Saturday, 13 December

Battleship DUKE OF YORK, carrying Winston Churchill to the United States, departed the Clyde escorted by destroyers FAULKNOR, FORESIGHT, and MATABELE. The destroyers were detached on the 17th to the Azores. En route, destroyer FORESIGHT's steering gear broke down. The destroyers were relieved by destroyers HIGHLANDER, HARVESTER, and LIGHTNING, which departed Ponta Delgada after refuelling on the 17th. The destroyers arrived on the 19th. After refuelling,theoriginal destroyers departed for Scapa Flow. On 20December, destroyer MATABELE was detached to proceed ahead independently.

On the 21st, the battleship was met by USdestroyers BRISTOL, TRIPPE, and WARRINGTON. All arrived in Chesapeake Bayon the 22nd.

Destroyer MATABELE arrived back at Scapa Flow at 0800/22nd. Destroyers FAULKNOR and FORESIGHT arrived at 0600/23rd.

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Heavy cruiser SUFFOLK departed Hvalfjord for Scapa Flow, where the cruiser arrived on the 16th to correct defects.

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Convoy ON.46 departed Liverpool escorted by corvette THYME. On the 14th, The convoy was joined by destroyer LEAMINGTON and corvettes ABELIA, ANEMONE, SWEETBRIAR, and VERONICA and corvette THYME was detached. Destroyer DOUGLAS joined on the 15th. Corvette SWEETBRIAR was detached on the 16th. Corvettes ABELIA, ANEMONE, and VERONICA were detached when destroyers OTTAWA and VETERAN and corvettes ARVIDA, BADDECK, POLYANTHUS, PRIMROSE, ROSTHERN, SHERBROOKE, and TRAIL joined on the 17th. Destroyers DOUGLAS, LEAMINGTON, and VETERAN were detached on the 18th and corvette TRAIL on the 19th. The rest of the escorts were detached on the 20th and the convoy was dispersed on the 21st.

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Destroyer PUCKERIDGE, en route from Portsmouth to Liverpool, was damaged by German bombing. Eighteen ratings were killed and twenty crew wounded on the destroyer. The destroyer was repaired at Milford Haven, completing on 13 August 1942.

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Polish destroyer KUJAWIAK departed Plymouth for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 17th for Operation ANKLET.

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Convoy OS.14 departed Liverpool, escorted by ocean boarding vessel MARON, which was detached on the 22nd. The convoy was joined on the 15th by sloops EGRET, FLEETWOOD, and HASTINGS, escort vessels BANFF and FISHGUARD, and anti-submarine yacht PHILANTE which were all detached on 1 January.

On the 31st, corvettes AURICULA and CROCUS joined and arrived with the convoy on 3 January. Destroyers VANSITTART and VELOX and corvettes FRITILLARY and ORCHIS joined on 1 January and arrived with the convoy at Freetown on 3 January.

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Italian steamers FABIO FILZI (6836grt/总吨位) and CARLO DEL GRECO (6836grt/总吨位), en route to join a convoy at Taranto, escorted by destroyers DA RECCO and USODIMARE, were sunk by Submarine UPRIGHT fifteen miles south of Cape St Vito in 47-10N, 17-06E.

Italian steamers MONGINEVRO (5324grt/总吨位), NAPOLI (6142grt/总吨位), and VETTOR PISANI (6339grt/总吨位) departed Taranto escorted by destroyers PESSAGNO and USODIMARE and torpedo boat PEGASO for Benghazi.

German steamer ANKARA (4768grt/总吨位) departed Taranto escorted by destroyers SAETTA and MALOCELLO for Benghazi.

Steamers CAPO ORSO (3149grt/总吨位) and ISEO (2366grt/总吨位) with destroyers STRALE and TURBINE departed Argostoli for Benghazi.

Battleship DUILO, heavy cruiser GORIZIA, light cruisers GARIBALDI and MONTECUCCOLI with destroyers MAESTRALE, ORIANI, and GIOBERTI departed Taranto at 1840.

Battleship DORIA, light cruisers DUCA L'AOSTA and ATTENDOLO, and destroyers AVIERE, ASCARI, and CAMICIA NERA departed Taranto at 1940 to support.

Destroyers CORAZZIERE, GENIERE, and CARABINIERE departed Taranto later.

