RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (Full Version)

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Aurelian -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (8/31/2015 4:35:13 PM)

I love this thread. And I can appreciate the amount of work you have to do to make it work.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (8/31/2015 7:22:16 PM)

quote:

Despite the growing evidence, quite incredibly, the British remained unaware of just what was taking place right under their very noses……


That is indeed astonishing when you consider that the Germans had done the same thing during WWI. (One of their mines killed Lord Kitchener, possibly the highest ranking non-royal ever killed in action.) Perhaps the British wanted to forget the Great War...



Zorch -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (8/31/2015 8:15:36 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

quote:

Despite the growing evidence, quite incredibly, the British remained unaware of just what was taking place right under their very noses……


That is indeed astonishing when you consider that the Germans had done the same thing during WWI. (One of their mines killed Lord Kitchener, possibly the highest ranking non-royal ever killed in action.) Perhaps the British wanted to forget the Great War...

These successes no doubt gave the Germans confidence that their codes remained unbroken.



JamesM -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (8/31/2015 10:42:10 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

A week later another such operation was launched with the target being the northeast coast off Newcastle. For this attack the Germans gathered together five destroyers; Hermann Kunne, Friedrich Ihn, Erich Steinbrinck, Richard Beitzen and Bruno Heinemann. After laying their mines undetected, the destroyers headed back across the North Sea in the early hours of the 13th where they would be met by Konteradmiral Lutjens and his force of light cruisers off Heligoland. The destroyers parting gifts would in due course claim 11 merchant ships totalling almost 19,000 tons and damage others including the destroyer HMS Kelly which, on the 14th, struck one of the mines while attending a tanker that had been damaged having struck one of the mines herself.



Was Mountbatten in charge of HMS Kelly at this time?



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 5:48:08 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

quote:

Despite the growing evidence, quite incredibly, the British remained unaware of just what was taking place right under their very noses……


That is indeed astonishing when you consider that the Germans had done the same thing during WWI. (One of their mines killed Lord Kitchener, possibly the highest ranking non-royal ever killed in action.) Perhaps the British wanted to forget the Great War...
warspite1

WWI is not my specialist subject but I thought Hampshire was sunk via a submarine laid mine.

In WWII the British knew that subs were laying mines - what they didn't know was that destroyers were doing so despite the clues:

- the sheer number of contact mines laid could not have been laid by submarines
- according to Haarr, when Salmon damaged the light cruisers, Forbes actually mused that those ships may have been escorting destroyers on a minelaying mission - but this thought was never followed up
- at a meeting of the plans division the possibility of destroyers laying these mines was discounted

The British continued to assume that aircraft, subs, and assorted MTB's, disguised merchantmen and trawlers were responsible.....

The missions continued until February - when Norway came into focus - so two months more to report on. I will give a summary of the operations at that time.



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 5:48:58 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jamesm


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

A week later another such operation was launched with the target being the northeast coast off Newcastle. For this attack the Germans gathered together five destroyers; Hermann Kunne, Friedrich Ihn, Erich Steinbrinck, Richard Beitzen and Bruno Heinemann. After laying their mines undetected, the destroyers headed back across the North Sea in the early hours of the 13th where they would be met by Konteradmiral Lutjens and his force of light cruisers off Heligoland. The destroyers parting gifts would in due course claim 11 merchant ships totalling almost 19,000 tons and damage others including the destroyer HMS Kelly which, on the 14th, struck one of the mines while attending a tanker that had been damaged having struck one of the mines herself.



Was Mountbatten in charge of HMS Kelly at this time?

warspite1

Yes he was.



Orm -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 5:21:51 PM)

Warspite1, any chance that one could read all your posts in one document when this project is complete?

----

I have, already, gone back a several times to reread this thread. So I suspect that it would be splendid to have it available as a continuous read.



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 5:32:43 PM)

Jamesm was compiling this in a word doc - complete with the pics. I don't know if he still is?

