CAB80-32 — Page 201

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Enemy Intelligence.

7. There is no change in the position of the main units.

The old French cruiser Gueydon at Brest has had her superstructure altered and two small naval vessels have been placed astern of her. This composite vessel has been camouflaged to give the appearance of a large ship, which it may be intended to substitute for a German battlecruiser or cruiser, if one of them leaves the port.

U-Boats.

There has been no activity on the convoy routes in the North Atlantic, and U-boats are now concentrated in an area east and west of Gibraltar. At least four U-boats are operating in the South Atlantic.

Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade.

8. One ship in an outward bound convoy and another sailing independently were sunk by U-boats, north-east of the Azores and in the Gibraltar area respectively. Another ship reported that she was being shelled by a U-boat 200 miles south-west of the Azores

On two nights in the week E-boats attacked coastal convoys off the Norfolk coast, sinking three ships.

Two ships were mined and sunk off Aldeburgh and Cardiff.

No ship has been sunk by aircraft, but one ship was damaged in the St. George's Channel and a fishing trawler was bombed and abandoned off the Shetlands.

A report has recently been received that the s.s. Empire Pelican (6,463 tons) and s.s. Empire Defender (5,649 tons), which were proceeding on Government service from Malta to Gibraltar, were sunk by aircraft off the coast of Tunis on the 14th and 15th November respectively, and that French naval units picked up survivors.

Protection of Seaborne Trade.

9. During the week ending the 3rd December, 972 ships, including 231 Allied and 26 neutral, were convoyed. Two cruisers, four anti-aircraft ships, one ocean boarding vessel, 72 destroyers (including 25 United States destroyers) and 98 sloops, corvettes and minesweepers were employed on escort duties. Since the beginning of the war, 93,706 ships have been convoyed, of which 474 have been lost by enemy action.

Imports into the United Kingdom during the week ending the 29th November totalled 1,002,000 tons, compared with 602,000 tons during the previous seven days and an average for the past ten weeks of 919,000 tons. Oil imports were 358,779 tons.

British Minelaying.

10. During the week mines have been laid off the north-west of Scotland and the Norwegian coast. Minelaying by aircraft has been carried out in the Baltic and off French Biscay Ports.

Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping.

11. E-boats have recently been active off the East Coast, and, in addition to attacking convoys, are believed to have laid mines in the war channel.

Minelaying by aircraft has taken place in the Thames Estuary, the Bristol Channel and off the Humber.

Twenty-one magnetic and six acoustic mines have been destroyed during the week. The mine totals are now: magnetic 1,550, acoustic 1,176, and contact 1,063.

Enemy Merchant Shipping.

12. A Norwegian broadcast on the 29th November stated that the coastal motor vessel Vindafjord was attacked and sunk by a Hudson aircraft north of Stavanger on the 28th November. Four of the crew and 25 passengers were lost.

According to a report dated the 26th November a raft marked Superga was recently washed ashore near Inada to the south of Burgas in the Black Sea. This Italian tanker (6,154 tons) was last reported at Burgas on the 25th September. The Russians claim to have sunk a large tanker in this locality at the beginning of November.

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