16 August 1940
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Bar Class Boom Defence vessel BARSOUND, S Class Sub SERAPH
BDV KOOKABURRA shown,
Losses
MV EMPIRE MERCHANT (UK 4864 grt) sunk by Schepkes U-100, Crew:56 (7 dead and 49 survivors) Cargo: 200 tons of general cargo and mail Route: (Outbound) Avonmouth - Kingston, Jamaica Un-escorted. Sunk in the Western Approaches. The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Western Approaches after being hit in the stern by two torpedoes. At the time the ship was in a full zig zag pattern, travelling at 16 knots, making this a difficult target. Schepke demonstrated his skill with two hits on the target. The skipper and one crewman showed great courage in staying behind to transmit distresss signals, jumping overboard as the vessel sank. This probably saved many lives, though one of the lifeboats was in the water for 18 hrs before rescue. Survivors were rescued by Corvette SALVONIA, DD WARWICK and Yug Steamer SUPETAR
MV CLAN McPHEE (UK 6628 grt) Sunk by U-30 (Fritz-Julius Lemp), Crew: 108 (67 dead and 41 survivors) Cargo: general cargo Route: Glasgow - Liverpool - Bombay Convoy OB197 Sunk in the Western Approaches The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Western Approaches, west of the Outer Hebrides. The survivors were rescued by Hungarian Steamer KELET. 26 were then transferred to the Nor VAREGG and landed back in the UK on the 26th. The remainder remained on the Kelet, until she too was lost on 19th August to the UA when a further 6 crewmen from thge CLAN MACPHEE were lost.
MV HEDRUN (SD 2325 grt) Sunk by U-48 (Hans Rudolf Rösing) Crew: 29 (8 dead and 21 survivors) Cargo: Full load of Coal Route: Glasgow- Rhode Island Convoy OB 197, Sunk in the Western Approaches. At 1203 hrs the HEDRUN in convoy OB-197 was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-48 and sank in 3 mins about 70 miles west of Rockall. The master, his wife and five crew members were lost. 16 crew members and one passenger (the wife of the chief engineer) were picked up by the British steam merchant EMPIRE SOLDIER and four crew members were rescued by a British warship.
Steamer MEATH (UK 1598 grt) and
Examination Vessel MANX LAD (UK 24grt), which was alongside MEATH, were both sunk on a mine 6 to 7 cables NE of Breakwater Rock Light House. The entire crew of steamer MEATH was rescued.
No Image Found for Manx Lad
Steamer CITY OF BIRMINGHAM (UK 5309 grt) was sunk on a mine 5.5 miles 115° from Spurn Point (in the Nth Sea, near the entrance to the Humber River). The entire crew was rescued. The vessel sank carrying a cargo of 2,550 tons of copper and tin ingots, also a general cargo of wool, tea, tobacco, canned fruit, asbestos and ammunition. Salvage operations commenced in 1940, and again in 1947-48. By September 1949 almost £2 million of copper and tin had been salvaged; Crew of 79 and 1 Rating, no lives lost. The CITY OF BIRMINGHAM was lost after detonating a German laid mine whilst on passage to Hull via the North coast of Scotland.
Steamer MOREA (FI 1968 grt) was sunk in the Adriatic on the Durazzo-Bari route 50 miles from Durazzo by sub OSIRIS.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
UBOATS
At Sea 16 August 1940
U-28, U-30, U-32, U-38, U-46, U-48, U-51, U-57, U-59, U-60, U-65, U-100, U-101, UA.
14 boats at sea
OPERATIONS
North Sea
British minefield BS.32 was laid by ML TEVIOTBANK and DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE. FN.254 departed Southend. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 18th. MT.142 departed Methil. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.254 departed the Tyne, escort DDs VEGA and WESTMINSTER. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 18th. OA.200 departed Methil. No escorts were assigned. British steamer CLAN FORBES was damaged by the LW at Tilbury Dock (Thames Estuary East Of the main London area) .
West Coast UK
OB.199 departed Liverpool escort DD WARWICK and corvette MALLOW from 16 to 20 August and DDs ANTHONY, ARROW, ACHATES, HARVESTER from 18 to 20 August. The convoy was dispersed on the 20th. DD WARWICK and corvette MALLOW were assigned to the incoming HX.64.
Western Approaches
NL MV ALCINOUS was damaged by a torpedo hit fired by Endrass in the U-46. She survived after being towed by the Shoreham Class sloop ROCHESTER. She survived the war.
