01 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Flower Class Corvette HNoMS ACANTHUS (K-01)
MA/SB 33,
AA Ship HMS TYNWALD (D-69)
ASW Trawler Y'MUIDEN
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
M Class Submarine VMF M-115
Unidentified M class submarine
Losses
ON 19 sailed from Clyde at 0030 hrs on Sept. 22, the Liverpool section joining at 1330 that day, while the Loch Ewe portion joined at 1830 on Sept. 23. At 1930 on the 23rd, the route was entirely altered by signal. 2 ships lost touch in the process (EMPIRE CABOT and AGIA MARINA-off Butt of Lewis).
The ships bound for Iceland parted company on Sept. 25, escorted by MSWs. 4 corvettes joined at 1600 on Sept. 27 and previous escort left 58 30N 22 20W. The following day, p.m. Sept. 28, a heavy westerly gale was encountered, increasing in strength during the night. At daylight on the 29th, 17 ships and 1 corvette were in sight, the rest of the ships were missing.
At 16:00 on Sept. 30, 2 corvettes joined. ON 19 was dispersed at dawn on Oct. 7 in 44N 54W.
A Hudson bomber of Coastal Command bombed and slightly damaged U-552.
UBOATS
Arrivals
Lorient: U-124
St. Nazaire: U-69
01 October 1941
U-66, U-67, U-68, U-71, U-75, U-79, U-83, U-94, U-97, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-125, U-126, U-129, U-132, U-204, U-205, U-206, U-208, U-331, U-371, U-372, U-373, U-374, U-431, U-502, U-552, U-559, U-562, U-564, U-565, U-572, U-573, U-575,
36 Boats
OPERATIONS
East Front
Baltic
Subchaser UJ-117 (DKM 550 grt (est)) was sunk near Hanko
North Sea
RNorN DD DRAUG departed Scapa Flow towing MTB.56 to Bergen for operation BAREFOOT. The MTB sank
tanker BORGNY (Ex-Nor 3015 grt), which was in Axis service, as the tanker was making passage to to Trondheim escorted by two trawlers, off Bergen on the 3rd. The MTB returned to the DRAUG which was standing off the port and they returned to Lerwick, arriving on the 4th.
The crew of MTB 56 lined up on board DRAUG
Northern Waters
CA KENT, escorted by DD NORMAN, arrived at Scapa Flow to work up after repairs. NORMAN arrived to also work up. DD DULVERTON arrived at Scapa Flow to work up.
West Coast
British steamer SERENITY was damaged by near misses from LW a/c ESE of St Goven's Light.
Convoy WS.12 with one ship departed Avonmouth on 29 September, 7 ships from Liverpool on 29 September, and 16 ships from the Clyde on 30 September. The convoy rendezvoused off Oversay on the 1st. The convoy was composed of steamers CLAN CAMPBELL, EMPIRE TRUST, HIGHLAND BRIGADE, SARPEDON, PERSEUS, ALMANZORA, EMPIRE PRIDE, LEOPOLDVILLE, STRATHAIRD, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, EMPRESS OF CANADA, NARKUNDA, CITY OF PARIS, ORMONDE, SAMARIA, FRANCONIA, MENDOZA, DUCHESS OF RICHMOND, DOMINION MONARCH, HIGHLAND PRINCESS, PRINCE BAUDOUIN, ROYAL ULSTERMAN, CLAN LAMONT, and PERTHSHIRE. Steamer HIGHLAND PRINCESS was detached as convoy CT.4. AMC CATHAY, ML AGAMEMNON, and DDs ASSINIBOINE and SAGUENAY escorted the convoy from 30 September to 4 October. DD SIKH escorted the convoy from 30 September to 5 October. DDs BRADFORD, BADSWORTH, BRIGHTON, LANCASTER, and NEWARK escorted the convoy from 1 to 3 October. CLA CAIRO and DDs WHITEHALL, WITCH, and VERITY escorted the convoy from 1 to 4 October. DD BEVERLEY escorted the convoy on 2 and 3 October. DD BLANKNEY escorted the convoy from 1 to 7 October. CVE ARGUS escorted the convoy from 30 September to 5 October, when she was detached to Gibraltar. CA DEVONSHIRE escorted the convoy from 30 September to 12 October, when she was detached to Freetown. CA DORSETSHIRE escorted the convoy from 12 to 14 October. DD ISAAC SWEERS departed Gibraltar on the 4th escorted the convoy on the 7th. DD GURKHA departed Gibraltar on the 3rd and escorted the convoy on the 8th. DDs WRESTLER, VELOX, VIMY, and VANSITTART and corvettes AMARANTHUS and ARMERIA escorted the convoy from 11 to 14 October, when the convoy arrived at Freetown.
