CAB80-20 — Page 12

Page 12

Page 12

~

Page 12

General Review.

NAVAL SITUATION.

There has been some activity by enemy destroyers in the Channel. U-Boats have continued to cause many casualties to shipping in the North-Western Approaches. Attacks by enemy aircraft on shipping on the East Coast have increased.

British naval forces have been active in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The naval force which was operating off Dakar has returned to Freetown.

Home Waters.

2. During the week, in addition to the nightly anti-invasion patrols in the Channel and southern North Sea, three sweeps have been carried out by our destroyers off the French coast to the Eastward of Ushant, but no contacts were made.

On the evening of the 29th enemy destroyers were reported and gunfire was heard off Plymouth. Three destroyers, reinforced later by H.M.S. Emerald and one destroyer, were sent to investigate, but nothing was sighted. Subsequently, the wreckage of H.M. Yacht Sappho was found in St. Austell's Bay.

3. H.M. Monitor Erebus bombarded Calais during the night of the 29th-30th September. On the 1st October H.M. Submarine Swordfish, on patrol off Cherbourg, attacked four small destroyers steaming west, and believes one hit was made.

Dover was shelled on three occasions during the week, but no naval casualties have been reported. One hit was made on the detached breakwater. During an air raid on the 27th one naval officer was seriously wounded.

4. On the evening of the 25th September M.T.B. 6 developed a serious leak and sank off Beachy Head. The officers and crew, who were Norwegians, were landed at Newhaven. On the 26th M.T.B. 17 was slightly damaged by a mine in the Thames Estuary, and during the night of the 27th/28th H.M. Trawler Recoil was sunk off Portland, probably by a mine.

On the 27th H.M. Minesweeper Halcyon struck a mine off the Tees, but was able to proceed to Middlesborough, and on the morning of the 30th H.M. Corvette Mallard off Harwich was bombed and seriously damaged.

H.M. destroyer Campbeltown (one of the ex-American destroyers) was damaged coming alongside at Belfast and will require docking.

The battleship King George V was commissioned at the Tyne on the 1st October.

5. During an air raid on Liverpool during the night of the 26th/27th September five berths in the South Docks were temporarily put out of action. Many warehouses and repair shops were damaged or burnt out and two merchant ships were damaged by fire. On the night of the 27th an attack by incendiary bombs on Milford Haven Mine Depot caused no damage. Slight damage was caused by bombs at the Royal Victualling Yard, Deptford. On the 2nd October Mere Oil Fuel Depot near Portland was attacked by a single aircraft, which dropped an unexploded bomb between the tanks.

Norway.

6. On the 28th September a force of heavy ships accompanied by destroyers carried out a sweep off the Norwegian coast in search of enemy units reported in this vicinity, but nothing was sighted.

Mediterranean.

7. On the 22nd September H.M. Submarine Osiris sank an Italian destroyer 47 miles North-East of Brindisi. On the 29th the Fleet left Alexandria to cover the passage of reinforcements and R.A.F. stores in two cruisers to Malta. A small Ægean convoy also sailed under cover of this operation. On the morning of the 30th aircraft from H.M.S. Illustrious sighted a large enemy force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers over a hundred miles to the Northward of

S

1

T

a

I

S

a

I

a

K

吧

Page 12

Page 12