I am keeping the posts on a word doc myself (forgot about the pictures [8|]) so will gladly let you have a copy [:)]



Orm -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 5:42:54 PM)

Thank you. [&o] [:)]



Chickenboy -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 6:12:08 PM)

Interesting read, Warspite1. Thanks for putting this together and giving me the top 5 posts too.

[8D]



JamesM -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/1/2015 9:23:36 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Jamesm was compiling this in a word doc - complete with the pics. I don't know if he still is?

I am keeping the posts on a word doc myself (forgot about the pictures [8|]) so will gladly let you have a copy [:)]

Yes I am. I recently did an advance word course at work and I am finding it a good exercise in remembering what I was taught and learning how to use styles and other functions. I also did the same thing for Captn Harlock's excellent Civil War Day by Day thread.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/2/2015 3:28:08 AM)

quote:

WWI is not my specialist subject but I thought Hampshire was sunk via a submarine laid mine.

In WWII the British knew that subs were laying mines - what they didn't know was that destroyers were doing so despite the clues:


It looks like I didn't have the story completely straight. Most of the WWI German destroyers were equipped for carrying mines, but it's not clear whether they were tethered mines or free-floating ones. The destroyers were usually retained to escort the High Seas Fleet, and the interesting thing was that the British knew the enemy destroyers could carry mines. This is one of the reasons why the British battleships and battlecruisers were reluctant to engage in high-speed stern chases -- they were afraid of running into destroyer-dropped mines. I have not been able to find an instance of German destroyers laying static minefields in WWI; they tended not to operate independently until late war bombardment raids.



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/20/2015 11:57:50 AM)

Does anyone know of a book or source where I can get the definitive Royal Navy submarine fleet list as at September 1939?

The usual sources - Roskill, naval-history.net etc are all proving contradictory [:@]

I cannot get to 57 boats (which is the figure always given for the RN at the start of the war).



JamesM -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/20/2015 12:31:21 PM)

What about Conway's?



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (9/20/2015 4:10:40 PM)

The Royal Navy. The submarine service.

The figure most often quoted for the number of submarines that the Royal Navy started the war with is 57 - the same number of submarines as the Kriegsmarine.

Whilst I can get to this number, there is a good degree of inconsistency between the various sources surrounding how many boats were in each flotilla and where they were stationed. The below represents my best guess but, in terms of flotilla make-up, may be out by the odd boat here and there. Some of these boats may also have been under refit (aside from the five mentioned below).

There were ten classes of boat still operational in September 1939, ranging from the twelve World War I vintage boats of the H and L-classes, to the latest T-class patrol submarines.

The older, single-hulled boats of the H and L-classes were transferred to training roles within the first two years of the outbreak of war. The O, P and R-classes were very similar to each other. These boats were large patrol vessels designed for duty in the Far East. Prone to leaks and engine problems, their WWII careers lasted only a year or so longer than their older stablemates – but not before two thirds of the boats were lost. The Porpoise/Grampus-class boats were built for specifically for minelaying duty. The River class were large boats designed to operate with the fleet. Their size made them ideal for supply missions – and two of the class were used in this role and played a part in the saving of Malta.

The last three classes - S, T and U - were instrumental in ensuring that RN submarine service ended the war with a fine record. Construction of the first boats of all three classes began before the war and, after ironing out of technical problems, continued to be built in modified forms once the war had started. The S-class was a class of 62 medium patrol submarines, designed to operate in the confined waters of the North Sea and Mediterranean. The larger T-class, was limited in size and speed by restrictions placed on submarine construction. However the boats, designed for long range patrol duty, proved to be an excellent addition to the service and, like the S-class, served with distinction in World War II – particularly in the Mediterranean. The small, single-hull U-class was actually not designed for combat operations – but was instead designed for training purposes. However, out of necessity, this class of small boats - three of which were ready at the outbreak of WWII – was also to serve the RN with distinction in the combat role.