Battleships LITTORIO and VITTORIO VENETO with destroyers GRANATIERE, FUCLIERE, BERSAGLIERE, and ALPINO and torpedo boats CENTAURO and CLIO departing Naples at 1740. Destroyers VIVALDI, DA NOLI, MALOCELLO, DA RECCO, and ZENO had departed Taranto at 1500 and joined the LITTORIO group.

Light cruisers GALATEA, NAIAD, and EURYALUS, and destroyers JERVIS, KIMBERLEY, KINGSTON, NAPIER, NIZAM, KIPLING, GRIFFIN, HAVOCK, and HOTSPUR departed Alexandria to intercept. No contact was made with the Italian ships and Force B was recalled to Alexandria.

Due to the lack of information on British movements, the convoys are aborted until the situation is clarified. The two Argostoli steamers collided and were out of action.

Destroyers NAPIER, NIZAM, KIPLING, and HAVOCK were detached at 1800/13th to search for a reported submarine.

Submarine URGE torpedoed battleship VITTORIO VENETO on the 14th near Cape dell'Armi in 37-53N, 15-29E. The torpedo hit one of the battleship's magazines. The battleship was seriously damaged, but was able to reach Taranto under her own power, escorted by destroyers VIVALDI, DA NOLI, AVIERE, GENIERE, CAMICIA NERA, and CARABINIERE and torpedo boats ARETUSA and LINCE.

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Sub Lt J. S. Kyffin, Lt T. I. Harray, and Leading Airman R. J. Carmichael were killed when their Albacore of 826 Squadron crashed on take off at El Adem.

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U.453 sank Spanish tanker BADALONA (4202grt/总吨位) in 36-43N, 3-30. Three crew were killed on the tanker.

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Convoy in AT.3 departed Alexandria escorted by destroyers FARNDALE, AVONVALE, and HEYTHROP.

Tanker MYRIEL departed Alexandria for Mersa Matruh escorted by two anti-submarine whalers SOUTHERN MAID and SOUTHERN ISLES.

U.431 damaged British tanker MYRIEL (3560grt/总吨位) in 31-03N, 29-00E, forty eight miles west of Alexandria. The tanker arrived at Alexandria in tow on the 14th.

Convoy AT.3 arrived at Tobruk on the 15th, escorted by destroyer FARNDALE. On arrival, steamer RODI was slightly damaged by the near miss of an air bomb.

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Thirty nine Japanese transports departed Camranh Bay for further landings on the Malay Peninsula.

Light Cruiser KASHII, frigate SHIMUSHU, minesweeper .4, and destroyers ISONAMI, URANAMI, SHIKINAMI, and AYANAMI of the 19th Destroyer Division, ARASHI, HAGIKAZE, MAIKAZE, and NOWAKE of the 4th Destroyer Division, and AMAGIRI, ASAGIRI, and YUGIRI of the 20th Destroyer Division.

Heavy cruiser CHOKAI and light cruiser KINU provided cover, along with seaplane carrier SAGARA MARU.

On the 14th, heavy cruisers MIKUMA and MOGAMI and destroyers HATSUYUKI and SHIRAYUKI joined from Poulo Condore and took up a covering position northeast of Kuantan during the night of 16/17 December.

During the night of 16/17 December, submarines I.58, I.57, I.56, and I.55 formed a patrol line north of Anamba Island.

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Ten Japanese transports departed Camranh Bay for landings at Miri.

Light cruiser YURA, destroyers MURAKUMO, SHINONOME, SHIRAKUMO, and USUGUMO of the 12th Destroyer Division, submarine chaser CH 7, and seaplane carrier KAMIKAWA MARU provided escorts for the transports.

Heavy cruisers KUMANO and SUZUYA and destroyers FUBUKI and SAGIRI covered the movement.

Distant cover for this operation and the Malay landings was heavy cruisers ATAGO and TAKAO, battleships HARUNA and KONGO, destroyers ASASHIO, OSHIO, MICHISHIO, and ARASHIO, and submarines I.62, I.64, I.65, and I.66 between Natoma Island and northwest Borneo.

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American tanker MANATAWNY (5030grt/总吨位) was sunk by Japanese bombing at Manila.

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Steamer CHUNG ON.(968grt/总吨位) was scuttled at Hong Kong.

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Dutch submarine K.12 sank Japanese tanker TAIZAN MARU (35245grt/总吨位) near Cape Camau.

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Panamanian steamer ESSI (1192grt/总吨位) was seized by Japanese forces at Hongay.