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General Review.
NAVAL SITUATION.
DURING operations in the Central Mediterranean German dive bombers made a determined attack on the fleet, causing serious damage.
Shipping losses are below the average and minelaying by enemy aircraft has been concentrated for the most part in the Liverpool area.
Home Waters.
2. Units of the Home Fleet have continued to provide strong cover for convoys. Acting on indications by D.F. on the 10th that 3 enemy units might be at sea in the North Atlantic, a force of battle cruisers and cruisers from Scapa carried out a sweep to the westward but sighted nothing.
H.M.S. Adventure, north-east of Anglesey, sustained structural damage from a mine which exploded beneath her, and H.M. minesweeper Fitzroy was damaged by a near miss mine and had to be beached at Harwich. H.M. Trawler Oriole was sunk in the British minefield off the Faroes.
H.M. Rescue Tug Seaman shot down an enemy aircraft which attacked her in the North-Western Approaches, and picked up three of her crew.
In an air attack on the trawler base at Yarmouth on the 9th H.M. M/S Trawler Peken was damaged.
During a heavy air attack on Portsmouth on the night the 10th/11th damage was caused to H.M. Dockyard, R.N. Barracks, H.M.S. Vernon, the R.N. Hospital, Haslar, and the oil fuel depot. Six M.T.B.'s under construction at Vosper's Yard were completely destroyed by fire and numerous small auxiliaries under construc- tion were also destroyed.
North Atlantic.
3. H.M. Ocean Boarding Vessel Maron brought the French s.s. Cantal (3,178 tons) with a cargo of foodstuffs into Gibraltar under armed guard, having intercepted her 350 miles to the westward of Casablanca.
Mediterranean.
4. A convoy of 4 fast M.T. ships, carrying urgent equipment and supplies for Malta and Greece, was successfully passed through the Mediterranean. This operation led to a number of encounters with enemy ships and aircraft. The passage through the Western basin, during which the convoy was escorted by H.M.S. Bonaventure and 4 destroyers and covered by H.M. Ships Renown, Malaya, Ark Royal and Sheffield, was uneventful apart from an unsuccessful air attack when approaching the Sicilian channel, during which two enemy aircraft were shot down by a Fulmar. Five Swordfish aircraft were flown off for Malta from H.M.S. Ark Royal during the passage eastward.
5. On the 10th January H.M. Ships Southampton and Gloucester took over the convoy in the Sicilian channel. They reported having cut a number of mines in the vicinity of Pantellaria on their westward passage. When returning with the convoy they engaged two enemy destroyers sighted south of Pantellaria and sunk one of them. Shortly afterwards H.M. Destroyer Gallant was mined or torpedoed and had her bows blown off with the loss of 65 killed or missing and 15 wounded. She was taken in tow by H.M. Destroyer Mohawk and arrived at Malta early on the 11th.
6. While the above operations were in progress the main forces of the Mediterranean Fleet, consisting of H.M. Ships Warspite and Valiant with H.M.S. Illustrious and 7 destroyers, were operating in support in the Eastern Basin and covering the passage from Alexandria to Malta of a convoy which was escorted by H.M. Ships Perth, Orion, York and Ajax. On the 10th January the Fleet was attacked several times by various types of aircraft. The first attack was by torpedo bombers on the Battle Fleet, in which torpedoes missed after avoiding action had been taken. The second, which occurred at about 1235, was carried
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