Monday, 11 May

Destroyers JERVIS, KIPLING, JACKAL and LIVELY departed Alexandria to attack a German-Italian convoy en route to Benghazi, and were instead attacked by German bombers in the Eastern Mediterranean on the 11th. KIPLING (Cdr A St Clair Ford DSO) and LIVELY (Lt Cdr F E Hussey DSO, DSC) were sunk, and JACKAL (Cdr R Mc P Jonas DSC) was damaged at the same time as KIPLING, and sank in tow next day. Casualties were as follows:

KIPLING - six ratings killed, Lt (E) P G Fyers-Turner DSC and 17 ratings missing, Act/Sub Lt A J C Baker RNR died of wounds two days later and a rating died of wounds in August.

LIVELY -Cdr Hussey and one rating killed, and fifty seven ratings missing. Lt Cdr (E) A H Bacchus was wounded.

JACKAL -five ratings killed, three missing and one died of wounds.

JERVIS rescued 630 survivors from the three ships.

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Tug C.308 (Boatswain C M Radcliffe) was sunk by German bombing at Malta. Boatswain Radcliffe and nine ratings were lost.

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Anti-submarine trawler BEDFORDSHIRE (443grt, Lt R B Davis RNR), on loan to the USN, was sunk by U.558 off Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Lt Davis, Ty/Sub Lt H Chitterbuck RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt B Hall RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt T Cunningham RNVR and all ratings were lost.