8 August 1940
Known Reinforcements
Losses
MV UPWEY GRANGE (UK 9130 grt) Crew: 86 (36 dead and 50 survivors) cargo: 5380 tons of frozen meat and 51 cases of tinned meat Route: Buenos Aires - London Un-escorted. Sunk in the Western Approaches. At 1314 hrs the unescorted UPWEY GRANGE was hit on the port side by one torpedo from U-37 and sank by the stern about 184 miles west of Achill Head, Co. Mayo. The crew and passengers abandoned ship in the lifeboats but the boats were separated in the bad weather and the boat in the charge of the master was never seen again. The master, 31 crew members, one gunner and three passengers were lost. 42 crew members and 8 passengers were picked up after three days by the British trawler NANIWA about 50 miles from Achill Head, transferred to RN DD VANQUISHER and landed at Liverpool.
Convoy CW.9
8th of August saw a huge British shipping convoy of about 25 merchant ships with armed Royal Navy escort being detected coming through the Straits of Dover and heading westwards towards the Atlantic Ocean. This was to be the first time for 2 weeks that a merchant convoy was going to attempt passage through the English Channel. It was a foolhardt decision to route the convoy during the height of the air battle. The convoy had assembled at Southend the previous evening ready to pass through the Dover Straits during the hours of darkness en route for Swanage in Dorset. But the German radar Freya had picked them up, and it was a gift that was not to be missed. SBoats attacked first in the half light of dawn, then out went the order to the 8th Flieger Korps at Abbeville to send out all available Ju87s and the fighters of JG 27 at Carquebut and Crepon and all aircraft to set course for the British convoy CW9 codenamed "Peewit" by the RAF. Further attacks by units of Sperles air fleet followed up later in the afternoon In all, some 300 strike a/c and 150 ftrs of the LW took to the air and planned to attack the convoy during the early morning.
By days end, the RAF had lost 13 Hurricanes in defending Convoy CW9 ("Peewit" as it was referred to in the battle), five others suffered damage including one that was to make a forced landing. Only one Spitfire was destroyed while two others sustained damage. But the action saw 13 RAF pilots killed with three sustaining severe injuries, a very heavy loss rate in aircrew. The LW fared no better, they too had a high attrition rate. They lost a total of 8 Bf109's, 1 Bf110, and 7 Ju87 Stukas although 2 109s, 5 110s, and 11 Ju87's sustained such heavy damage as to never fly again. . But it was the convoy Peewit that had suffered most. Of the 23 ships that had commenced the journey the previous night, only four had managed to limp into either Poole and Portsmouth harbours without damage.
DDs BULLDOG of DesFlot 1 and FERNIE departed Portsmouth to support Convoy CW.9. In convoy CW.9
steamers HOLME FORCE (UK 1216 grt) off Newhaven and
MV FIFE COAST (UK 367 grt) 10-15 miles west of Beachy Head were sunk by DKM S-Boats S.21 and S.27. The Master, two crew, three gunners were lost on the steamer HOLME FORCE. Four crew and one naval rating were lost on the steamer FIFE COAST.
HOLME FORCE. No image found for the FIFE Coast
S.20 and S.25, also of the 1st Flotilla made attacks on this convoy. Steamers JOHN M ten miles south of Needles, Steamer IOW and POLLY M 15 miles 190° from Cape Wrath were damaged by these S Boats.
Steamer OUSE (UK 1004 grt) was sunk off Newhaven in a collision with British steamer RYE while avoiding a torpedo fired by one of the S-Boats. 23 men were rescued from steamer OUSE.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
In air attacks on convoy CW.9,
steamer COQUETDALE (UK 1597 grt) and
Steamer EMPIRE CRUSADER (UK 1042 grt) were sunk 15 miles west of St Catherine's Point. The entire crew of COQUETDALE was rescued. The Master, two crew, two naval gunners were lost from the EMPIRE CRUSADER.
COQUETDALE. No image found for the EMPIRE CRUSADER
Steamer AJAX (NL 942 grt) was sunk by the LW 15 miles west of St Catherine's Pt with the loss of four of her crew. NL steamers VEENENBURGH , OMLANDIA, and SURTE were damaged by the LW during these attacks.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
British steamers SCHELDT and BALMAHA were damaged by the LW 15 miles west of St Catherine's Point.
