Friday, 7 November

Heavy cruiser BERWICK departed Hvalfjord on Denmark Strait patrol.

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Destroyer ECHO departed London at 0800 for Sheerness on completion of a long refit.

The destroyer arrived at 1400 to embark ammunition and fuel.

Destroyer ECHO departed Sheerness at 1330/8th for Scapa Flow, arriving at 0830/10th. En route, destroyer ECHO assisted damaged tug BUCCANEER.

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Convoy ON.34 departed Liverpool, escorted by destroyers CALDWELL, VANOC, and VOLUNTEER and corvettes ACANTHUS, GENTIAN, HIBISCUS, HONEYSUCKLE, MYOSOTIS, and SWEETBRIAR. Corvettes CHICOUTIM and SHERBROOKE joined on the 8th and SHERBROOKE was detached later that day. Corvettes HIBISCUS, PERIWINKLE, and SWEETBRIAR were detached on the 10th. The remainder of the escort was detached on the 12th when joined by American destroyers BENSON, EDISON, HILARY P. JONES, NIBLACK, and TARBELL. The convoy was dispersed on the 21st and the escort detached.

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Destroyer MONTROSE departed Scapa Flow for Loch Alsh to act under Rear Admiral Minelaying.

The destroyer arrived at 1700.

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Destroyer NORMAN departed Scapa Flow at 1345 for Wick to embark Crown Prince Olaf of Norway and his staff for passage to Scapa Flow.

The destroyer arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1700.

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Sloop LOWESTOFT departed Scapa Flow at 1500 to join convoy WN 2 for onward passage to Rosyth.

Sloop LOWESTOFT had completed working up practices and was being assigned to Commander in Chief, Rosyth.

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Minesweeper ALBURY damaged by a near miss of German bombing off the east coast of Scotland.

The damage required five weeks to repair.

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Submarine TRIDENT made an unsuccessful attack on minesweeper MRS 3 (steamer BALI (1428grt/总吨位) in 71-6N, 26-57E.

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Convoy OS.11 departed Liverpool.

The convoy was joined by destroyer CLARE, sloops ABERDEEN, ENCHANTRESS, IBIS, and STORK on the 8th. The destroyer was detached on the 25th, sloops ABERDEEN, ENCHANTRESS, and IBIS on the 26th, and STORK on the 16th. Also joining on the 8th were corvettes COLTSFOOT and ORCHIS, and escort vessel WALNEY. Corvette COLTSFOOT was detached on the 12th, escort vessel WALNEY on the 25th, and corvette ORCHIS arrived with the convoy on the 28th.

On the 10th, escort vessel HARTLAND joined the convoy and was detached on the 25th.

On the 24th, destroyer BRILLIANT, corvettes BERGAMOT, CROCUS, and NIGELLA, and anti-submarine whaler SOUTHERN PRIDE joined the convoy and arrived with the convoy at Freetown on the 28th.

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German steamer FRAUENBURG (2111grt/总吨位) was sunk on a mine off Windau.

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U.74 sank British steamer NOTTINGHAM (8532grt/总吨位) in 53-24N, 31-51.

The entire crew of the steamer were lost.

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Italian convoy BETA departed Naples for Tripoli on the 7th with troopships German DUISBERG (7389grt/总吨位), SAN MARCO (3113grt/总吨位), MARIA (6339grt/总吨位), and SAGITTA (5153grt/总吨位) and tanker MINATITLAN (7599grt/总吨位) from Naples and RINA CORRADO (5180grt/总吨位) and tanker CONTE DI MISURATA (5014grt/总吨位) from Messina, escorted by destroyers MAESTRALE, EURO, FULMINE, GRECALE, ORIANI, and LIBECCIO. The convoy was covered by heavy cruisers TRENTO and TRIESTE and destroyers GRANATIERE, FUCLIERE, BERSAGLIERE, and ALPINO which departed Messina on the 8th.

X MAESTRALE (S. O. )

X LIBECCIOX EURO

convoy

X ORIANIX FULMINE

X GRECALE

On the 8th, light cruisers AURORA and PENELOPE and destroyers LANCE and LIVELY departed Malta to attack this convoy.

At 0100/9th, the convoy was attacked by Force K.

The entire convoy and destroyer FULMINE were sunk. Destroyers EURO and GRECALE were damaged by the British ships.

Destroyer GRECALE was taken in tow by destroyer ORIANI.

Destroyers MAESTRALE, EURO, ORIANI, ALPINO, FUCLIERE, and BERSAGLIERE rescued 704 survivors from the convoy.

Destroyer LIBECCIO, rescuing survivors, was torpedoed at 0640 by Submarine UPHOLDER in 36-50N, 18-10E. The destroyer was taken in tow by destroyer EURO, but was sunk when she experienced an internal collapse.

Submarine UPHOLDER at 1107 on the 9th, unsuccessfully attacked the heavy cruisers TRENTO and TRIESTE in 37-12N, 18-33E.

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Submarine UPHOLDER departed Malta for patrol off Cephalonia.

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In operations from escort aircraft carrier AUDACITY, supporting convoy OG.76, the Martlet piloted by Sub Lt (A) N. H. Patterson while landing in heavy seas went over the side.

Patterson was picked up by an escort ship.