September 1939

H-class (9) H 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 43, 44, 49, 50

L-class (3) L 23, 26, 27

O-class (9) Oberon (ex-O1), Otway, Oxley, Odin, Olympus, Oprheus, Osiris, Oswald, Otus

P-class (5) Pandora (ex-Python), Parthian, Perseus, Phoenix, Proteus

R-class (4) Rainbow, Regent, Regulus, Rover

River-class (3) Thames, Severn, Clyde

Porpoise/Grampus-class (6) Porpoise, Grampus, Narwhal, Rorqual, Cachalot, Seal

S-class (12) Sturgeon, Swordfish, Seahorse, Starfish, Sealion, Shark, Salmon, Snapper, Seawolf, Spearfish, Sunfish, Sterlet

T-class (6) Triton, Thistle, Triumph

U-class (3) Undine, Unity, Ursula

The boats were split into flotillas of various sizes, according to importance of the theatre:

September 1939

1st Submarine Flotilla based in Malta (10 boats) Shark, Sealion, Osiris, Oswald, Otway, Cachalot, Porpoise, Salmon, Snapper, Narwhal

2nd Submarine Flotilla based in Dundee, Scotland (12) Seahorse, Starfish, Sturgeon, Swordfish, Spearfish, Sterlet, Seawolf, Sunfish, Triumph, Triton, Thistle, Oxley. Note the official historian Roskill states there were 14 boats in this flotilla.

4th Submarine Flotilla based in Hong Kong (15) Rorqual, Grampus, Regent, Rover, Parthian, Olympus, Proteus, Regulus, Rainbow, Phoenix, Perseus, Pandora, Orpheus, Odin, Otus.

East Indies Station (1) HMS Seal

5th (Training) Submarine Flotilla based in Portsmouth (11) L23, H28, H31, H33, H34, H43, H44, H49, H50, Oberon, Thames.

6th Submarine Flotilla based in Blyth, Northern England (6) H32, L26, L27, Undine, Ursula, Unity. Note – Roskill states there were 7 boats in this flotilla.

7th Submarine Flotilla based at Freetown, Sierra Leone (2) Severn, Clyde

Note: Not all boats were ready for combat at the outbreak of war. HM Submarines Thames, H43, H50 and L23 of the 5th Flotilla were refitting as were Sunfish and Thistle of the 2nd.

There were a dozen T-class boats working up or under construction at this time.

Sources:
British Submarines 1939-45 (Osprey)
No Room for Mistakes (Geirr H Haarr)
Conways All the World’s Fighting Ships (1922-1946)



Aurelian -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (10/21/2015 9:04:35 PM)

Update time?



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (10/22/2015 5:19:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Update time?
warspite1

Hopefully at the weekend [:)]



Aurelian -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (10/22/2015 5:49:53 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Update time?
warspite1

Hopefully at the weekend [:)]


[&o]



rhondabrwn -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (11/26/2015 3:10:25 AM)

Are we going on hiatus for the holidays?

Thought a BUMP was on order :)



rhondabrwn -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (11/26/2015 3:11:12 AM)

Been missing your updates [:(]



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/28/2016 2:43:57 PM)

So where are we after a longer than planned break?

Well we have got to December 1939 and have covered the demise of the Graf Spee, the U-boat actions that month, the German destroyer mine-laying operations and also had an initial look at the Royal Navy’s submarine arm. The remaining action from December centres around Soviet fleet operations in the Baltic in support of the invasion of Finland.

I am waiting on what I hope will be a useful source of information to expand the limited info I have on this, but do not want to hold this thread up any longer. I will therefore keep this post free for later insertion of more detail (applies to post 181 as well).

The Baltic Sea

The Soviet Union’s attack on little Finland began on the 30th November (see post 181). The harsh winter would quickly see naval operations grind to an almost complete halt before the end of the month but before this happened the performance of Soviet Navy was, at best, unconvincing. Like the army, the navy was suffering from the effects of the purges.