Steamer TRES (Nor 946 grt) was initially damaged by the LW 1950 yards 036° from Nodes Point, St Helen's Roads, but sank later in St Helens Bay. During these attacks, ASW yachts WILNA and RION and ASW trawlers CAPE PALLISER, KINGSTON CHRYSOBERYL, KINGSTON OLIVINE, STELLA CAPELLA were damaged by the LW in the area.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
DKM Raider WIDDER sank
steamer OOSTPLEIN (NL 5095 grt) in the Central Atlantic 200 miles sth of the Azores. The crew were made prisoners of war and were landed at St Nazaire on 9 October.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
UBOATS
Departures
Bergen: U-46, U-59
Wilhelmshaven: U-65
At Sea 8 August 1940
U-30, U-37, U-38, U-46, U-48, U-52, U-56, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-65, UA.
12 boats at sea
OPERATIONS
North Sea
DDs EXPRESS, ESK, ICARUS, IMPULSIVE, IVANHOE departed Immingham and joined four MA/SBs from Harwich. During the night of 8/9 August, the DDs laid minefield MP (A), an extension of the MN minefield to Falls Bank and to back up the MN minefield. During the night of 10/11 August, the same destroyers conducted MP (B). After MP (B), the DDs returned to Immingham.
ORP DD BURZA made three attacks at 1410 on a UBoat contact. BURZA was en route to Scapa to work up after repairs. She arrived on the 9th at 1900.
FN.246 departed Southend, escort sloops BLACK SWAN and HASTINGS and patrol sloop SHEARWATER. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 10th. MT.134 departed Methil. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.246 departed the Tyne, escort DD VALOROUS and sloop STORK. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 10th.
Nth Atlantic
HX.64 departed Halifax escort RCN DD ASSINIBOINE and aux PV FRENCH . DD SAGUENAY and aux PV LAURIER departed escorted SHX.64 and joined at sea. PV FRENCH returned to Halifax after dark on the 8th and DD ASSINIBOINE remained with the convoy until late on the 9th leaving the convoy to ocean escort, AMC RAJPUTANA. The AMC was detached on the 20th. BHX.64 departed Bermuda on 7 August escort CL CARADOC. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy HX.64 on the 12th and the CL was detached. On the 20th, DD WARWICK, sloop SANDWICH, corvettes GARDENIA and MALLOW joined the convoy. They arrived with the convoy at Liverpool on the 23rd.
Central Atlantic
USN DDs WALKE and WAINWRIGHT departed Santos for Rio de Janiero.
Med- Biscay
DDs HERO, HASTY, IMPERIAL departed Haifa to east east and north of Cyprus. HASTY was detached off Haifa to escort a local convoy. IMPERIAL and HERO arrived back at Alexandria on the 10th. HASTY arrived later on the 10th. In Operation TUBE, sub PROTEUS, which departed Gibraltar on the 1st, arrived at Malta with spares and ground equipment for the Hurricanes brought to Malta by HURRY. In harbour, submarine PROTEUS was in a collision with British tug ANDROMEDA. The sub was repairing until 22 August.
RM ML SCILLA escort TBs ANTARES and SAGITARIO laid mines off Pantelleria. DD HOSTILE was lost later this month on this minefield.
Indian Ocean
3 RA air raids were launched on Berbera. RAN CL HOBART, sloop AUCKLAND, ASW trawler AMBER, several steamers were in port.
HOBART and armed boarding vessel CHAKDINA were damaged by splinters from near misses
Australia/Pac/Far East
CL DURBAN completed her refitting begun at Singapore in July. CL DRAGON arrived at Lobito to refuel prior to joining convoy RS.5. The cruiser departed the next day and joined the convoy on the 11th.
Malta
1302-1330 hrs Air raid alert for 6 enemy a/c which pass nth to sth over the Island, to the east of Tarxien. No bombs are dropped. Malta fighters are scrambled but do not intercept.
ROYAL NAVY At 2000 hrs RN Sub PROTEUS arrived with vital spares for the newly arrived Hurricanes and accidentally collides (and sinks)
Harbour Tug ANDOMEDA (UK 150 grt) when shifting berth.