Thursday, 5 February

Heavy cruiser CUMBERLAND departed Rosyth for Chatham, escorted by destroyers WINCHESTER and COTSWOLD and arrived on the 6th.

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Light cruiser GAMBIA was commissioned for trials and service.

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Destroyer PAKENHAM departed Methil at 0700 for Scapa Flow for working up, arriving at 1600.

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Escort destroyer GROVE departed the Tyne at 0945 and after carrying out trials proceeded to Methil for the night. She left there at 0700/6th for Scapa Flow, arriving at 1700.

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Escort destroyer ALDENHAM departed Liverpool at 1300 to carry out trials, and arrived at Scapa Flow at 1600/6th.

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Destroyer TARTAR departed Scapa Flow at 2200 for Hvalfjord to operate with the Home Fleet, arriving at 1000/7th.

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Corvette ARBUTUS (Temporary Lt A L Warren DSC RNR) in convoy ONS.63 was sunk by U.136 in the North Atlantic in 55-05N, 18-43. Lt Warren, Temporary Lt S Barker RNVR, Temporary Lt J H Hayne RNVR, Temporary Acting S/Lt A K Loten RNVR, and thirty eight ratings were missing. One rating died of wounds after being rescued.

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U.109 sank Canadian tanker MOTROLITE (11,309grt/总吨位) in 35-14N, 60-05. Of a crew of 44 and four gunners, 27 crew and one gunner were lost.

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U.103 sank American tanker INDIA ARROW (8327grt/总吨位) in 38-48N, 72-43. Twenty six crew were missing, and the Master and eleven crew rescued.

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U.103 sank American tanker CHINA ARROW (8403grt/总吨位) in 37-44N, 73-18. The entire crew of 37 was rescued by US Coast Guard cutter NIKE.

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Steamer CORLAND (3431grt/总吨位) was sunk by German bombing in 53-43N, 00-36E. There were no casualties among a crew of 27.

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Steamer HELDER (979grt/总吨位) was damaged by German bombing 3? miles east of Humber Light Float.

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Russian submarine SHCH.421 sank German steamer KONSUL SCHULTE off Honningsvaag.

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In Operation MBD.4, U.81 was attacked by aircraft during the day. Destroyer JAGUAR sighted U.73 on the surface in 32-07N, 25-35E and dropped a pattern of depth charges. Later, destroyers KELVIN and LANCE attacked U.375. When the destroyers reached the vicinity of Derna, they turned east. Speed was reduced on account of heavy weather, but one rating from JAGUAR was lost when he was swept overboard. The ships arrived back at Alexandria on the 6th.

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Destroyers SOUTHWOLD, DULVERTON, and HASTY arrived at Alexandria with a returning Tobruk convoy.

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Destroyer AVONVALE and corvette HYACINTH arrived at Tobruk with convoy AT.23.

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Destroyers HEYTHROP and HURWORTH departed Tobruk with unloaded store ships.

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Convoy BM.12 of troopships EMPRESS OF ASIA, FELIX ROUSSEL, DEVONSHIRE, PLANCIUS, and also CITY OF CANTERBURY, formerly of convoy DM.2, was attacked by Japanese dive bombers in the approaches to Singapore. The were escorted at the time by light cruiser DANAE and sloops YARRA and SUTLEJ. EMPRESS OF ASIA (16,909grt/总吨位) was set afire and abandoned. Of a crew of 416 and 25 gunners, one crewman died in hospital. Of the 2,235 troops on board, 15 were missing. A catering staff of 147 was rescued and remained at Singapore. The guns of an anti-tank regiment and other equipment were lost. Of the other troopships, CITY OF CANTERBURY (8331grt/总吨位) was damaged and French liner FELIX ROUSSEL (17,083grt/总吨位) hit by two bombs, but only lightly damaged.

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Heavy cruiser EXETER and destroyers JUPITER and ENCOUNTER, detached from convoy BM.12, proceeded into the Banka Strait to attack Japanese shipping north of Banka Island at dawn on the 5th. Australian light cruiser HOBART departed Batavia and joined the EXETER force. In Sunda Strait, Japanese submarine RO.34 attacked the force on the 5th, claiming sinking a transport, but no ships were damaged. They returned to Batavia on the 6th.

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Dutch steamer TIDORE was sunk by Japanese bombing south of Sumbawa.

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Japanese submarine RO.34 attacked a Dutch destroyer in Sunda Strait near 6S, 106E.

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Troopship EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, formerly of convoy DM.2, departed Batavia escorted by sloop JUMNA to return to England.

Troopship WARWICK CASTLE, also convoy DM.2, departed Batavia, escorted by light cruisers DANAE and DURBAN, to rendezvous with heavy cruiser CANBERRA, escorting convoy MS.3, for escort to Australia.

Troopship DUNERA departed Batavia for Colombo, arriving 13 February.

Steamer TROILUS left Batavia on the 12th and arrived at Fremantle on the 19th.

The remaining ships of convoy DM.2, steamers CITY OF PRETORIA and MALANCHA departed Batavia on the 12th in convoy SJ.1.

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Battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN and netlayer GUARDIAN departed Addu Atoll for Trincomalee. Minesweepers BATHURST and LISMORE were diverted from convoy JS.1 to meet and escort. On the 6th, BATHURST suffered engine problems and speed was reduced to seven knots. ROYAL SOVEREIGN proceeded unescorted at 17 knots, while GUARDIAN and LISMORE proceeded independently.

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Heavy cruiser DORSETSHIRE departed Bombay for Colombo.

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Destroyer NIZAM departed Trincomalee to patrol off Dondra Head and await the arrival of troopships WAKEFIELD, WEST POINT, and EMPRESS OF JAPAN. The four ships arrived at Colombo on the 6th.