23 September 1940
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Ex-USN over Age DDs transferred to the RN : DDs BATH, BRIGHTON, CHARLESTON, GEORGETOWN, HAMILTON, ROXBOROUGH, ST ALBANS, ST MARYS
HMS ST ALBANS
On the 29th ROXBOROUGH, BRIGHTON, BATH, ST ALBANS, ST MARYS, and CHARLESTON departed St Johns, all but ROXBOROUGH which had to turn about with excess fuel consumption, reached Belfast on 8 October and Devonport on 12 October. DDs ST ALBANS, ST MARYS, BATH, and CHARLESTON were permanently assigned to the ML sqn 1.
DD ROXBOROUGH finally departed Halifax on 7 December for Belfast. The other 2 DDs of this group GEORGETOWN and HAMILTON damaged their propellers in a collision on 1 October while preparing to fuel at St Johns. DD GEORGETOWN arrived at Devonport on 13 November. DD HAMILTON undocking from repairs at St Johns ran aground and broke her back on 26 October. She was salvaged and HAMILTON was transferred to the RCN in late October and was under repairs under June 1941. She was formally commissioned HMCS HAMILTON on 6 July 1941.
Colony Class CL HMS NIGERIA
Losses
Steamer HEIMDAL (Ger 2186 grt) was sunk 7 miles NW of Terschelling by Sub H.49.
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UBOATS
Departures
St. Nazaire: U-46
At Sea 23 September 1940
U-29, U-31, U-32, U-43, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-60, U-65, U-99, U-100, U-103, U-123, U-137, U-138.
15 boats at sea
OPERATIONS
North Sea
Sub CACHALOT laid minefield FD.27. This minefield was 50 mines in a one and a half mile line. Due to demands for submarines for patrol duties, the minelaying submarines were for the moment returned to patrol duties on the 26th.
FN.289 departed Southend, escorted by DD WINCHESTER and sloop EGRET. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 25th.
Northern Waters
AA ship ALYNBANK arrived at Scapa from the Clyde to provide AA protection to convoys between Pentland Firth and Methil
Channel
DDs BROKE, VANSITTART, and WHITEHALL and ORP DDs BLYSKAWICA, GARLAND, and BURZA departed the Lizard late on the 23rd on operation G (a sweep north off the French coast north from Ushant. for shipping). DD BLYSKAWICA sank a Vichy cutter. During the night of 23/24 September, DDs WOLVERINE, VISCOUNT, WITHERINGTON, and BRILLIANT attempted to intercept a German merchant ship going down Channel. however, the
DDs did not contact the merchant ship.
British steamers CORINIA and PACIFIC GROVE were damaged by the LW at Gravesend Reach and Tory Is respectively.
Nth Atlantic
OB.216 was dispersed at 17W, escort Sloop SCARBOROUGH and other escorts were dispersed to assist other inbound convoys.
Central Atlantic
The store ships and British tanker OCEAN COAST departed Freetown for MENACE operations on the 18th. On 21 September, RN M.and the troopships for MENACE departed Freetown. CV ARK ROYAL, BBs BARHAM and RESOLUTION, CAs CUMBERLAND, RAN AUSTRALIA, and DEVONSHIRE, CL DRAGON (DRAGON was a replacement for DD ECLIPSE which developed engine problems), DDs GREYHOUND, INGLEFIELD, FORESIGHT, FORESTER, FORTUNE, FAULKNOR, FURY, ESCAPADE, ECHO, and ECLIPSE, FNFL sloops SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA, COMMANDANT DUBOC, and COMMANDANT DOMINE, armed trawlers VAILLANT (943grt) and VIKINGS (1150grt), NL liners PENNLAND and WESTERNLAND , transports KENYA, SOBIESKI, KARANJA, and ETTRICK, cargo ships carrying tanks, crated a/c, guns, and other stores, ANADYR , CASAMANCE , FORT LAMY , and NEVADA , and tkr OCEAN COAST comprised the allied ships for MENACE. At Dakar opposing the Anglo French force were Vichy controlled BB RICHELIEU, CLs MONTCALM and GEORGES LEYGUES, Contre Torpilleur DDs AUDACIEUX, FANTASQUE, MALIN, LE HARDI, sloops GAZELLE, SURPRISE, ANNAMITE, D'IBERVILLE, and COMMANDANT RIVIERE, and submarines PERSEE and AJAX with sub BEVEZIERS in dock.
The Vichy CLs attempted to leave Dakar when the allied attack began. The FNFL sloops SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA, COMMANDANT DUBOC, and COMMANDANT DOMINE attempted to land troops without success and COMMANDANT DUBOC was damaged.
Redoubtable Class Sub PERSEE (Vichy 1476 grt) attempted to torpedo CL DRAGON, but was sunk by DRAGON and DDs FORESIGHT and INGLEFIELD.
