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NAVAL SITUATION.

Home Waters.

Enemy air attacks on East Coast shipping were renewed on the 3rd February. The extent of the damage to merchant ships is shown in Appendix II, only one small Norwegian ship was actually sunk. Three convoys were attacked without success; the escorting vessels, which included H.M.S. Cairo (A.A. cruiser), engaged the enemy aircraft and drove them off. Three Heinkels were shot down by our fighters and another was damaged.

2. On the same day H.M. minesweeper Sphinx (senior officer of the 5th Minesweeping Flotilla) was bombed 15 miles North of Kinnaird Head, sustaining considerable damage and the loss of the Commanding Officer and four ratings. The ship was taken in tow but eventually capsized in a heavy sea; two officers and 44 men were rescued by H.M.S. Boreas (who damaged her bows when going along- side H.M.S. Sphinx), but 4 officers and 45 men lost their lives. The wreck is now ashore off Lybster. Attacks were also made on 4 of H.M. Trawlers, the Reboundo and Willow off the Tyne and Yarmouth respectively, and the Arctic Explorer and Hugh Walpole off the Orkneys. One officer and one rating were wounded.

3. The third Canadian Troop Convoy, escorted by H.M.S. Malaya, H.M.S. Valiant and 13 destroyers, arrived in the Clyde on the 7th February.

H.M.S. Southampton has been engaged since the 4th February in a search off the Norwegian Coast for two enemy ships believed to be carrying munitions from Germany to Murmansk. A flying boat has been assisting her in this opera- tion. Southampton is to be relieved in order that this search can be continued.

4. The Minelayer Princess Victoria carried out a minelaying operation on the night of the 6th-7th February in the East Coast mine barrage to the eastward of Kinnaird Head.

During the night of the 4th-5th February, French destroyers swept up the Dutch Coast as far as the Hook of Holland, preparatory to a French minelaying operation in the Straits of Dover.

5. On the 3rd February an explosion occurred in the minesweeping trawler Firefly as a result of the detonation of a mine which was being recovered in the Firth of Forth. One lieutenant R.N.V.R., three sub-lieutenants R.N.V.R. and six or more ratings were killed. One lieutenant R.N.V.R. and four ratings were wounded. She was subsequently towed into Leith.

On the 7th February in a dense fog the British cable ship Alert rammed and sank the French patrol vessel Veteran off Cape Griz Nez. There were no casualties.

Foreign Waters.

6. H.M.S. Comorin (Armed Merchant Cruiser) has taken ten Germans from the Portuguese S.S. Nyassa (8,980 tons), outward bound from Lobito. The Portuguese S.S. Colonial (8,309 tons) was stopped off Freetown on the 7th February by H.M.S. Albatross, and six Germans were removed. The Albatross was assisted by aircraft operated from Freetown.

Naval Casualties.

7. Return of Casualties in His Majesty's Fleet, September 3, 1939–

January 31, 1940.

Officers.

Ratings.

Total.

Killed

150

2,394

2,544

Wounded

26

228

254

Prisoners of war

13

84

97

Total

189

2,706

2,895

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