September 1, 1939
German Battleship Schleswig-Holstein opens fire on Polish coastal
defences.
Polish minesweeper Mewa damaged by german divebombers.
September 2, 1939
Polish Torpedo boat Mazur sunk by divebombers the first ship lost
in the war.
September 3, 1939
Passenger liner Athena sunk by U-30.
Polish destroyer Wicher sunk 3 September in Hela port.
Polish minelayer Gryf sunk 3 September in Hela port.
Minesweeper Mewa sunk 3 or 14 September though later raised by
the Germans.
September 10, 1939
Submarine HMS Triton sinks submarine HMS Oxley off the coast of
Norway.
September 14, 1939
Polish minesweepers Jaskolka and Czapla sunk.
North west of Ireland after a failed torpedo attempt U-39 sunk by
Ark Royal's escorting destroyers HMS Faulknor, HMS Foxhound, and
HMS Firedrake.
British submarine HMS Sturgeon misses submarine HMS Swordfish
with its torpedoes.
September 17, 1939
British carrier HMS Courageous sunk in the Western approaches by
U-29.
September 20, 1939
HMS Forester and Fortune sink U-27 west of the Hebrides.(Tarrant)
September 22, 1939
Destroyers HMS Jersey and HMS Javelin collided both needing
repairs.
HMS Forester and Fortune sink U-27 west of the Hebrides.
October 1 1939
German minesweeper M85 sunk by Polish pole mine.
Merchant and Uboat losses September-October 1939
| 16 U-boats sunk | |
| 6 U-boats believed sunk | |
| 10 German Merchantmen sunk | 55 British Merchantmen sunk |
| 11 German Merchantmen seized | 7 French Merchantmen sunk |
October 8, 1939
U-12 sunk by mine English Channel.
October 13, 1939
U-40 sunk by mine straits of Dover.(Tarrant)
U-42 sunk by HMS Ilex and HMS Imogen off the south-west coast of
Eire.
October 14, 1939
U-45 sunk by HMS Inglefield, HMS Ivanhoe and HMS Intrepid off the
coast of Eire.
HMS Royal Oak sunk at Scapa Flow by U-47.
October 16, 1939
Bay of Biscay U-45 depth charged by French destroyer
Cyclone.(Tarrant)
October 18, 1939
Base ship HMS Iron Duke beached after being bombed at Scapa Flow
by JU88s.
October 24, 1939
U-16 sunk by depth charges English Channel.
U-16 mined straits of Dover. (Tarrant)
November 4, 1939
French ship Baoule reported sunk.
November 10, 1939
HMS Rover reported lost with all hands.
November 13, 1939
British steamer Ponzano reported torpedoed.
November 14, 1939
Admiralty announces loss of HMS Blanche due to a German mine and
trawler Cresswell to German U-boat shelling. The Norwegian tanker
Arne Kjode is reported torpedoed.
November 15, 1939
British steamer Woodtown reported mined.
November 16, 1939
British ship Africa shell sunk by a German raider and British
steamer Arlington Court torpedoed.
November 23, 1939
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi sunk by German battleship
Scharnhorst.
November 26, 1939
Polish liner Pilsudski sunk by U-boat.
November 28, 1939
Two British steamers sunk by enemy action.
November 29, 1939
British steamer Ionian sunk.
U-35 sunk by HMS Icarus, Kashmir and Kingston north west of
Bergen.
December 4, 1939
U-36 sunk by submarine HMS Salmon south west of Stavanger.
December 7, 1939
Jersey torpedoed and nearly sunk by the German destroyers Erich
Giesse and Hans Lody.
December 12, 1939
D class destroyer HMS Duchess lost.
December 13, 1939
German cruisers Nurnberg and Leipzig torpedoed by British
submarine Salmon. Nurnberg put out of action for 5 months.
Battle of the River Plate December 13, 1939
Graf Spee damaged as are two allied cruisers. British warship
forced to withdraw.
December 14, 1939
Destroyer HMS Kelly hit a mine needing extensive repairs
German cruiser Leipzig torpedoed by British submarine HMS Ursula.
Leipzig put out of action for a year.
December 17, 1939
Graf Spee scuttled.
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