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NAVAL EVENTS Thursday, 12 October, 1939

Battlecruiser REPULSE, after degaussing at Kirkwall, departed Scapa Flow with destroyers FAME and FORESIGHT at 1734 for boiler cleaning at Rosyth.

Light cruisers GLASGOW and NEWCASTLE were detached from the Home Fleet to cover convoys in the Western Approaches. They left Scapa Flow on the 12th at 1737 and 1915 respectively.

Light cruiser DUNEDIN departed Scapa Flow for Northern Patrol at 1810.

Light cruiser EDINBURGH departed Rosyth.

Four light cruisers were on Northern Patrol, with light cruiser SHEFFIELD still on patrol in the Denmark Strait.

Destroyers AMAZON and WAKEFUL were submarine hunting off Dover.

Destroyers ARROW, ACHATES, ACHERON, WREN and sloop FLEETWOOD were submarine hunting off Newhaven.

Destroyers FURY, BEDOUIN, PUNJABI were submarine hunting off the Hebrides.

Destroyer WOLVERINE attacked a submarine contact.

Destroyer ECHO ran aground as she entered Plymouth in a heavy fog, damaged her stern and repaired at Plymouth, completing on 17 November.

Minesweeper/escort ship JASON ran aground on Row Point and sustained minor damage which was soon repaired.

Convoy BC.9S of six steamers, including CERVANTES and GUELMA (Commodore) departed the Loire, escorted by destroyers EXMOUTH and ECLIPSE, and arrived safely in the Bristol Channel on the 14th.

Convoy FN.20 departed Southend and arrived at Methil on the 14th. There was no convoy FN.21.

Convoy FS.20 departed Methil and arrived at Southend on the 14th.

U.37 sank Greek steamer ARIS (4810grt), two crew were lost and 27 survivors rescued by Danish steamer SICILIEN (1654grt).

U.48 sank French tanker EMILE MIGUET (14,115grt), a straggler from convoy KJ.2, 190 miles SW of Fastnet. She caught fire and was abandoned with one crewman killed and one missing. Survivors were rescued by American steamer BLACK HAWK (4988grt) and she was scuttled by gunfire from destroyer IMOGEN.

U.48 sank steamer HERONSPOOL (5202grt), a straggler from convoy OB.17, 260 miles SW of Fastnet. American steamer PRESIDENT HARDING (13,869grt) picked up the SOS of EMILE MIGUET (above) and sailing to rescue her survivors, came upon HERONSPOOL’s entire crew and rescued them. PRESIDENT HARDING continued her rescue mission, but by that time BLACK HAWK had picked up EMILE MIGUET’s crew.

Convoy SLF.4 departed Freetown unescorted and arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.