Med/Biscay
Submarine TALISMAN unsuccessfully attacked a convoy of steamers LAURETTA and ARKADIA, escorted by TB LIBRA, off the Zea Channel. Submarine P.34 departed Gibraltar for Malta. Dutch submarine O.24 departed Gibraltar for patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Submarine THRASHER arrived at Malta from patrol in the Gulf of Sirte.
ORP submarine SOKOL arrived at Malta from Gibraltar and patrol supporting Operation HALBERD.
Submarine RORQUAL departed Alexandria for Malta to return to the United Kingdom. The submarine arrived at Malta on the 12th and Gibraltar on the 27th, laying two minefields en route.
MSW whaler SOTRA was damaged below the water line by gunfire at Tobruk. One rating was wounded. The whaler was able to departed Tobruk at 1900/2nd with lighter A 9 and minesweeping whaler SOIKA.
Operation Halberd
BB PRINCE OF WALES, CLs KENYA and SHEFFIELD, and DDs LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, ORIBI, FORESIGHT, FORESTER, and FURY arrived at Gibraltar. KENYA and SHEFFIELD departed Gibraltar at pre-dawn 1 October to return to the UK and to search for a German supply ship reported off the coast of Nth Spain.
BB RODNEY, CV ARK ROYAL, CL EDINBURGH, CLAs HERMOINE and EURYALUS, and DDs FRANDALE, HEYTRHOP, COSSACK, LEGION, LANCE, LIVELY, ZULU, ISAAC SWEERS, and GURKHA arrived at Gibraltar on 1 October. Tug ST DAY arrived at 0900. PRINCE OF WALES and DDs LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, and ORIBI departed Gibraltar for the UK, escorted locally by DD LIVELY. CLA EURYALUS and DDs FARNDALE and HEYTHROP departed Gibraltar late on the 1 October for Freetown, escorting steamers MELBOURNE STAR and PORT CHALMERS for Buenas Aires.
Central Atlantic
CLA EURYALUS and DDs FARNDALE and HEYTHROP departed Gibraltar for Freetown in company with British steamers PORT CHALMERS and MELBOURNE STAR bound for Buenas Aires. Corvettes COREOPSIS and FLEUR DE LYS departed Gibraltar escorting tanker BENEDICK until dark on the 4th.
BB PRINCE OF WALES and DDs LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, LIVELY, and ORIBI departed Gibraltar for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 6th. DD LIVELY was detached on the 4th and returned to Gibraltar.
CLs KENYA and SHEFFIELD departed Gibraltar to return to the Clyde, arriving on the 6th. The ships were ordered to search en route for an enemy supply ship off the north coast of Spain.
