CAB80-25 — Page 529

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General Review.

2

NAVAL SITUATION.

Heavy ships have carried out a successful bombardment of Genoa. Ostend was also bombarded by a 15-inch monitor.

Shipping between the Azores and Cape St. Vincent has been attacked by Focke-Wulfe aircraft and by a surface raider. Losses reported during the week show a decrease.

The Suez Canal has been reopened.

Home Waters.

At noon on the 8th February H.M.S. Ramillies, escorting an eastbound convoy from Halifax, sighted the mast and top of a warship, possibly of the Hipper Class, 900 miles west of Ireland and steering N.N.E. Extensive dispositions were made to intercept her, but she was not again sighted.

H.M.S. Neptune was attacked by a Dornier aircraft on 9th whilst off the Thames Approaches. She received slight damage from a near-miss bomb and from machine-gun fire, but suffered no casualties and severely damaged the aircraft.

H.M. Submarine Sealion attacked two enemy merchant ships in the vicinity of Stadlandet on the 1st February and one hit was possibly made. On the 5th she attacked a Norwegian merchant ship and hit with one torpedo. After evacuating the passengers and crew she set the ship on fire with gunfire.

H.M. Monitor Erebus escorted by three destroyers and assisted by spotting aircraft carried out a bombardment of the Ostend dock area during the night 10th/11th. Shells were seen to burst in the target area and in the new pens and several fires were started. The bombardment was preceded by a bombing attack by six aircraft. No enemy action was encountered during this operation.

H.M. Drifter Eager destroyed a German Ju. 88 which attacked her in the Thames Estuary on 12th.

North Atlantic.

3. H.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Letitia ran aground in thick weather in the Halifax Approach on the 7th February. She was subsequently refloated and towed to Halifax.

Mediterranean.

4. A force composed of H.M. Ships Renown, Malaya, Ark Royal, Sheffield and destroyers carried out a successful bombardment of Genoa at dawn on the 9th February. Fire was opened at 0714 and continued till 0744, during which period 337 rounds of 15-inch and over 1,000 rounds of lighter calibre were fired. Large fires were observed in Ansaldo electric and boiler works, the main power station, the dry docks and round the inner harbour; hits were also observed on oil cisterns, marshalling yards and merchant ships. The only enemy opposition encountered was ineffective fire from about two 6-inch guns and slight anti-aircraft fire against spotting aircraft. At the same time Fleet Air Arm aircraft from Ark Royal laid mines in Spezia harbour and bombed Leghorn and Pisa aerodrome and railway junction. Two enemy aircraft were shot down and one Swordfish is missing. During the withdrawal the force was attacked by two enemy bombers which dropped four bombs, the nearest of which fell 1,500 yards from the nearest ship. The visibility decreased towards noon and the force was not again located. There was no damage to any of our ships, which returned to Gibraltar without further incident.

5. A south-east bound convoy of three merchant vessels escorted by two torpedo boats was unsuccessfully attacked by H.M. Submarine Ursula 50 miles N.E. of Sfax P.M. on the 8th.

Anti-Submarine Operations.

6. Five attacks were made on U-Boats, of which two were by surface craft and three by aircraft. One of the latter, carried out in the North-West

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