4th – 9th December: A sortie by the Finnish submarine Saukko against Soviet ships providing naval gunfire support off Koivisto ended without success. Elsewhere the submarines Vetehinen and Iku-Turso were equally unsuccessful.

9th and 10th December: Whilst in support of the Soviet 123rd Rifle Division’s attack at Koivisto, there was a dual between the Finnish batteries there and a Soviet flotilla led by the Minsk and which also included two destroyers and three gun-boats. Flagman Vdovichenko* commanding the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, sailed together with the Minsk, the Leningrad, two destroyers and two gun-boats to provide further support to the Soviet assault forces. Elsewhere the submarines Shch-322 and 323 recorded rare successes – the former sinking a 2,800 ton German steamer and the latter a 400 ton Estonian one.

14th December: Two Soviet destroyers – the Gnevny and the Grozyashchi – carry out a bombardment mission against batteries on the Finnish island of Uto.

18th and 19th December: The battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya (commanded by Flagman Nesvitskij) led a force that included the destroyer leader Minsk, five destroyers and sundry escort vessels in a bombardment mission against Saarenpaa. The battleship Marat also sailed later to assist the operation.

25th December – 19th January: The Soviets orders four submarines - Shch-309, 311, 324 and S-2 – to break into the Gulf of Bothnia. The S-2 was lost to a mine laid by the minelayer Louhi. Just three small ships totalling less than 1,500 tons were sunk during the operation. These brought the total Axis ships sunk to five and would go no higher.

30th December - 3rd January: Further bombardment operations took place to silence the gun batteries at Saarenpaa and Tiurinsaari.

*Flagman was later replaced with the rank of Admiral in a bid to improve discipline and respect for the officer class.


Sources:
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
On Seas Contested (O’Hara, Dickson, Worth)



Lecivius -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/28/2016 4:43:54 PM)

About time you got back on the job [;)][:'(]



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/28/2016 7:14:51 PM)

Yeah soz.... [:D]



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/28/2016 7:20:29 PM)

December 1939
All theatres

So having covered all the main goings on for this last month of this very fateful year, what other naval happenings took place?

4th December: Two French fleets operated in the Atlantic, one off Northwest Africa and the other off the Azores, to guard against enemy attack on convoys and to intercept blockade runners. The operations would be wound down from the middle of the month and the ships sent to the Mediterranean. Based at Casablanca were the elderly battleship Lorraine, the cruisers Algerie, Marseillaise and La Galissonniere, and accompanying destroyers and submarines. Based at Dakar were the battleships Provence and Bretagne, the cruisers Colbert, Dupleix and Primaguet with their accompanying destroyers and submarines.

The heavy cruiser Algerie. This photo is believed to be from 1939 and taken at Dakar.
[image]local://upfiles/28156/9A22C2475BB64E58AFBD59CEBD45475F.jpg[/image]

5th December: The cruiser HMS Despatch captured the 5,000 ton blockade runner Dusseldorf off the Chilean coast.

9th December – 5th January: The German tanker Nordmeer, sailing from Curacao, was able to evade the attentions of the French submarine Ouessant and made the port of Vigo in Spain.

10th – 23rd December: The first Canadian troop convoy TC.1 set out from Halifax carrying men of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division to the UK. The troops were aboard some of the vessels that would become well-known names as the war progressed, if not already known – Aquitania, Empress of Britain and Monarch of Bermuda. Four Canadian destroyers – Ottawa, Restigouche, Fraser and St Laurent - provided the initial anti-submarine escort, while the ocean escort was provided by the carrier Furious, the battleship Resolution and battlecruiser Repulse. No less than 12 destroyers were on hand to escort the convoy in home waters.

12th December: The destroyer HMS Duchess was lost after colliding with the battleship HMS Barham in thick fog off the coast of Scotland. 134 of the ship’s crew were lost.

