Saturday, 14 February

Convoy PQ.11 of Russian steamers ASHKHABAD (5284grt/总吨位), American CITY OF FLINT (4963grt/总吨位), British EMPIRE BAFFIN (6978grt/总吨位), HARTLEBURY (5082grt/总吨位), LOWTHER CASTLE (5171grt/总吨位), MARYLYN (4555grt/总吨位), Russian STEPAN KHALTURIN (2498grt/总吨位), British BARRWHIN (4998grt/总吨位), DALDORCH (5571grt/总吨位), EMPIRE MAGPIE (6211grt/总吨位), KINGSWOOD (5080grt/总吨位), Hondurian MAKAWAO (3253grt/总吨位), and Panamanian NORTH KING (4934grt/总吨位) departed Kirkwall at 1500 escorted by destroyers MIDDLETON, AIREDALE, corvette OXLIP, minesweepers NIGER, HUSSAR and anti-submarine trawlers BLACKFLY, CAPE ARGONA and CAPE MARIATO.

Corvettes OXLIP, which departed Seidisfjord on the 16th, and SWEETBRIAR joined on the 17th when the destroyers, the original corvette, and anti-submarine trawlers were detached. The destroyers arrived at Scapa Flow at 1100/18th. The corvette and trawlers proceeded to Stornoway.

On the 22nd, light cruiser NIGERIA, which departed Murmansk on the 20th with Soviet destroyers GROMKY and GROZNY joined. Minesweepers HARRIER, HAZARD and SALAMANDER also joined on the 22nd.

The Soviet destroyers arrived back at Murmansk on the 21st.

The convoy arrived on the 22nd.

————

American destroyer GWIN departed Londonderry for Hvalfjord.

————

Convoy ON.67 departed Liverpool. The convoy was joined on the 15th by corvettes CAMELLIA, COLUMBINE, and PIMPERNEL. These were detached on the 19th when the convoy was joined by American destroyers BERNADOU, EDISON, LEA, NICHOLSON and corvette ALGOMA. Corvette ALGOMA detached on the 25th. Coast Guard cutter SPENCER joined on the 26th. The American destroyers and coast guard cutter were detached on the 28th when the convoy was joined by destroyers VERITY and WALKER. The convoy arrived at Halifax on 1 March.

————

U.576 sank steamer EMPIRE SPRING (6946grt/总吨位) in 42N, 55. There were no survivors.

————

U.502 reported torpedoing a tanker near Aruba and observed it sinking in flames.

————

U.83 fired torpedoes into Mersa Matruh harbour without results, although she reported damaging a steamer and corvette.

————

Steamer CLAN CHATTAN (7262grt/总吨位) of convoy MW.9A was sunk by German bombing in 35-01N, 20-11E. All 128 crew and 230 troops were rescued.

————

Steamer ROWALLAN CASTLE (7798grt/总吨位) of convoy MW.9B was badly damaged by German bombing in 34-54N, 19-40E. There were no casualties amongst the crew of 71 including 17 gunners, and 29 passengers, although she was scuttled by British forces. Light cruiser CARLISLE and destroyer ERIDGE with MW.10 were lightly damaged by near misses.

————

Destroyer WHITEHALL arrived at Gibraltar.

————

Anti-submarine trawler ST NECTAN departed Gibraltar, escorting three merchant ships to Aguilas, Hornillo, and Valencia. She parted company at Cape Palas, and arrived back at Gibraltar on the 16th.

————

A convoy of Italian steamer ARIOSTO and the German ATLAS departed Tripoli on the 13th for Palermo, escorted by destroyer PREMUDA and torpedo boat POLLUCE. Submarine P.38 attacked and sank ARIOSTO (4116grt/总吨位), which was carrying 410 men, including 294 prisoners of war. . Two hundred and fifty two survivors were picked up by the escorts. ATLAS and POLLUCE arrived at Palermo at 1500/16th.

————

British heavy cruiser EXETER, Australian light cruiser HOBART and the Dutch DE RUYTER, JAVA, TROMP, Dutch destroyers VAN GHENT, BANCKERT, PIET HEIN, KORTENAER and the American BULMER, BARKER, STEWART, PARROT, EDWARDS and PILLSBURY departed Batavia to attack a Japanese invasion convoy. At 0520, VAN GHENT ran aground on Ross Island. BANCKERT stood by and took off her crew. No contact was made with the convoy, but the allied ships came under heavy air attack. They arrived back at Tanjong Priok on the 16th.

