Sunday, 4 January

Battleship RESOLUTION, with destroyers ASHANTI and ESKIMO, departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde. En route, the destroyers were relieved by destroyers WALKER, VERITY, and WITHERINGTON and returned to Scapa Flow, arriving at 1330/4th.

The battleship was proceeding to the Clyde for ocean escort duty for convoy WS.15. They arrived in the Clyde on the 5th. Flag of Vice Admiral .E.C. Tait CB, MVO, Vice Admiral Commanding Third Battle Squadron, Vice Admiral, Second in Command, Eastern Fleet, was hoisted in RESOLUTION.

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Heavy cruiser NORFOLK departed Hvalfjord for patrol in the Denmark Strait.

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Flag of British Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton DSC, Flag Officer Commanding Force J, struck in light cruiser ARETHUSA.

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Broad Pendant of Commodore C. Caslon, Commodore Commanding Home Fleet Destroyer Flotillas, struck in depot ship TYNE.

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Flag of Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton, DSC, Rear Admiral (D), hoisted in depot ship TYNE.

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Minesweepers HARRIER, SPEEDWELL, and HALCYON departed Scapa Flow at 1200 for Hvalfjord to form part of the escort for convoy PQ.8. The minesweepers arrived at Hvalfjord at 0900/7th to refuel prior to joining the convoy.

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Polish destroyers KRAKOWIAK and KUJAWIAK departed Scapa Flow at 0900 escorting landing ships PRINCE LEOPOLD and PRINCESS CHARLOTTE to the Clyde, arriving on the 5th. On arrival, the destroyers continued on to Plymouth to rejoin their previous command.

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Destroyer LANCASTER departed Loch Alsh at 1730 for Scpaa Flow to carry out repairs in dock. The destroyer arrived at 0930/5th.

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Destroyer ORIBI departed Scapa Flow at 2000 for Hvalfjord to relieve destroyer MARNE in the force detailed to act as screen for battlecruiser RENOWN. ORIBI arrived at Hvalfjord at noon on the 6th. MARNE departed Hvalfjord at 1500 for Scapa Flow, arriving at 0845/8th.

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Light cruiser EDINBURGH with destroyers ECHO and ESCAPADE departed Murmansk to meet convoy QP.4 at daylight on the 6th and escort the convoy to its dispersal point. The convoy had been considerably delayed in sailing from Archangel owing to severe ice conditions. The convoy dispersed at 1600/9th in 73N, 10E. EDINBURGH, ECHO and ESCAPADE proceeded to Scapa Flow arriving at 1430/11th. The destroyers were taken in hand for boiler cleaning.

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Minesweepers BRITOMART and SALAMANDER arrived at Murmansk at 1700 after having failed to meet and escort convoy PQ.7.

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Norwegian corvettes ACANTHUS and EGLANTINE arrived at Liverpool from Scapa Flow.

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Lt L.F. Edwards RNR, died of injuries after his Hurricane of 759 Squadron crashed near Yeovilton.

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Corvette COREOPSIS departed Gibraltar for Fayal to join corvette COLTSFOOT as additional escort for cable vessel MIRROR.

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Dutch submarine O.24 departed Gibraltar for refitting in the UK. The submarine refitted at Grangemouth from 2 February to 3 June.

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Destroyer BRADFORD arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown. The destroyer sustained minor damage in berthing.

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Corvettes GERANIUM and AZALEA arrived at Gibraltar, escorting tanker LA CARRIERE.

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In an air raid on Malta, Temporary Acting Lt T.E. Godman RNVR, and three ratings of destroyer HAVOCK were killed. HAVOCK was put out of action for three days, damaged by bomb splinters, as was destroyer ZULU, also damaged by splinter damage.

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Submarine THUNDERBOLt sank Italian caique NUOVO SAN PIETRO (32grt/总吨位) on the west side of Cephalona in 38-07N, 20-20E.

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Submarine UPHOLDER damaged Italian steamer SIRIO (5222grt/总吨位) in Messina Strait. The steamer was towed into Palermo.

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Submarine OSIRIS, crippled by engine defects, was ordered to abandon her patrol off Suda Bay. Destroyer FARNDALE joined her and escorted her for the last 24 hours before arriving at Alexandria. Off the Great Pass, the submarine broke down again and was towed into harbour by tug ROYSTERER, arriving on the 7th.

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Convoy SL.97 departed Freetown, escorted by destroyer BRILLIANT and corvettes BERGAMOT, LAVENDER, and WALLFLOWER to 6 January. Corvette WOODRUFF also departed Freetown with the convoy and continued with the convoy to arrival.

On 6 January, sloop HASTINGS and escort vessels BANFF and FISHGUARD joined the convoy and continued with it to arrival on the 24th.Sloops EGRET and FLEETWOOD and anti-submarine yacht PHILANTE joined on the 7th and continued until 14 January. Destroyer CAMPBELTOWN joined on the 13th from Gibraltar after refuelling at Ponta Delgada and continued to arrival on the 24th for refitting at Devonport.

Convoy SL.97 G departed Gibraltar on the 11th. It was escorted by destroyers VIDETTE, WHITEHALL, and WISHART and anti-submarine trawlers ARCTIC RANGER and LADY HOGARTH from the start. Destroyer WHITEHALL was detached that day; destroyers VIDETTE and WISHART on the 20th. The trawlers proceeded through with the convoy to arrival.

Destroyer WISHART attacked U.93, shadowing the convoy, in 35-32N, 8-00 on the 12th.

On the 12th, destroyers LAFOREY, CROOME, HESPERUS, and WESTCOTT departed Gibraltar to operate as a striking force with the convoy. Destroyer HESPERUS escorted convoy SL.97 F from 12 to 15 January.The destroyers were detached on the 17th.

Destroyer HESPERUS sank U.93 at 0115/15th by gunfire and ramming northeast of Maderia in 36-10N, 15-52. Six crew were lost in the submarine. Destroyer HESPERUS arrived at Gibraltar on the 16th with40 German prisoners.

On the 17th, sloops EGRET, FLEETWOOD, and HASTINGS and anti-submarine yacht PHILANTE joined the convoy and continued with it to its arrival. Destroyer SCIMITAR joined the convoy on the 20th and continued to arrival.

Anti-submarine trawler MAN O WAR joined on the 24th and escorted the convoy into Liverpool on the 24th.

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Australian sloop YARRA departed Colombo for Batavia, arriving on the 11th.

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Armed merchant cruiser HECTOR, escorting RFA OLCADES, arrived at Mauritius from the Cape.