Page 422
Page 422
General Review.
NAVAL SITUATION.
THE period has been one of comparative quiet at sea except in the Mediterranean, where air operation was carried out by the Fleet Air Arm against the main power installation in Sardinia.
Shipping losses reported have shown a marked increase and have been due almost entirely to attacks by enemy aircraft and U-boats.
The Suez Canal has been closed owing to minelaying by enemy aircraft.
Home Waters.
2. H.M. Armed Boarding Vessel Crispin, a special anti-aircraft ship, was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat 400 miles to the westward of the Bloody Foreland on the 4th February. H.M. Ships in the vicinity took off the crew and casualties are unlikely to be heavy.
H.M. Submarine Swordfish unsuccessfully attacked an enemy merchant ship off Kristiansund on the 30th January and another off the Lister Light on the 2nd February.
A blockship was successfully sunk in the western entrance to Dover Harbour on the 5th February.
Two H.M. trawlers have been sunk, one by aircraft and one by mine, and five auxiliary craft have been damaged during the week. Details are given in Appendix V.
Mediterranean.
3. H.M. Ships Renown, Malaya, Ark Royal and light forces operated off Sardinia on the 2nd February. Owing to unfavourable weather the original plans had to be modified, but at dawn 8 Swordfish made an attack on the Tirso Dam which holds the water for the hydro-electric station. Observation of results was impossible; but it is thought that 3 torpedoes hit the dam. Heavy A.A. fire was experienced and one aircraft failed to return. During this operation the Mediterranean Fleet demonstrated in the Eastern Mediterranean, but no enemy ships were encountered.
4. H.M. Submarine Upholder off the Tunisian coast sank an 8,000-ton ship on the 28th January and another of 5,000 tons on the 30th January.
On the 31st January two German aircraft bombed and damaged the s.s. Sollum in the neighbourhood of Sidi Barrani. The ship, which was carrying Italian prisoners, drifted ashore and casualties among the prisoners were heavy. H.M. Minesweeper Huntley was bombed and sunk near Marsa Matruh on the same day by two Heinkel 111; one officer and 12 men were killed. The hospital ship Dorsetshire was bombed and damaged on the 1st February off the coast of Egypt.
During the period 5 French merchant ships have passed Gibraltar east bound and 6 west bound, all under escort.
Other Foreign Stations.
5. On the 30th January H.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Comorin inter- cepted the French s.s. Capitaine Paul La Merle (4,945 tons) on passage to Casablanca about 200 miles East of Martinique. Subsequently, the ship was allowed to proceed as she was within the American neutrality zone.
On the 31st January H.M.S. Devonshire intercepted the French Desirade (9,645 tons) carrying 1,500 troops, about 650 miles south-west of Freetown, but was later instructed to release the ship.
On the 1st February H.M. Ocean Boarding Vessel Marsdale intercepted the Spanish s.s. Castillo Almansa (1,407 tons) with a cargo of empty oil drums 200 miles N.E. of Canaries, and sent her to Gibraltar with an armed guard on board.
On the 5th February the Dutch Sloop Van Kinsbergen intercepted the Danish tankers s.s. Christian Holm (9,119 tons) and s.s. Scandia (8,571 tons) and is escorting them to Trinidad.
Page 422
Page 422
Page 422
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.