Vichy Contre Trorpilleur DD AUDACIEUX was hit and disabled by gunfire from RAN CA AUSTRALIA and DDs GREYHOUND and FURY and set afire. 81 of her crew were killed. 186 survivors from AUDACIEUX were rescued by Vichy sloop SURPRISE. After emergency repairs, DD AUDACIEUX departed Dakar on 7 August 1941 and arrived at Casablanca on 11 August. She departed on 17 August and arrived at Oran on 18 August. Departing on 20 August, she arrived at Bizerte on 22 August. CA CUMBERLAND was hit in the engine room by a 9.4 inch shell. The shell severed a steam pipe which temporarily cut off all electrical power to the ship. One crewman was killed. CUMBERLAND was forced to retire at 10 knots to Bathurst for repairs, arriving on the 24th. She left Bathurst on the 26th and arrived at Freetown on the 27th.
CL DRAGON was damaged by splinters from French gunfire. One Crewman was wounded. While pursuing Vichy subs AJAX and PERSEE, DDs INGLEFIELD and FORESIGHT were hit by shore gunfire, but neither required immediate repair. 7 crew were wounded on INGLEFIELD. 3 ratings were killed in the FORESIGHT. DD INGLEFIELD departed Gibraltar on 31 October for London where she was under refit and repair until 20 January 1941. DD FORESIGHT departed Gibraltar on 31 October for Liverpool where she was under refit and repair until 30 December.
S/Lt (A) G. W. Brokensha of 803 Squadron, returning to aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL, crashed landed his Skua at sea but was rescued by DD GREYHOUND.
Steamer TACOMA (Ex-Daniush 5905) now under Vichy control after its seizure in July was sunk at Dakar. Vichy steamers PORTHOS KORSHOLM and TAMARA were damaged.
Med- Biscay
RAN CL SYDNEY completed a refit at Alexandria begun earlier in the month. RN gunboat LADYBIRD, which had departed Alexandria for Mersa Matruh on the 20th, bombarded Sidi Barrani.
Indian Ocean
Convoy BN.6 departed Bombay, escort AMC HECTOR. The convoy was joined on the 25th by AMC ANTENOR. Both were detached on 1 October when RAN CL HOBART joined the convoy. Sloops HINDUSTAN and RAN PARRAMATTA joined on 3 October and DD KINGSTON and sloop AUCKLAND on 4 October. HOBART was detached on 4 October and sloop HINDUSTAN was detached on 8 October. The remainder of the escort was detached on 9 October when sloops CLIVE and GRIMSBY joined. The convoy arrived at Suez on 11 October.
Pacific/Far East/Australia Station
CL DURBAN arrived at Hong Kong.
Malta
(22 September (carried over)
Malta
115-1135 hrs Air raid alert for a formation of 4 CR 42 fighters escorting 5 SM 79 bombers which drop 25 bombs around Luqa aerodrome from 15000 ft. One bomb hits the aerodrome and the remainder fall around Luqa village, demolishing 10 houses and killing one civilian boy. Two bombs fail to explode. AA guns engage; no hits claimed. Malta fighters are scrambled and are about to attack at 16000 feet when they are drawn off by a false alarm of a dive-bombing attack. One Gladiator at 10000 feet is surprised and attacked by three enemy fighters but not hit. 3 reported unexploded bombs at Luqa are found to have their safety pins intact.
1210 hrs Hal Far and Luqa areas are declared clear of unexploded bombs. Three dug out by the bomb disposal team were found to have their safety pins in place. 2045 hrs An enemy sub is reported 1.5 off Ghallis Tower heading sth east. Coastal guns are ordered not to open fire in case the submarine fires back at them but to report the vessel's location immediately. At 2240 hrs A coastal defence post reports the sound of engines offshore.
AIR HQ Departures 1 Sunderland. KALAFRANA Latecoere aircraft carried out 5.75 hr leaflet patrol over Bizerta and Tunis. One Sunderland left for Middle East.
Malta
23 September
In a note to the CIGs Churchill wrote "The telegram (from Malta Cmd) confirms my apprehensions about Malta. Beaches defended on an average bn front of 15 miles, and no reserves for counter-attack worth speaking of, leave the Island at the mercey of a landing force. You must remember that we do not possess the command of the sea around Malta. The danger therefore appears to be extreme. I should have thought four battalions were needed…."
And to Secretary of State for War the PM wrote: "Do you realise there is no command of the sea at Malta, and it might be attacked at any time by an expeditionary force of twenty or thirty thousand men from Italy, supported by the Italian Fleet?"
1045 hrs 3 Wellington bombers arrive at Luqa. One crashes on landing and is badly damaged but repairable, though not with the materials currently available on the Island.
KALAFRANA Two Sunderlands 228 Squadron arrived from Middle East for a prolonged stay, bringing a maintenance party of 16 and an important Naval officer en route for Gibraltar.