers WATERHEN and VENDETTA arrived at Alexandria at 0400 with British steamer THURLAND CASTLE (6372grt/总吨位) carrying captured tanks from Tobruk.

The destroyers departed Alexandria again that day with another supply ship for Tobruk.

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Destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, MOHAWK, and NUBIAN arrived at Malta from Suda Bay. They immediately refuelled and sailed to intercept the southbound convoy of steamers BOSFORO, OGADEN, PERSIANA, and SUPERGA, escorted by torpedo boats MONTANARI, MISSORI, and PERSEO between Lampione Island and Kerkenah Bank. They failed to intercept a subsequent message from submarine UNIQUE which corrected the speed of the convoy. No contact was made and the destroyers returned to Malta.

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During the night of 11/12 April, Greek cruiser AVEROFF departed the Gulf of Saronikos and proceeded unescorted to Alexandria.

No escorts could be spared for this unit.

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Cable ship RETRIEVER (674grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing one mile 264° from Aliki Rocks, off Phleva Island, Greece.

Eleven crew were lost and six were taken prisoner. Twenty nine crew were rescued.

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Greek hospital ship ATTIKI (2561grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in Doro Channel.

Twenty eight crew were missing.

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British steamer DRACO (2018grt/总吨位) was badly damaged by German bombing at Tobruk and beached.

The steamer was bombed again on the 21st and was a total loss.

The gunner was killed, but rest of the crew were rescued.

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Destroyer BOREAS arrived at Gibraltar with British steamer GLENARTNEY (9795grt/总吨位).

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Australian heavy cruiser AUSTRALIA departed Colombo on 24 March with two troopships for convoy US.10.

On the 7th, heavy cruiser AUSTRALIA and light cruisers ACHILLES and HOBART departed Wellington with two liners for Australia to sail in the convoy.

New Zealand light cruiser ACHILLES departed Jervis Bay, N. S. . with liner QUEEN MARY on the 11th to join convoy US.10 at Sydney.

This convoy was composed of QUEEN MARY (81,235grt/总吨位), QUEEN ELIZABETH (83,673grt/总吨位), ILE DE FRANCE (43,450grt/总吨位), MAURETANIA (35,739grt/总吨位), and NIEUW AMSTERDAM (36,287grt/总吨位).

On the 12th, light cruiser ACHILLES and heavy cruiser AUSTRALIA were detached from the convoy for patrol. They then proceeded to Sydney to refuel.

The New Zealand light cruiser then returned to New Zealand.

Liner NIEUW AMSTERDAM was detached to Singapore. The troops from this liner were embarked on troopship AQUITANIA which departed Singapore on the 27th, escorted by light cruiser DANAE. Troopship AQUITANIA arrived at Colombo on 1 May.

On the 27th, convoy US.10A departed Trincomalee with liners QUEEN ELIZABETH and QUEEN MARY, escorted as far as Perim by Australian heavy cruiser CANBERRA, arriving on 1 May, and arrived at Suez on 3 May, escorted by Australian sloop PARRAMATTA.

On 6 May, convoy US.10B departed Colombo for Suez with liners AQUITANIA, ILE DE FRANCE, and MAURETANIA.

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New Zealand light cruiser LEANDER departed Madras with a convoy for Singapore.

The convoy was turned over to light cruiser CERES on the 12th.

The cruiser proceeded to Trincomalee arriving on the 13th. She proceeded on to Colombo arriving on the 14th.

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Convoy BM.6 departed Madras for Malaya with steamers TALMA (10,000grt/总吨位), SANTHIA (7754grt/总吨位), NEURALIA (9182grt/总吨位), and DEVONSHIRE (11,275grt/总吨位), escorted by light cruiser LEANDER to 12 April when light cruiser DANE relieved her.

Steamers JALAPADMA (3935grt/总吨位) and JALAKRISHNA (4981grt/总吨位) departed Madras on the 12th, unescorted, with vehicles and stores for the units carried in convoy BM.6, and arrived at Penang on the 16th.