SW Approaches
One of the first successful attacks on a UBoat was executed by a Sunderland of Coastal Command when U.51 was seriously damaged in an air attack on the 16th 170 miles NW of Tory Island. U.51 was sunk on the 20th while returning to port from her fourth war patrol, by HM sub CACHALOT. All 43 crew on the UBoat were lost.
Channel
MSW trawler REGARDO was damaged by the LW in Osborne Bay (Isle Of Wight). The trawler was towed to Cowes by MSW trawler CAPE SPARTEL for repair. Steamer LOCH RYAN was damaged by the LW 40 miles NNW of Longships Light (off the Lands End at Cornwall).
Nth Atlantic
HX.66 departed Halifax local escort RCN DDs ASSINIBOINE and OTTAWA. The DDs were detached on the 17th. SHX.66 departed Sydney, CB escort RCN DD SAGUENAY and joined HX.66 at sea. The DD was detached on the 18th. At 1750, the convoy was turned over to AMC AUSONIA, but ASSINIBOINE remained with the convoy until 2020. The AMC was detached on the 27th. BHX.66 departed Bermuda on the 15th ocean escort AMC ALAUNIA. The convoy rendezvoused with convoy HX.66 on the 20th and the Bermuda based AMC was detached from the convoy at that point. DD HIGHLANDER, escort ship JASON, corvette HIBISCUS joined on the 27th. The DD was detached later that day. The other two escorts arrived with the convoy at Liverpool on the 31st.
Sth Atlantic
Convoy RS.5, escort CL DRAGON arrived at Capetown on the 15th. They sailed the next day and arrived at Durban on the 19th.
Med- Biscay
CV ARK ROYAL, CL ENTERPRISE, DDs HOTSPUR, GALLANT, GREYHOUND, ENCOUNTER and WRESTLER departed Gibraltar to carry out aircraft practices, then meet with BC RENOWN returning from England, having been fitted with radar.
Dockyard mooring vessel MOORSTONE was sunk in shallow water by the RA at Alexandria but was later salved. One crewman was killed.
Red Sea/Indian Ocean
From 16th - 18th, British troops at Berbera, British Somaliland, were evacuated to Aden. The evacuation was conducted by armed boarding vessels CHAKDINA and CHANTALA and steamers LAOMEDON , AKBAR , steamer VITA which was being employed as a hospital ship. The evacuation was covered by RAN CL HOBART, CLs CERES and CALEDON, CLA CARLISLE, DDs KIMBERLEY and KANDAHAR, sloops SHOREHAM, PARRAMATTA, AUCKLAND and HINDUSTAN, MSW DERBY and net layer PROTECTOR.
On 17 August, CL CERES bombarded Italian targets and was able to temporarily halt the Italian advance, which materially benefitted the evacuation by then under way. On 18 August, RAN CL HOBART CL CALEDON and DD KANDAHAR also undertook bombardment Bulhar and Berbera roads to cause further delays to the advancing Italians, but suffered air attacks from the RA. The evacuation was completed on the 18th with 5690 troops, 1266 civilians, 184 sick cases evacuated for a total of 7140. However
Tug QUEEN (RN 150 grt (est)) was lost in the evacuation.
RAN CL HOBART departed Berbera early on the 19th for Aden with remaining personnel and the demolition parties.
HOBART in the covering bombardment of the Berbera evacuation, also during air attacks by the RA
Australia/Pac/Far East
DKM Raider ORION captured
steamer NOTOU (Vichy 2489 grt) in the Pacific. 26 natives were landed at Emirau Island on 21 December. The Europeans on the steamer were made prisoners of war. Within a day or so the ship was shelled and sunk in the Pacific Ocean SW of Noumea, New Caledonia. She was sunk because her papers showed she was transporting tin and iron from Newcastle (NSW) to Noumea, at the time she was intercepted.
Malta
Malta's Governor is advised of the possible arrival of a special company of seaborne raiders soon to be based on the Island . In a message to the War Office today, he has repeated concerns about the provision of naval craft for the seaborne force, as there are no suitable vessels already in Malta. He has also asked for more information on the proposed strength of the company envisaged, pointing out that a small force would have too little effect on enemy strongholds in Sicily or Tripoli. Lt Gen Dobbie suggests that a considerable raiding force in Malta would be able to produce more solid results and be more economical in effort.
AIR RAIDS DAWN 16 AUGUST TO DAWN 17 AUGUST 1940
0741-0755 hrs Air raid alert for enemy aircraft which approach the Island but turn back before reaching the coast.
OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 16 AUGUST 1940
AIR HQ 0820 hrs French Latecoere aircraft with French crew dropped 74000 leaflets from very low altitude on Sousse/Monastir, Tunis and Bizerta. No warships or seaplanes visible at Bizerta.