22 June 1940
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Flower Class Fr Corvette LA BASTAISE - Armed Yacht RACCOON - Minelayer MENESTHEUS
Losses
TB LE FIER (Fr 1443 grt) The incomplete Le Fier-class TB struck a mine and sank, or was wrecked the next day, while under tow in the Bay of Biscay off Oléron, Charente-Maritime. Raised by the Germans and designated TA 1, she was never completed.
TB L'ENTREPENANT (Fr 1443 grt) The incomplete Le Fier-class TB was sunk while under tow in the Gironde Estuary. Raised by the Germans and designated TA 4, she never entered active service.
Tkr MONIQUE (Fr 7011 grt) Crew: no survivors Cargo: 10,000 tons of crude oil Route: Haifa - Le Havre. Sunk in the Bay Of Biscay. At 1804 on 22 June 1940, U-65 reported the sinking of an unescorted tkr of 7000 grt with a spread of 2 G7e torpedoes about 70 miles sw of Penmarch in the Bay of Biscay. The ship was immediately covered in burning oil and apparently broke in two before it sank.
MONIQUE had been re-routed to Brest and then to Belle-Ile due to the German advances, but was reported missing after being last seen by the Fr tkr RHEA in the evening of 17 June. The only trace found were the bodies of 2 of her sailors, washed ashore later near La Corrunna. A radio message indicated that the ship had been attacked by a/c off Verdon on 21 June, but it is more likely that she was sunk by this U-boat attack mentioned above.
MV NEION (Gk 5154 grt) Crew: 32 (1 dead and 31 survivors) Cargo: General cargo, including lead and naphtha as deck cargo Route: New Orleans – St. Nazaire (21 Jun) - Falmouth. Sunk in the Bay Of Biscay. The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by U-38.
Steamer RANDSFJORD (Nor 3999 grt) Crew: 33 (4 dead and 29 survivors) Cargo: 6746 tons of general cargo, including 77 tons of ammunition and 33 a/c Route:New York - Halifax - Liverpool . Attached to Convoy HX 49: The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the SW Approaches 70 nm SSE of Queenstown, County Cork, by U-30 . Survivors were rescued by PORT HOBART .
Tkr ELI KNUDSEN (Nor 9026 grt) Crew: 37 (0 dead and 37 survivors) Cargo: 1300 tons of diesel and fuel oil Route: Aruba - UK . Sunk in the SW Approaches off the sth coast of Ireland. The ELI KNUDSEN had been in convoy HX-49, which was dispersed approx. 100 miles sw of Cape Clear after U-47 had torpedoed the SAN FERNANDO 21 June. At 0336 the next day, U-32 torpedoed the ELI KNUDSEN . All crew members abandoned ship in lifeboats and were picked up a few hours later by HMS SANDWICH and taken to Liverpool. The tkr remained afloat and an attempt was made the next day to tow her to port, but she sank on 24 June in tow of the British tkr CORINDA
Type IXB U-122 (DKM 1034 grt) There are two possibilities considered likely for this UBoats loss. Based on research done in 1985 there is a possibility that this boat was lost due to underwater collision with the British steam tkr SAN FILIPE on June 22 or by DC attack by corvette HMS ARABIS on June 23 . But neither case can be conclusively stated as a definite cause of loss.
UBOATS
Departures
Kiel: U-102
Wilhelmshaven: U-34
At Sea 22 June 1940
U-25, U-26, U-28, U-29, U-30, U-32, U-34, U-38, U-43, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-51, U-52, U-61, U-62, U-65, U-99, U-101, U-102, UA.
21 boats at sea
OPERATIONS
North Sea
As Sub TRIBUNE was leaving her patrol area to return to Rosyth, she sighted a German steamer. At 0136, sub TRIBUNE fired torpedoes at a 7000 to 8000 ton merchant ship near Stadlandet, but missed. Sub SNAPPER departed Rosyth on patrol.
FN.202 departed Southend, escort sloops BLACK SWAN and HASTINGS. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 24th. FS.202 departed the Tyne, escort DDs WALLACE and WOLFHOUND. Patrol sloop SHEARWATER from FN.201 joined on the 22nd. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 24th. FS.202 departed the Tyne, escort DDs WALLACE and WOLFHOUND. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 24th.
Northern Waters
CA SUSSEX and CL NEWCASTLE arrived at Scapa. CL SOUTHAMPTON departed the Clyde for Scapa where she arrived on the 23rd.
Br oilers CLAM, CONCH, ROSEWOOD departed Scapa escort ASW trawlers IMPERIALIST, CAPE WARWICK, ELM for passage through the Minches and onward passage to Curacoa and Port of Spain. DD WALPOLE departed Scapa escorting Br trawler SEA MONARCH to Aberdeen. WALPOLE then escorted Br steamers DEVON CITY and ARBROATH from Aberdeen to Scapa, arriving on the 23rd.
West Coast UK
DDs ATHERSTONE and WANDERER arrived in the Clyde. Br troopships AQUITANIA and MAURETANIA departed the Clyde for Liverpool escort DDs WINCHESTER and WITHERINGTON. The ships arrived safely later the same day. DD WINCHESTER then departed Liverpool for Rosyth where she arrived on the 24th. Br troopship EMPRESS OF CANADA escort DD WANDERER departed the Clyde for Liverpool.
Channel
ASW yacht CAMPEADOR V (RN 195 grt) was mined and sunk 3 miles 310° from Nab Tower off Portsmouth. 19 ratings were lost, with only two survivors.