14th – 16th December: Two German torpedo boats captured six merchant vessels in the Skagerrak.

14th – 19th December: The US Navy were not exactly unhelpful in helping to ensure the scuttling of one blockade runner (Columbus – 32,500 tons) and the internment of a second (Arauca 4,400 tons). In the case of the former the destroyer HMS Hyperion was directed to the German ship by US vessels (which were escorting her) providing position reports that could be read by the British. Similar assistance was given in the case of the latter, and when the cruiser HMS Orion was sighted in the distance by the Arauca's crew, that was enough to make then head for port and internment.

17th – 18th December: HM destroyers Esk, Express, Intrepid and Ivanhoe laid a barrage of 240 mines off the Ems Estuary.

17th – 19th December: Fliegerkorps X (a name we will be hearing about more in the future) sank 10 ships (mostly trawlers) off the east coast of United Kingdom.

21st December: HMS Liverpool intercepted the Japanese freighter Asama Maru off Japan and took 21 Germans prisoner.

26th December: The submarine HMS Triumph hit a mine in the North Sea which blew much of her bow off. As the picture below shows all too clearly, how she survived without her torpedoes blowing up is a miracle.

Lucky girl!
[image]local://upfiles/28156/394889ADADB64599A28AA16B547CD214.jpg[/image]

27th December: The destroyer HMS Wishart, based at Gibraltar, intercepted the 2,680 ton German freighter Glucksburg. The latter runs herself aground off the coast of Spain to avoid capture and was eventually broken up.

Sources:
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.naval-history.net
No Room For Mistakes (Haarr)



Zorch -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/28/2016 8:23:03 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

So where are we after a longer than planned break?

Well we have got to December 1939 and have covered the demise of the Graf Spee, the U-boat actions that month, the German destroyer mine-laying operations and also had an initial look at the Royal Navy’s submarine arm. The remaining action from December centres around Soviet fleet operations in the Baltic in support of the invasion of Finland.

I am waiting on what I hope will be a useful source of information to expand the limited info I have on this, but do not want to hold this thread up any longer. I will therefore keep this post free for later insertion of more detail (applies to post 181 as well).

The Baltic Sea

The Soviet Union’s attack on little Finland began on the 30th November (see post 181). The harsh winter would quickly see naval operations grind to an almost complete halt before the end of the month but before this happened the performance of Soviet Navy was, at best, unconvincing. Like the army, the navy was suffering from the effects of the purges.

4th – 9th December: A sortie by the Finnish submarine Saukko against Soviet ships providing naval gunfire support off Koivisto ended without success. Elsewhere the submarines Vetehinen and Iku-Turso were equally unsuccessful.

9th and 10th December: Whilst in support of the Soviet 123rd Rifle Division’s attack at Koivisto, there was a dual between the Finnish batteries there and a Soviet flotilla led by the Minsk and which also included two destroyers and three gun-boats. Flagman Vdovichenko* commanding the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, sailed together with the Minsk, the Leningrad, two destroyers and two gun-boats to provide further support to the Soviet assault forces. Elsewhere the submarines Shch-322 and 323 recorded rare successes – the former sinking a 2,800 ton German steamer and the latter a 400 ton Estonian one.

14th December: Two Soviet destroyers – the Gnevny and the Grozyashchi – carry out a bombardment mission against batteries on the Finnish island of Uto.

18th and 19th December: The battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya (commanded by Flagman Nesvitskij) led a force that included the destroyer leader Minsk, five destroyers and sundry escort vessels in a bombardment mission against Saarenpaa. The battleship Marat also sailed later to assist the operation.

25th December – 19th January: The Soviets orders four submarines - Shch-309, 311, 324 and S-2 – to break into the Gulf of Bothnia. The S-2 was lost to a mine laid by the minelayer Louhi. Just three small ships totalling less than 1,500 tons were sunk during the operation. These brought the total Axis ships sunk to five and would go no higher.

