CAB80-32 — Page 327

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General Review.

NAVAL SITUATION.

1. H.M.S. Neptune has been mined and sunk off Tripoli, and H.M. Submarine Perseus has been lost in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Three, possibly four, German U-boats have been sunk.

Shipping losses have been considerably heavier than of late; largely due to enemy mines off the East Coast.

Home Waters and North Atlantic.

2. On the 19th, H.M. Destroyer Stanley, escorting a homeward-bound convoy from Gibraltar, was sunk by a U-boat which was subsequently destroyed by H.M. Sloop Stork. Later in the day, aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity (auxiliary aircraft carrier) shot down two Focke Wulf aircraft and damaged another which were in the vicinity of the convoy. On the 21st, H.M.S. Audacity was torpedoed and sunk 500 miles west of Capt Finisterre.

During the night 22nd/23rd, H.M. Destroyer Tetcott (new "Hunt" class) and H.M. Corvette Heartsease were damaged in collision off the west coast of Scotland.

The sixteenth Canadian troop convoy has arrived in Home Waters and H.M. Aircraft Carriers Illustrious and Formidable have also arrived, after under- going repairs in America.

Our aircraft have damaged 39,000 tons of enemy shipping. Details are given under "Air Situation."

As an example of the escort work done by H.M. ships in the North Sea, the following details of the service of H.M.S. Valorous, of the Rosyth Force, are typical: Except for a short spell in the Western Approaches, she has been stationed on the East Coast for the whole period of the war, and has spent 592 days at sea in this area and has covered over 93 000 miles. She has escorted 159 convoys, and has been in action with enemy aircraft on 69 occasions and with E-boats twice. She has destroyed three enemy aircraft and probably a fourth. H.M.S. Valorous is a destroyer of the last war and was completed in 1917.

Mediterranean.

3. During the night of the 18th/19th, H.M. Cruisers Neptune, Aurora and Penelope and H.M. Destroyer Kandahar, while attempting to intercept an enemy convoy, were mined 20 miles north of Tripoli. Penelope was only slightly damaged, and Aurora was able to return to Malta under her own steam, but Neptune capsized after striking a number of mines. An Italian report states that a few survivors have been picked up. H.M. Destroyer Jaguar rescued eight officers and 166 ratings of Kandahar, which was subsequently sunk.

H.M. Submarine Perseus is overdue from patrol and must be considered lost. On the 13th, H.M. Submarine Upright, in the Gulf of Taranto, attacked two large north-bound merchant ships escorted by one destroyer, and claimed three hits on the leading merchant ship and one on the other. Later on the same day H.M. Submarine Utmost obtained one hit on two merchant ships escorted by two destroyers in the same locality On the 11th, H.M. Submarine Truant torpedoed and probably sank a large tanker entering Suda Bay (Crete).

A belated report states that H.M. Submarine Thrasher torpedoed a 5,000-ton merchant ship, which was last seen on fire with a heavy list, to the eastward of Brindisi on the 25th November.

Hunt" class destroyers and anti-submarine craft have escorted convoys which now run regularly to Tobruk, and a night patrol has been maintained off Bardia and Sollum by Greek destroyers.

Our aircraft have sunk or damaged 16,000 tons of enemy shipping. Details

are given under Air Situation."

During the week upward of 36,000 tons of French shipping passed Gibraltar eastbound and 14,000 tons westbound.

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