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General Review.
NAVAL SITUATION.
1. THE period has again been one of relative quiet at sea. U-boat and enemy aircraft activity has been comparatively slight.
Home Waters.
2. A force of heavy ships that had been at sea covering the convoys to and from Norway returned to Scapa Flow on the 7th March. Owing to enemy aircraft. dropping two objects in the southern approaches on the afternoon of the 8th March, the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, and further capital ships was delayed until the 9th March for sweeping operations to be carried out.
3. German aircraft attacked shipping off the East Coast on the 7th and the 8th March. Abnormal German wireless activity gave indications of the possibility of attack and warnings were passed. On the 7th March, except for an attack on a group of trawlers off Scarborough in the afternoon, the bulk of attacks were carried out at dusk. The only serious damage was to the Italian S.S. Amelia Lauro, 5,335 tons, sailing independently from Newcastle with coal for Italy, which was hit by bomb and set on fire, but was later towed to Yarmouth Roads. A convoy was attacked off the Norfolk coast, but the attack was not pressed home. The Outer Dowsing Light Vessel was attacked for the second night in succession and suffered some slight damage. The contraband control guard ship in the Downs and a number of trawlers, including three Belgian trawlers, were also attacked, but no material damage is reported.
On the 8th March a group of ships, which sailed from Kirkwall to join the outward-bound Norwegian convoy, were attacked shortly after noon, but the enemy aircraft were driven off by fighters and did no damage.
Details of these attacks are shown in an Appendix to this résumé which also contains further details of the air attacks on the 6th March, reported last week.
4. Bad weather and low visibility have been the cause of a number of collisions in convoys and minor damage to escorting light forces. H.M. Destroyers Ghurkha and Kelly escorting outward and homeward-bound Norwegian convoys were in collision on the night of the 9th March. The former was undamaged, but Kelly had her forecastle damaged and had to return to Lerwick. Slight damage was also suffered by H.M. Destroyers Veteran and Wren and the escort vessel Guillemot, who were in collision with merchant ships while engaged in escorting duties.
5.
On the 12th March H.M.S. Teviot Bank commenced the lay of a minefield off Kinnaird Head. The operation was, however, suspended, because it appeared that a number of mines were not taking up their correct depth.
German Intelligence.
6. There are conflicting reports about the pocket battleship Lutzow (ex Deutschland), and it is possible that the Germans are attempting to spread false information to conceal the damage this ship apparently suffered on the 20th December. One report places this ship at Danzig, a second at Kiel and a third that she left Gdynia on the 27th February. The cruiser Konigsberg is reported to have been refitting at Hamburg on the 26th February.
The Nordmark, a sister ship of the Altmark, is reported to have been at Danzig on the 21st February loading 11-inch ammunition.
German patrol vessels are again reported to be operating in the Skagerrak. It is probable that these vessels were prevented by ice from operating in February, as no reports were then received. These vessels, which are described as converted fishing vessels of 400 to 600 tons, appear to be operating off Kristiansund and Lindesnes.
Only two U-boats are now believed to be out, one west of the Hebrides, home- ward bound, and the other, homeward bound, in southern part of the North Sea or eastern part of the Channel.
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