Thursday, 12 February

THE “CHANNEL DASH”

During attacks on German battlecruisers SCHARNHORST, GNEISENAU and heavy cruiser PRINZ EUGEN proceeding up the English Channel, there were a number of Royal Navy casualties.

Fleet Air Arm Swordfish of 825 Squadron from Manston, as well as numerous RAF Coastal Command and Bomber Command aircraft carried out attacks. The six FAA aircraft crews and their fates follow – (1) Lt Cdr (A) E Esmonde DSO+, Lt H Williams+, gunner L/Airman J Clinton+, (2) S/Lt B Rose RNVR, Acting Temporary S/Lt (A) E F Lee RNVR, L/Airman A L Johnson+, (3) S/Lt C M Kingsmill RNVR, S/Lt (A) R M Samples RNVR, L/Airman D A Bunce, (4) Lt J C Thompson+, S/Lt E H F Wright RNVR+, L/Airman E Tapping+, (5) S/Lt C R Wood+, S/Lt (A) R L Parkinson+, L/Airman H T A Wheeler+ (6) S/Lt P Bligh RNVR+, S/Lt D R Beynon RNVR+, L/Airman G Smith+.

Most were killed (+). Rose, Samples, and Kingsmill were wounded, and only Lee and Bunce were uninjured. Rose and Lee were rescued by MTB.45, Samples and Bunce by a minesweeper, and it is believed Kingsmill by an MTB. The bodies of Esmonde and Smith were later recovered and buried ashore. Esmonde received the Victoria Cross (posthumously), Rose, Lee, and Samples the DSO, and Bunce the CGM.

Destroyers taking part:

CAMPBELL (D 21 Pizey), VIVACIOUS, WORCESTER

MACKAY (D 16 Captain J.P. Wright, DSO), WHITSHED and WALPOLE under Captain C.T.M. Pizey, DSO.WALPOLE dropped out with defects en route to contact the German ships.

CATTISTOCK*, COTTESMORE*, GARTH*, HOLDERNESS*, MENDIP, MEYNELL*, PYTCHLEY*, VANESSA also in 21st Destroyer Flotilla at Sheerness.

COTSWOLD, EGLINTON*, HAMBLDON*, QUORN*, SOUTHDOWN*, MONTROSE also in 16th Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich, joined byBERKELEY and FERNIE of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla.

* Sailed to attack the German ships, but none of the Hunt class escort destroyers were in action.

Casualties on destroyer WORCESTER were 17 ratings killed, six missing, four dying of wounds and 18 wounded.

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German trawler JOHN MAHN (292grt/总吨位) was sunk by British bombing in the English Channel.

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Convoy QP.7 of steamers BOTAVON (5848grt/总吨位), Panamanian EL ALMIRANTE (5248grt/总吨位), JUTLAND (6153grt/总吨位), Russian STALINGRAD (3559grt/总吨位), DARTFORD (4093grt/总吨位), EMPIRE HALLEY (7168grt/总吨位), SOUTHGATE (4862grt/总吨位), and Russian STARY BOLSHEVIK (3974grt/总吨位), escorted by destroyers FAULKNOR and INTREPID, departed Kola Inlet at 1630. Minesweepers HAZARD and SPEEDWELL provided local escort, and were then relieved by minesweepers BRITOMART and SHARPSHOOTER until the 15th. Light cruiser NIGERIA provided cover.

The convoy dispersed on the 15th at 16E. FAULKNOR and INTREPID proceeded to Scapa Flow, while BRITOMART and SHARPSHOOTER returned to Murmansk. Six of the convoy proceeded to Seidisfjord and two to Akureyri.

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Battleship RODNEY, escorted by destroyers SOMALI, ORIBI, and OFFA, departed Hvalfjord for the Clyde. SOMALI parted company in the Minches and arrived at Loch Alsh on the 14th. The battleship and the other two destroyers arrived at 0015/15th in the Clyde. ORIBI and OFFA were taken in hand for boiler cleaning.

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Submarine STURGEON was ordered to patrol off Utvoer.

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Submarine TRIDENT and the French MINERVE departed Lerwick to patrol off South Norway, returning on the 14th.

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Polish destroyer BLYSKAWICA arrived at Scapa Flow from Western Approaches at 1500 to form part of the escort for destroyer depot ship BLENHEIM sailing for Reykjavik. Together with destroyer FURY, they sailed on the 13th. Destroyer PUNJABI departed Hvalfjord at 2000/13th to meet them and provide additional escort. All four ships arrived at Hvalfjord at 2100/16th.

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Destroyer MIDDLETON and minesweepers NIGER and HUSSAR departed Scapa Flow for Kirkwall to attend the convoy conference prior to the departure of convoy PQ.11 on the 13th. The convoy had arrived from Loch Ewe at Kirkwall on the 7th.

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Lt M H Gardner was lost overboard from submarine P.31 in the western approaches to Tripoli. S/Lt A . Boyall was also was washed overboard, but rescued.

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U.108 sank Norwegian steamer BLINK (2701grt/总吨位) in 35-00N, 72-27. Of a crew of 30, including two gunners, 22 crew and both gunners were lost.

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Operation MF.5 commenced with convoy WM.9A heading west from Alexandria and MW.10 from Malta.