Convoy WS12, after arriving at Freetown from the West Coast departed Freetown on the 19th, less steamer NARKUNDA. The convoy was escorted by DDs VELOX and WRESTLER and corvettes MIGNONETTE, ANCHUSA, and CALENDULA from 19 to 22 October. CA DEVONSHIRE escorted the convoy from 19 to 30 October. CA DORSETSHIRE escorted the convoy from 19 October to 3 November. AMC DERBYSHIRE escorted the convoy from 30 October to 3 November. Steamers ULSTER MONARCH and ROYAL ULSTERMAN were detached to Takoradi on the 21st. Steamer PRINCE BAUDOUIN was detached the same day to St Helena, arriving on the 24th. The steamer departed the same day and met AMC DERBYSHIRE the same day. The steamer arrived at Capetown with the convoy.
Steamers STRATHAIRD, EMPRESS OF CANADA, DOMINION MONARCH, EMPIRE PRIDE, LEOPOLDVILLE, MENDOZA, CLAN CAMPBELL, EMPIRE TRUST, PERTHSHIRE, and SARPEDON arrived at Capetown on the 29th.
Steamers FRANCONIA, RICHMOND, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, HIGHLAND BRIGADE, PERSEUS, ORMONDE, and SAMARIA arrived at Durban on 3 November, escorted by AMC DERBYSHIRE.
Red Sea/Indian Ocean
After arriving at Capetown and Durban on or about the 5 November convoy WS 12 began a series of movements. EMPIRE PRIDE, EMPIRE TRUST, PERTHSHIRE, EMPRESS OF CANADA, and DOMINION MONARCH departed Capetown on 5 November, escorted by AMC DUNNOTTAR CASTLE. On 8 November, steamers SAMARIA, CITY OF PARIS, NIEUW AMSTERDAM from Durban, FRANCONIA, CLAN LAMONT, CLAN CAMPBELL, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, ALMANZORA, ASCANIUS fromMombasa, MENDOZA, PERSEUS, NOVA SCOTIA from Durban, and DUCHESS OF RICHMOND departed Durban and rendezvoused at sea with the Capetown section. On 8 November, BC REPULSE relieved AMC UNNOTTAR ASTLE. The BC remained with the convoy until 14 November in 5-10S, 34-00E when BB REVENGE joined the convoy. The convoy arrived at Aden on 20 November.
On 17 November, steamers DOMINION MONARCH, EMPRESS OF CANADA, DUCHESS OF RICHMOND, and PERSEUS were detached as WS.12 J in 6-05N, 52-30E. The convoy was escorted by light cruiser GLASGOW to Colombo arriving on 23 November. Steamers DOMINION MONARCH and EMPRESS OF CANADA departed Colombo on 24 November escorted by CL GLASGOW. in 6-14N, 92-00E, steamer AWATEA escorted by CL DRAGON joined the convoy and relieved CL GLASGOW, which in turn escorted steamer AWATEA to Colombo. The convoy arrived at Singapore on 28 November.
Pacific/Australia
The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy became the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).
Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 1 OCTOBER TO DAWN 2 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Fine and cool.
1155-1220 hrs Air raid alert for 12 enemy fighters approaching the Island in two formations. Eight Hurricane fighters 185 Squadron and six 126 Squadron are scrambled. 185 Squadron intercept the first formation five north of Gozo, damaging one enemy fighter. The second formation which has positioned itself against the sun immediately launches a counter-attack on the Hurricanes which break off their action at once. One Hurricane's starboard wing is damaged in an engagement with a Macchi fighter but he returns safely. Sgt Knight attacks another Macchi and damages its tail unit but is then attacked by three others and forced to break off the action. The fighter of S/Ldr Mould DFC is shot down.
PM One Swordfish 830 Squadron carries out a search for S/Ldr Mould without success.
OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER 1941
ROYAL NAVY Thrasher arrived from patrol in the Gulf of Sirte having carried out two unsuccessful attacks. Much anti-submarine and minelaying activity off Benghazi. Polish submarine
Sokol arrived from Gibraltar and from patrol supporting 'Operation Halberd'.
AIR HQ Arrivals 9 Wellington.
Departures 1 Maryland, 2 Wellington.
69 Squadron 2 Maryland special patrols.