10 July 1940
Losses
MV PETSAMO (FN 4596 grt) Crew: 38 (4 dead and 34 survivors) Cargo: 4477 tons of maize and 1523 tons of grain Route: Rosario, Argentina - Buenos Aires - Cork, Ireland Lost in the SW Approaches, close to the sthn Irish Coast. At 1426 hrs the PETSAMO was hit in the engine room by a torp fired by U-34. The ship quickly broke in two and sank within 20 mins. The sailors lost were stokers on watch below. The U-boat had needed six hrs to get into a favorable firing position and sank the ship in sight of the Irish coast. In the evening, the master and 33 crew members made landfall at Baltimore, Ireland.
MV ALWAKI (NL 4533 grt) Crew:51 (0 dead and 51 survivors) Cargo: Ballast Route: London - Methil - Durban - Calcutta Convoy OA187. Lost in Nthn waters off the Scottish Coast. At 1306 hrs the unarmed ALWAKI in OA-180 was hit on the port side by two dud torps fired by U-61 about 10 miles NE of Cape Wrath. The convoy was en route in two columns and passed almost directly over the submerged U-boat, which found itself between the columns and hastily attacked and then submerged as they were in danger of being rammed. The two G7e torps were fired from a distance of 200 meters, too close for the warheads to arm, but they still penetrated the hull of Alwaki as second ship of the starboard column. In absence of an explosion the escorts were unaware of the attack and the U-boat escaped undetected. After the ship shuddered from the impacts the crew stopped the engines to investigate her for damage and she immediately developed a list to port as the torps had punched holes of about two feet in the engine room and #2 hold through which the ship was slowly flooded. The crew was unable to reach the leaks because one was behind auxiliary machines and the other in a hold filled with coal and to make things worse a bulkhead could not be closed. Most of the crew and ten Iraqi passengers abandoned ship in three lifeboats while the officers tried to save the vessel and were soon joined by a boarding party of HMCS ST. LAURENT. At 1415 hours, they all had to abandon ship because the list increased to over 45° when the coal in the hold began to shift. The survivors were picked up by the rear ship of the convoy, the HARMONIC and landed at Cardiff on 13 July. The tug HMS BANDIT tried to salvage the ship, but she foundered at 2207 hrs. The Admiralty investigated the case and came to the erroneous conclusion that sabotage was probably the cause of her loss.
DDs ZULU, MAORI, and BERKELEY terminated ASW training to join the convoy. DDs TARTAR, ASHANTI, BEDOUIN, and MASHONA exercising at Scapa were ordered to search in the area. DDs BEDOUIN and MASHONA remained in the vicinity of Cape Wrath until the evening of 11 July when a westbound convoy had passed the area. The DDs then proceeded to Scapa.
UBOATS
Departures
Bergen: U-62
At Sea 10 July 1940
U-29, U-34, U-43, U-52, U-56, U-58, U-61, U-62, U-99, UA.
10 boats at sea.
OPERATIONS
North Sea
OA.182 departed Methil escort DD SKEENA and corvette GARDENIA from 10 to 14 July. MT.107 departed Methil. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 11th. FS.218 departed the Tyne, escort DD WINCHESTER and sloops LOWESTOFT and WESTON. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 11th.
Steamer WATERLOO (UK 1905 grt) was sunk by the LW 2.5 miles NE of Smith's Knoll Buoy. The crew was rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
Northern Waters
MLs MENESTHEUS, PORT NAPIER, PORT QUEBEC, and SOUTHERN PRINCE departed Loch Alsh on the 10th and laid minefield SN 1 nth of Rona at 2025 to 2234 , escort DDs INGLEFIELD, IMOGEN, ATHERSTONE, HAMBLEDON, and FERNIE. AA ship COVENTRY departed Scapa to rendezvous with the minelaying force. After the minelay, the I class DDs went to Scapa arriving on the 11th and the 3 Hunt class arrived at Loch Alsh . The Hunts departed Loch Alsh later the same day and proceeded to Liverpool. 9 Skuas of 801 Sqn departed Hatston for Sumburgh in preparation for an attack on Bergen. Leaving Sumburgh, they encountered poor visibility and returned to Sumburgh before proceeding half way to the objective.
SW Approaches
HG.38 of 6 ships departed Gibraltar. Escort was DD VOLUNTEER from 10 to 18 July. VOLUNTEER returned to Gibraltar on the 10th to make good defects and was relieved by DD VIDETTE. DD VOLUNTEER then returned to the convoy and VIDETTE returned to Gib. The convoy was given escort by British corvette GLADIOLUS from 21 to 27 July. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 27th
Channel
He111s hit the busy Falmouth Docks on this day, triggering events that caused considerable damage.