————

Auxiliary armed patrol vessel LI WO (Temporary Lt T Wilkinson RNR), which departed Singapore on the 13th with a crew of 70 and 14 passengers, was sunk by Japanese surface craft. Lt Wilkinson, Lt A Robertson RNR, Temporary Lt (E) J G Murray RNR, Temporary S/Lt (E) J Manson RNR, S/Lt D O MacCracken MRNVR, Temporary S/Lt J G Petherbridge MRNVR, Temporary S/Lt (E) J R Wood and sixty eight ratings were lost.

Temporary Lt E N Derbridge RNZNVR, Temporary S/Lt R G G Stanton RNR and nine ratings were rescued. Derbridge died of wounds on 3 March, while three of the ratings died while prisoners of war.

Wilkinson received a posthumous Victoria Cross, Stanton a DSO, Acting Petty Officer A Thompson a CGM, Able Seaman A Spendlove a DSM, and Petherbridge, Derbridge and seven ratings were mentioned in dispatches.

————

Gunboat DRAGONFLY (Cdr A Sprott Rtd) was severely damaged by Japanese bombing off Rusuk Buaja Island near Singapore, abandoned at anchor and later sank. Cdr Sprott, S/Lt C Tombs RNVR, Lt S L Iley and 29 ratings were lost, together with a number of passengers. Lt P P Shellard RNVR and Lt O R T Henman MRNVR were taken prisoner by the Japanese.

————

Gunboat GRASSHOPPER (Cdr J S Hoffman Rtd) was sunk by Japanese bombing off Rusuk Island near Singapore. There were only a few survivors and 165 officers and ratings were lost. Cdr Hoffman survived, but was later lost in destroyer STRONGHOLD. Temporary Lt R A Holloway RNZVNR was taken prisoner by the Japanese.

————

Auxiliary patrol vessel SHU KWANG (Cdr A D Thomson RNR Rtd), en route from Singapore to Batavia, was sunk by Japanese bombing at 0-35N, 104E. Twenty crew and passengers were lost and around 273 rescued.

————

Auxiliary anti-submarine vessel TIEN KWANG (Acting Lt R Heale SSRNVR), carrying some 300 passengers, was damaged by Japanese bombing off Pampong Island, south of Rhio Strait. She was scuttled early on the 15th. S/Lt J Robinson RNR and many of the passengers were lost. Lt Heale, Temporary S/Lt F Mansfield RNR, Temporary S/Lt (E) G L Nicolich RNR, and Temporary Lt (E) J Turnbull RNR were taken prisoners by the Japanese.

————

Minelayer KUNG WO (Temporary Lt Cdr E J Thomson RNR) was badly damaged by Japanese bombing six miles NW of Pompong Island, near Lingga Archipelago, and abandoned. One crewman was lost and Temporary Lt J Munroe RNR taken prisoner by the Japanese.

————

Requistioned vessel VYNER BROOKE was sunk by Japanese air attack in the Banka Strait, 15 miles north of Muntok. Of forty seven crew and 181 passengers, 125 were missing. Temporary S/Lt J Miller RNR, Lt (E) D Reith RNR and S/Lt S Sedgeman RNR, were lost. Temporary S/Lt E L J Staples RNZVNR and Temporary Lt R E Borton RNR were taken prisoners by the Japanese.

————

Auxiliary patrol ship HUA TONG (Temporary Lt O G Jones RNR) was sunk by Japanese bombing at Palembang. There were no casualties. Temporary Lt C L Brown RNR and Temporary Lt (E) D R Horn RNR were mentioned in dispatches in 1943 regarding her loss. Steamer HOSANG and auxiliary patrol ship KLIAS were damaged in the same attack.

————

Japanese submarine I.66 sank steamer KAMUNING (2076grt/总吨位) in 8-35N, 81-44E, while she was under tow for Trincomalee. I.66 missed with a torpedo and sank her with gunfire. Three native crew were lost.

————

Light cruiser ENTERPRISE arrived at Trincomalee.

————

Aircraft carrier HERMES, destroyer VAMPIRE, sloop FALMOUTH, and minesweeper BATHURST arrived at Colombo.

————

Corvettes ASTER and VERBENA departed Mauritius for Colombo.

————

On the 14th, convoy JS.2X departed Colombo with British steamers AFRICAN PRINCE (4653grt/总吨位), ASCANIUS (10,048grt/总吨位), BIRCHBANK (5151grt/总吨位), TINGSANG (2256grt/总吨位), Dutch MARISO (7659grt/总吨位) and Norwegian TROJA (8814grt/总吨位). The convoy was escorted by heavy cruiser CORNWALL, destroyer VAMPIRE, minesweeper LISMORE, Indian sloop HINDUSTAN and Indian patrol vessel RAMDAS. CORNWALL detached on the 20th, the destroyer on the 26th and the patrol vessel on the 16th. The convoy arrived at Rangoon on the 21st escorted by the minesweeper and sloop.