30th December - 3rd January: Further bombardment operations took place to silence the gun batteries at Saarenpaa and Tiurinsaari.

*Flagman was later replaced with the rank of Admiral in a bid to improve discipline and respect for the officer class.


Sources:
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
On Seas Contested (O’Hara, Dickson, Worth)


'Flagman'? That sounds like the men with orange vests who wave cars around road construction. [:D]
Not something you want to be promoted to...guess it lost something in translation.

Good to have you back!



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/29/2016 7:58:42 PM)

January 1940 (The U-boat War)

The first month of the New Year saw the combatants fighting in the middle of the coldest winter for forty years. The bitterly cold weather had a significant effect, not only upon U-boat operations, but also construction/repair of new/existing boats and the training of new crews. Damage to boats was considerable as parts of the Baltic, the Kiel Canal, the Elbe and the Jade froze over. In order to escape the ice, Donitz ordered the bleak island of Helgoland (in the North Sea) be used to base as many U-boats as possible.

Five boats sailed from Helgoland to the Atlantic; U-25 (Type I), U-51, U-55 (both Type VIIB), U-41 and U-44 (both Type IX). U-51 was a new boat commanded by Dietrich Knorr and took up station in the Western Approaches. An early kill was recorded against a Swedish freighter, followed by the sinking of a Norwegian vessel, but her patrol was then cut short by mechanical problems. Werner Heidel commanded the second Type VIIB and he sank four Scandanvian vessels on his way to the Western Approaches whereupon Heidel was directed to a convoy that netted him two 5,000 freighters. However, the Royal Navy sloop Fowey (Cdr Ellison) located the U-boat and doggedly pursued her, dropping depth-charges that damaged Heidel’s boat. Fowey received help from two British and one French destroyer plus an RAF Sunderland. The hunters refused to let go of their prey and eventually, after an increasingly hopeless surface battle, Heidel had to scuttle his boat. All crew were picked up except Heidel who is thought to have chosen to go down with his boat.

The other three boats were ordered to sail for the coast of Spain, where they would receive refuelling and replenishment from a supply ship moored in Cadiz. On the way south U-25 (Schutze) sank 3 ships for 13,000 tons, while U-44 (Ludwig Mathes) also sank three vessels for 14,000 tons. He was not going to leave it at that though. After reaching Spain, U-44 sank a further 5 ships (30,885 tons in total for the patrol) before heading back to Germany. Schutze also continued to cause problems with a further three victims being found before his patrol ended (note: two of these are not in the nos. below as they occurred in February).

The final boat of the five was not so lucky. U-41 (Mugler) - see next month.

Three boats were assigned mine-laying roles in January; Two Type VII’s U-31 (Habekost) and U-34 (Rollman) and the Type VIIB U-48 (Schultze). U-31 laid her mines off Loch Ewe, U-34 off Falmouth and U-48 off Portland. These fields would only produce one sinking between them – an 8,000 ton tanker off Falmouth. After laying their mines Schultze and Rollman claimed one merchant ship each (Note: Schultze's sinking was in February and so not included below).

Meanwhile in the North Sea the Ducks claimed the following successes:

- Between the 6th and 16th January four boats patrolled off the east coast of Scotland - U-19 (Schepke), U-20 (Moehle), U-23 (Kretschmer) and U-24 (Heilmann). The latter failed to score having suffered reported torpedo malfunctions, but Kretschmer sank 2 ships totalling 11,600 tons and Schepke and Moehle sank a small vessel each.
- From the 18th onwards, Ducks took to sea off the east coast of England and the Southern North Sea. Rather than repeat a list of statistics, the results of these operations can be seen below.
- However there was one notable success worthy of further mention by U-22 (see below).
- The U-15 (Kapitanleutnant Peter Frahm) failed to record a hit. She set out from Wilhemshaven on the 29th January to start her 6th war patrol but was sunk with all hands after colliding with the torpedo boat Iltis.