Br built French Flower Class
corvette LA BASTIAISE (Fr 900 grt) was mined and sunk on trials off Hartlepool.
Fr aux PV HEUREUX and tugs ABEILLE 8 and ABEILLE 22 departed Plymouth to attempt to recover an incomplete 15,000 ton tkr at La Falaise.
UK-France
CL GALATEA and RCN DD FRASER operated off St Jean de Luz. Br liner ETTRICK embarked 2000 troops and King Zog of Albania from St Jean De Luz.
Steamer AMIENOIS (Fr 3713 grt) was sunk by the LW off Le Verdon.
British Trinity House Light Vessel VESTAL evacuated light house personnel and civilians from Alderney.
Nth Atlantic
Fr CL EMILE BERTIN departed Halifax with the 300 tons of gold brought there from Brest to proceed to Fort de France. CA DEVONSHIRE shadowed the Fr CL, but lost touch with her. EMILE BERTIN arrived at Martinique on the 24th.
DKM Raider PINGUIN, carrying 300 moored mines and 25 torpedoes and 80 mines to replenish U boats at sea, departed Bergen to raid in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Antarctic.
Med- Biscay
The Med Flt began to sortie from Alexandria to bombard Augusta and raid in the Messina area in Opn BQ. A number of steamers were to departed Malta and proceed to Alexandria during this operation. CVL EAGLE and DDs HYPERION, HOSTILE, HASTY, HEREWARD, HAVOCK, HERO, IMPERIAL, ILEX of Force C departed. At 2000, BBs ROYAL SOVEREIGN and RAMILLIES, also of Force C, departed Alexandria. Force B with CLs ORION, LIVERPOOL, GLOUCESTER with DDs JUNO and JANUS departed Alexandria at 2130.
At 2200, BB WARSPITE, CLs NEPTUNE and RAN SYDNEY, DDs NUBIAN, MOHAWK, DAINTY, DEFENDER, DECOY of Force A were to sail.
However, at 2153 the opn was cancelled due to the Fr Armistice. Fr CAs TOURVILLE and DUQUESNE, CL DUQUAY TROUIN, DDs STUART and VAMPIRE (both RAN) of Force D did not cast off. Fce A returned to Alexandria immediately. Forces B and C returned to Alexandria the next day.
Italian CruiserSqn 7 with CLs EUGENIO, D'AOSTA, ATTENDELO, MONTECUCCOLI escorted by DesDiv 13 sortied from Messina westward as far west of Minorca to interfere with French convoys which were being escorted by Fr CruDiv 4 with CLs GEORGES LEYGUES and MONTCALM) and DDs between Marseilles and Oran. DDs INDOMPTABLE and MALIN were on patrol off Minorca. On convoy duty and at sea were DDs GERFAUT, KERSAINT, TRAMONTANE, BOULONNAIS, TYPHON, BORDELAIS, TROMBE, BALISTE, subs HENRI POINCARE, LE CENTAURE, PEGASE, NARVAL, CAIMAN, a/c tender COMMANDANT TESTE.
Fr CruDiv 3 (CLs MARSEILLAISE, LA GALISSONIERE, JEAN DE VIENNE) sortied from Algiers on the 23rd to intercept an RM force, but the Italian Admiral returned to base before the French Force made contact. At 0800, BCs DUNKERQUE, STRASBOURG, BB PROVENCE, BRETAGNE, CLs GEORGES LEYGUES and MONTCALM, DDs MOGADOR, VOLTA, LE FANTASQUE, L'AUDACIEUX, LE TERRIBLE, TIGRE, LYNX, BRESTOIS, TORNADE were at Oran. Sub LE REDOUBTABLE was at Bone. DD L'ALCYON and subs LE TONNANT, FRESNEL, PASCAL, MONGE, VENGEUR, TURQUOISE were at Bizerte. Subs MARSOUIN and REQUIN were at Sousse. Subs NAUTILUS and SOUFFLEUR were at Sfax. CAs ALGERIE, DUPLEIX, FOCH, COLBERT, DDs VAUBAN, LION, AIGLE, GUEPARD, VERDUN, VALMY, VAUTOUR, CASSARD, escort vessels LES EPARGES and YSER, subs VENUS, IRIS, AURORE, CERES, PALLAS, LE CONQUERANT, GALATEE, LE DIAMANTE, PERLE at Hyeres, NAIADE, ARCHIMEDE, L'ESPOIR, ARGONAUTE, ATALANTE, ARETHUSE were at Toulon.
DDs TARTU and CHEVALIER PAUL were at Sete. DDs LA PALME, MARS, TEMPETE were at Port Vendres.
RM sub CAPPONI sank
steamer ELGO (Sd 1888 grt) north of Sfax. One crewman was lost from the Swedish steamer.
Malta
HURRICANES FOR MALTA
6 Hurr a/c arrived in Malta. Early in the afternoon 2 Hurris landed from Bizerta after a difficult journey across sthn France and along the Nth African coast. As dusk fell, 2 more completed the same journey, followed by 2 more in the early evening. The 6 a/c were all that reached Malta out of 12 Hurris and 12 Blens that set off from the UK on 18 June.
12 Swordfish of 767 Deck Landing Sqn from Toulon also arrived on the Island and were placed under the operational control of the Air Officer Commanding, Med, with the agreement of the CinC.
Malta's Gladiators claimed their first confirmed 'destroyed' enemy a/c. The success came during an evening raid. The two serviceable Gladiators were scrambled at around 1900 hrs.