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More ships are being fitted out for mine recovery duties, and these will probably be sent to a known enemy minefield in the River Tay estuary.
Three new minesweeping vessels have been brought into commission during the week, bringing the total of vessels employed in this work to 370.
British Contraband Control.
22. During the week 3,437 tons of cargo were seized in prize. The main items were 766 tons of metals, including 290 tons of copper and copper cathodes, 1,683 tons of food products, 185 tons of cotton, 330 tons of rubber and 470 tons of wood and paper.
On the 6th February there were 30 neutral ships in the three Contraband Control bases in the United Kingdom, of which 21 had been detained for 5 days. or less.
German Merchant Shipping.
German ships in Spanish ports continue to display considerable activity. Among those which show signs of impending departure are the Arucas (3,369 tons), Antarktis (10,500 tons), Hundsek (1,456 tons), Wangoni (7,848 tons), Wahehe (4,709 tons), Rostock (2,542 tons) and Morea (1,927 tons). The following ships are at sea from South America and should now be nearing home waters :-
Bahia (4,117 tons) sailed from Bahia on the 5th January. Sao Paulo (4,977 tons) sailed from Cabedello on the 9th January. Santos (5,943 tons) sailed from Rio de Janeiro on the 14th January. Consul Horn (7,772 tons) sailed from Aruba on the 9th January.
Three ships have just sailed. The Wolfsburg (6,210 tons) sailed from Pernambuco on the 2nd February, La Coruna (7,414 tons) sailed from Rio de Janeiro on the 3rd February and the Konigsberg (6,466 tons) sailed from Para on the 8th February. During the night of the 23rd January a large German ship was reported to have passed Oslo Fjord loaded with guns and ammunition for Murmansk, and later two ships of 11,000 tons, similarly loaded, were reported at Helsingborg, where difficulty was experienced by the refusal of Swedish pilots to take them to Stronstadt and of Norwegian pilots to meet them there.
A large loaded German ship was reported off the coast near Arendal bound northward on the night of the 26th January. It is reported that on the 6th February all German ships in Norwegian waters were examined by the Norwegian authorities in view of the rumours that munitions were being trans- ported to Murmansk, but no war material was found.
General review of Fleet Air Arm work since the beginning of the war.
24. During the early period of the war the aircraft carriers Courageous and Hermes were employed on anti-submarine patrols in the Western Approaches, and the Ark Royal was likewise employed on anti-submarine patrols far to the west of the Hebrides in an area which extended beyond the range of shore-base aircraft. It was during this period that the U-39 was sunk by destroyers operating in company with the Ark Royal, and on two occasions submarines were attacked by the Ark Royal's aircraft.
The work of the aircraft from the Courageous and Hermes played a big part in ensuring the safety of British merchant shipping in the early days of the war, before the convoy system could be instituted. During this period the R.A.F. were fully occupied in the North Sea area and had insufficient long-range flying boats available to extend their air patrols far out in the Western Approaches.
25.
It is now well known that the aircraft from the Ajax played an important part in spotting for gunfire in the River Plate battle.
Two Fleet Air Arm fighter squadrons are now based on shore for the defence of the Orkneys.
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