Sinking of the destroyer Exmouth

In January 1940 HMS Exmouth was part of Rosyth Command. On the afternoon of the 20th January she was ordered to escort a small freighter – SS Cyprian Prince - that was making her way to Scapa Flow carrying searchlights, AA guns and associated equipment for the defence of the fleet anchorage. The destroyer was ahead of the freighter, apparently neither were zig-zagging, and travelling at 10 knots in a northerly direction – a route that was to take both ships directly into the path of U-22.

In the early hours of the following morning Kapitanleutnant Karl-Heirich Jenisch was observing three ships travelling in a northwest direction when suddenly HMS Exmouth and her charge came into view. Quickly realising the value of this new target, Jenisch forgot all about the three ships he was tracking and, at just after 0430hrs, Jenisch fired a single torpedo at each ship. That fired at Cyprian Prince missed but Exmouth was not so lucky. She sank below the freezing waters in less than five minutes. Post war, she was found on the ocean floor and her appearance supports the notion that she suffered a magazine explosion that hastened her demise and lessened the chances that any of the crew would survive.

Cyprian Prince briefly returned to the scene to look for survivors but, although hearing voices in the water, Captain Wilson decided he could not risk his ship for an extended search and rescue mission and headed for Scapa Flow. In the subsequent inquiry his decision was seen as being correct in the circumstances. Badly affected by the incident, Wilson never commanded at sea again.


HMS Exmouth (Captain R.S Benson DSO RN) sank with the loss of all hands (190 officers and men). Commissioned in November 1934, HMS Exmouth was the flotilla leader of the E-class destroyers. She was the first surface warship to be lost with all hands during World War II – she would not be the last….
[image]local://upfiles/28156/9FA07D3EFC9D45DE824714A849453C99.jpg[/image]


A Type IIB (no picture definitely confirmed as being U-22 could be found). U-22 was one of the last of the Type IIB submarines. She was built in 1936 and was based at Kiel during her brief wartime existence. Less than 2 months after the sinking, she was on her fifth war patrol in the North Sea when she disappeared. It is believed she hit a mine off the Danish coast, but whatever the cause, U-22 sank with all hands.
[image]local://upfiles/28156/52EA8EE97FA64C81A27049659FC500B3.jpg[/image]

Summary for the period
U-boat, type, ships sunk

U-9 (IIB) – (2) Flandria (18th), Patria (19th)
U-13 (IIB) – (1) Start (31st)
U-14 (IIB) – (1) Biarritz (25th)
U-18 (IIB) – (1) Bisp (23rd)
U-19 (IIB) – (5) Manx (9th), Pluto (23rd), Baltangia (23rd), Everene (25th), Gudveig (25th)
U-20 (IIB) – (5) Sylvia (13th), Faro (27th), Fredensborg (27th), England (27th), Hosanger (27th)
U-21 (IIB) – (1) Vidar (31st)
U-22 (IIB) – (4) Ferryhill (21st) mine, HMS Exmouth (21st), Tekla (21st) Eston (28th) mine
U-23 (IIB) – (3) Fredville (11th), Danmark (12th), Varild (24th)
U-25 (I) – (4) Polzella (17th), Enid (17th), Pajala (18th), Songa (22nd)
U-30 (VII) – (2) El Oso (11th) mine, Cairncross (17th) mine
U-34 (VII) – (2) Caroni River (20th) mine, E Stathatou (28th)
U-44 (IX) – (8) Fagerheim (16th), 16th Arendskerk (16th), Panachrandos (17th), Canadian Reefer (19th), E Dracoulis (21st), Alsacien (25th), Touny (26th), Flora (29th)
U-51 (VIIB) – (2) Gothia (22nd), Eika (29th)
U-55 (VIIB) – (6) Foxen (18th), Teines (19th), Segova (22nd), Andalusia (23rd), Vaclite (30th), Keramiai (30th)
U-56 (IIC) – (1) Onto (mine) (23rd)
U-57 (IIC) – (2) Miranda (20th), HMS Durham Castle (26th) (mine)
U-59 (IIC) – (1) Quiberon (19th)
U-61 (IIC) – (1) Sydfold (22nd)

Total: 52 ships with a total tonnage of 150,537 tons.