Convoy WM.9A of steamers CLAN CHATTAN and CLAN CAMPBELL, escorted by anti-aircraft ship CARLISLE and destroyers HEYTHROP, LANCE, AVONVALE, and ERIDGE departed Alexandria at 1600.

Steamer ROWALLAN CASTLE departed at 1700, escorted by destroyers SOUTHWOLD, BEAUFORT, DULVERTON and HURWORTH.

At 0200/13th, Force B of light cruisers NAIAD, DIDO, and EURYALUS with destroyers KIPLING, KELVIN, JAGUAR, GRIFFIN, ARROW, HASTY, and HAVOCK departed Alexandria as cover.

CLAN CAMPBELL was damaged by bombing in 32-22N, 24-22E at 1730/13th, and AVONVALE and ERIDGE were detached to escort her to Tobruk.

Force B was attacked unsuccessfully at dusk by a force of German Ju.88 bombers.

Convoy MW.10 with steamers CLAN FERGUSON, CITY OF CALCUTTA, AJAX and transport BRECONSHIRE departed Malta after dark on the 13th escorted by light cruiser PENELOPE and destroyers SIKH, ZULU, LEGION, LIVELY, FORTUNE, and DECOY.

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Lt Cdr S G Stoodley of battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH was killed in a railway accident.

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Destroyer MAORI was sunk by German bombing at Malta. Gunner (T) S C White and a stoker rating were killed, and two officers and six ratings wounded. Destroyer DECOY moored nearby was damaged by the explosion with two ratings killed.

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Submarine OLYMPUS departed Gibraltar for Malta, arriving on the 20th.

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Submarine UNA sank Italian tanker LUCANIA (8106grt/总吨位) in the Gulf of Taranto. The tanker had been given safe conduct to proceed from Taranto to Genoa in ballast in connection with the repatriation of Italians from Eritrea, but she was escorted by aircraft and zigzagging when attacked.

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Light cruiser DURBAN, destroyers STRONGHOLD, JUPITER, and auxiliary patrol ship KEDAH arrived at Singapore at 0300/12th. They departed before daylight that morning with steamers EMPIRE STAR (12,658grt/总吨位) and GORGON, carrying the greater part of shore based naval personnel.

Later that day, in seventeen separate attacks, DURBAN was hit once by Japanese bombing, losing her forward six inch gun with eight ratings killed and many wounded. EMPIRE STAR was also hit by three bombs in Durian Straits. The ships arrived at Batavia on the 13th.

Also departing Singapore during the night of the 11th/12th were steamers DERRYMORE (4799grt/总吨位), REDANG (531grt/总吨位), IPOH (1279grt/总吨位), AMPANG (213grt/总吨位), JALAKRISHNA (4991grt/总吨位), JALAVIHAR (5330grt/总吨位), JALARATNA (3942grt/总吨位), ORISKANY (1644grt/总吨位), ASHRIDGE (2884grt/总吨位), HONG KHENG (6167grt/总吨位), SIN KHENG SENG (200 tons, AQUARIUS (6094grt/总吨位), LES SANG (1655grt/总吨位).

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Destroyer SCOUT and auxiliary patrol vessels DARVEL and KINTA arrived at Batavia with RAF personnel.

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Destroyer VAMPIRE departed Colombo to rendezvous with aircraft carrier HERMES as anti-submarine escort.

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American destroyer WHIPPLE was damaged in a collision with Dutch cruiser DE RUYTER near Prigi Bay, Java. She was drydocked, but the damage was not significant and WHIPPLE returned to service.

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Convoy SJ.1 of steamers ANGLO INDIAN (5609grt/总吨位), CITY OF CANTERBURY (8331grt/总吨位), CITY OF PRETORIA (8049grt/总吨位) towing damaged submarine ROVER, CLAN ALPINE (5442grt/总吨位), HALIZONES (3298grt/总吨位), MADURA (9032grt/总吨位), MALANCHA (8124grt/总吨位) towing damaged destroyer ISIS, and YUEN SANG (3229grt/总吨位), departed Batavia escorted by destroyer EXPRESS and sloop SUTLEJ.

Dutch BANJOEWANGI (1279grt/总吨位), BATAVIA (1279grt/总吨位), RIJN (1969grt/总吨位), VAN DER CAPELLE (7037grt/总吨位), and VAN SWOLL (2147grt/总吨位) joined off Oosthaven.

Heavy cruiser DORSETSHIRE joined the escort on the 14th in 5-57S, 99-17E and detached on the 17th.

Sloop FALMOUTH joined on the 20th. MALANCHA with ISIS in tow and CITY OF PRETORIA with ROVER diverted to Trincomalee, where they on the 21st, escorted by SUTLEJ.

SJ.1 arrived at Colombo on the 21st with EXPRESS and sloop FALMOUTH.

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Steamer JALAVIHAR (5330grt/总吨位) was damaged by Japanese bombing off Singapore.

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Steamer ANGLO INDIAN (5609grt/总吨位) was damaged by Japanese bombing in the Dutch East Indies.

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Tankers SOLEN (5699grt/总吨位) and SPIRLIA (5695grt/总吨位) used as storage fuel hulks at Singapore were captured by Japanese forces. SOLEN was renamed SYOSEI MARU for Japanese use.