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Enemy Intelligence.
Main Units.
11. All the German main units except Seidlitz and Lutzow are now considered to be fit for sea. In the Baltic, Tirpitz, Scheer and Hipper, have been continuing their exercises. At Brest the Prinz Eugen was seen to have left dry dock and moved alongside the fuelling station on the 15th.
U-boats.
12. There has been very little U-boat activity in the past week and the general trend of submarines to the Mediterranean seems to have continued. A number have passed Gibraltar, and there are indications that several may have turned back after having been attacked and damaged.
Japan.
13. The Japanese losses in the operations in the Far East are believed to be one battleship sunk and two damaged, in addition to casualties to light craft and transports.
Enemy Attacks on Seaborne Trade.
14. During the period one ship has been sunk by mine off the Humber. U-Boats have sunk a British ship off Cape Spartel, a Spanish ship off Malaga and a Portuguese ship to the south-west of Cape St. Vincent. A British tanker was torpedoed off Alexandria but reached harbour. Last week a Norwegian and a British ship were sunk off Luzon and a British ship was damaged in Manila. Little information from the Far East of mercantile losses has yet been received, but it is known that some British ships, including a number of local trading vessels, have been seized by the Japanese, who claim to have captured 120,000 gross tons.
Protection of Seaborne Trade.
15. During the week ending 17th December, 998 ships, including 226 allied and 32 neutral, were convoyed. One cruiser, two armed merchant cruisers, 5 anti- aircraft ships, 86 destroyers (including 25 United States destroyers) and 110 sloops, corvettes and minesweepers were employed on escort duties.
Imports into the United Kingdom during the week ending 13th December totalled 1,043,000 tons compared with 973,000 tons during the previous week and an average of 948,000 for the past ten weeks. There were 350,000 tons of oil of various grades.
Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping.
16. Enemy minelaying by aircraft was mainly concentrated on the East Coast between Flamborough Head and Yarmouth, but Plymouth and Falmouth were visited on one night.
Seventeen magnetic and nine acoustic mines have been destroyed during the week. The mine totals are now: Magnetic 1,613, acoustic 1,191 and contact 1,063.
Enemy Merchant Shipping.
17. According to a broadcast from Oslo, the Norwegian coaster Topaz, (142 tons), was bombed and sunk by a British aircraft on the 14th December off the west coast of Norway. The crew of six were lost.
The German Osorno, 6,957 tons, which has been in dock, returned to her anchorage at Yokahama on the 2nd December. She appeared to be unarmed.
There are 36 German and Italian ships in Japanese controlled ports. Thirteen of these have sufficient endurance to sail to Europe without refuelling on the voyage.
Vichy Merchant Shipping.
18. The sailings of Vichy ships through the Straits of Gibraltar declined during November to 50 per cent. of the monthly average from January to August
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