Two U-boats were lost – one to accident (U-15) and one to enemy ASW activity (U-55).

Sources:
Hitler’s U-boat War Volume I (Clay Blair)
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.uboat.net
U-boat Attack Logs (Morgan and Taylor)



nicwb -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (1/30/2016 2:57:32 AM)

Great to see this thread is back



BellaDonna -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (4/10/2016 5:39:58 PM)

quote:

I am so looking forward to reading next post. And the next.

Yeash!!!!



warspite1 -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (5/1/2016 7:41:27 AM)

1st – 10th January 1940 (Allied submarines in the North Sea)

The first month of 1940 saw the British submarine service lose three boats in two days. Five boats; Seahorse (Lt Massy-Dawson), Starfish (Lt Turner), Undine (Lt-Cmdr Jackson), Unity (Lt Brown) and Ursula (Lt-Cmdr Phillips) sailed separately to patrol the Horns Reef-Heligoland Bight area, east of the German “Westwall” minefield. The patrol area was located between the minefield and the German/Danish coasts.

The plan was for the boats to spend about a week patrolling, attacking any suitable targets, and then return home. Unity duly returned to the UK on the 5th January but the next boat due back – Seahorse – failed to arrive on the 10th. Ursula returned on the 24th but neither Starfish nor Undine made it back either.

What had happened to these three boats? Undine had left the UK on the 31st December and on the 7th January she came across the German 12th Minesweeping Flotilla in only 30 metres of water. She was attacked relentlessly and was forced to the surface due to her hydroplanes being damaged, and being locked in the rise position, by depth charge explosions. All her crew were captured before she sank and were to spend the rest of the war in POW camps.

It was long believed that Seahorse fell victim to depth-charge attack by the 1st Minesweeping Flotilla on the same day, while 20 miles west of Heligoland. However recent thinking points to a different reason for her demise. The Germans had laid additional mines in three rows west of Horns Reef – Stripe b, d and f. These mines were positioned well below the surface specifically to allow ships to pass but to catch any unwanted submarine intruders. Seahorse had sailed from her base at Blyth on the 26th December. It is still not known for certain what caused the demise of Seahorse, she was never heard from again, but what is known is that she was lost with all 39 of her officers and crew and it is thought possible she was lost on one of these minefields.

Starfish left Blyth on the 5th January. On the 9th January, while west of Heligoland she, like Undine, ran into numerous German vessels and endured a long running game of cat and mouse while trying to avoid depth charge attacks. After having been forced to the surface by leaks that could not be plugged, she ultimately tried to escape at night on the surface, where the minesweepers M5 and M7 were waiting for her. She was scuttled before the Germans could board her and her crew became prisoners of war.

As a result of these losses, further submarine operations east of the Westwall were cancelled.


HMS Starfish – from the first group of four S-class submarines, she was laid down in 1931 and built at Chatham dockyard.
[image]local://upfiles/28156/127307A5909A41138BC155C520A39FB9.jpg[/image]


The 1935-Type minesweepers proved to be a highly successful design. Although built as minesweepers, they were very adaptable and were used in minelaying, ASW, AA and general escort roles. A total of 69 were built between 1935 and 1941.
[image]local://upfiles/28156/E0ED80DF1B284651BB9BF48F5FF29876.jpg[/image]

Sources:
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.uboat.net
No Room for Mistakes (Geirr H Haarr)
Conways All the World’s Fighting Ships (1922-1946)




Capt. Harlock -> RE: Naval War Day-by-Day (5/1/2016 6:17:45 PM)

Yay! Back and running again!



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