Tkr TASCALUSA (UK 6499 grt) was sunk by the LW in Falmouth Harbour, alongside the Northern Arm. She may have been one of the tkrs being prepared for Operation LUCID, a scheme to use tkrs as fireships to destroy the German cross channel barges to be used in the cross channel attack.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
Tkr BRITISH CHANCELLOR (UK 7085 grt) was damaged in the Falmouth raid, and appears to have been reserved for the same purpose. This ship eventually sank.
Steamer MARI CHANDRIS (Gk 5840 grt), which had been towed to Falmouth in June after a collision, was along side TASCALUSA and was engulfed by fire. The entire crew of the Greek steamer was rescued. TASCALUSA was refloated on 29 August but beached at Mylor Flats for scrapping. There is no record of MARI CHANDRIS being lost, the assumption is therefore she survived the attack.
Steamer BILL S. (NL 466 grt) was badly damaged by the LW 6 miles 260° from Dungeness from convoy CW.3, escort DD VERSATILE.
The steamer sank 6.7 miles 67° from Dungeness. All of the crew was rescued.
Central Atlantic
DKM Raider WIDDER sank
steamer DAVISAN (UK 6433 grt) in the Central Atlantic, 450 miles NNE of Guadalope (in the Barbados gp) whilst enroute to the UK with generasl cargo . The entire crew was made prisoners of war.
CVL HERMES was damaged in a collision with AMC CORFU 130 miles WNW of Freetown. CA DORSETSHIRE was in company of HERMES and stood by these ships. CORFU had been escorting convoy SL.39 which continued on without her. The two ships were locked together for just under 1.5 hrs during which CORFU was almost completely abandoned, 141 crew being taken aboard HERMES. There were no casualties in either ship. The AMC was later reboarded by crew in HERMES' cutter. HERMES arrived at Freetown at 1800 that day. DORSETSHIRE attempted to tow CORFU. Sloop MILFORD arrived at Freetown on the 10th and after refuelling, sailed on the 11th to escort CA DORSETSHIRE and the CORFU. NL tug DONAU departed Freetown for towing duties on the 11th. DORSETSHIRE arrived at Freetown on the 12th. CORFU with sloop MILFORD and DONAU anchored outside harbour during the night of 12/13 July. CORFU, towed stern first by tug DONAU and escorted by sloop MILFORD arrived at Freetown on the 13th. AMC DUNVEGAN CASTLE was allocated to escort convoy SLF.39, but sailed to escort SL.39. Convoy SLF.39 when it did sail proceeded unescorted, after a local one day escort of sloop MILFORD.
HERMES after emergency repairs departed Freetown on 5 August and arrived at Simonstown on 17 August with convoy RS.5, joined at sea by CL DRAGON. HERMES had been designated to participate in MENACE in September, but was still under repair at Simonstown at that time. HERMES did not leave Simonstown until 18 November and she arrived back at Freetown for ops on 30 November. CORFU was under repair at Freetown. She was intentionally run aground on 19 August to facilitate repairs to her bow. She was finally repaired in early 1941.
Med- Biscay
Submarine PANDORA arrived at Gibraltar after patrol off Algiers. CVL EAGLE launched 9 Swordfish of the 813 Sqn on an air attack on Augusta.
RM DD LEONE PANCALDO was sunk in harbour, but was salved on 26 July 1941 and returned to duty. A fleet oiler was damaged.
RM sub SCIRE sank
steamer CHEIK (FF(?) 1058 grt) 54 miles 310° from Semaphore d'Asmare (?).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
Malta
745-0840 hrs Air raid alert. 20 RA a/c approach the Island and cross the coast over Sliema, Grand Harbour and Verdala in four formations, each carrying out a bombing raid. DDs refuelling in Grand Harbour escape damage. Bombs are dropped on Zabbar, Tarxien, Paola, Msida, Manoel Island and near HMS TERROR. 1 civilian is killed and 3 wounded. 3 enemy a/c are shot down, two fall into the sea: where two parachutes are seen descending (crews recovered) . One parachute catches fire. The third is hit by AA and is seen falling in flames towards the Leonardo area. It lands on a defence post manned by members of 1st Bn Dorset Reg 3 Other Ranks sustain extensive burns.
2155-2310 hrs 4 RA night intruders which approach the Island in 2 formations and carry out low-flying attacks. Bombs are dropped on Birkirkara and Ricasoli, Verdala and Zeitun, on the Tal Qroqq gun position, and near the entrance to Grand Harbour. As the first formation departs, a second approaches and is picked up by searchlights. AA guns engage but with no results and incendiary bombs are dropped on Hamrun. The raiders are finally driven off and the Island's fighters return. The guns at first fail to identify them but none is damaged.