Excess Malta convoy January
January 9, two Italian torpedo boats the Circe and Vega attacked the convoy south of
Pantellaria island. Both were badly damaged by the new cruiser Bonaventure, with Vega sunk
by torpedo from the destroyer Hereward.
Italian submarine Settimo attacked the convoy without loss on either side.
January 7, 1941
Italian torpedo boat Clio sinks Free French submarine Narval off the coast of Tobruk,
Libya.
January 10, 1941
Destroyer Gallant mined and laid up
Illustrious dive-bombed by JU87's and put into Malta for repairs.
January 11, 1941
HMS Gloucester and HMS Southampton damaged by air attack.
While returning from the convoy destroyers were detached to rescue the cruisers HMS
Gloucester and HMS Southampton. These ships had suffered bombing attacks and the heavily
damaged Southampton was sunk by the destroyer HMS Orion.
January 16, 1941
Illustrious bombed and hit twice in Malta harbour
January 19, 1941
Italian submarine Neghelli sunk by HMS Greyhound.
Illustrious bombed in Malta harbour.
January 21, 1941
E class destroyer HMS Exmouth sunk after striking a mine in the Moray Firth.
January 22, 1941
HMS St Cyrus a Saint class tug mined off the Humber.
Italian heavy cruiser S.Giorgio lost Tobruk.
February 1941
HMS Snapper an S class submarine lost in the Bay of Biscay.
February 2 1941
Tree class trawler HMS Almond mined off Falmouth.
February 9 1941
A British force comprising the Battlecruiser HMS Renown, the carrier Ark Royal a cruiser
and 10 destroyers bombards Genoa.
February 20 1941
HMS Ouse a Mersey class trawler mined off North Africa.
February 24, 1941
HMS Terror an Erebus class monitor sunk off Derna. Terror was mined outside Benghazi while
withdrawing under dive-bombing attacks. Then sunk under further bombing attacks.
The D class destroyer HMS Dainty lost after aircraft attack Tobruk harbour.
February 25, 1941
Submarine HMS Upright sinks Italian cruiser Armando Diaz.
Hunt class destroyer HMS Exmoor torpedoed and sunk by E-boat off the coast of Lowestoft.
March 1941
Destroyer HMS Dainty sunk by a bomb as she left Tobruk. (See above)
March 7, 1941
U-70 (KK Joachim Matz) sunk by the corvettes Camellia and Arbutus after being rammed by a
Dutch tanker.
U-47(Prien) sunk with the loss of all crew by sunk by the corvettes Camellia and Arbutus
after being rammed by a Dutch tanker.(Tarrant)
March 8, 1941
U-47(Prien) sunk with the loss of all crew by destroyers Wolverine and Verity.
U-70 (KK Joachim Matz) sunk by the destroyer HMS Wolverine.(Tarrant)
March 17, 1941
U-99(Kretschmer) and U-100(Schepke) both lost while engaged on a combined attack on a
convoy. U-99 was sunk by HMS Walker and U-100 rammed by HMS Vanoc.
March 1941 Operation Lustre
Transport of allied troops to Greece
March 23, 1941
U-551 depth charged south of Iceland by trawler HMS Visendo.
March 25/26, 1941
The 8" cruiser HMS York beached after attack by Italian explosive motor boats.
1941 Mediterranean battle of Matapan March 28th
| Italian | British | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy cruiser Pola | Torpedoed | Formidable (CV) | Damaged |
| Heavy cruiser Zara | Sunk by gunfire | ||
| Heavy cruiser Fiume | Sunk by gunfire | ||
| Alfieri (DD) | Sunk by torpedo | ||
| Carducci (DD) | Sunk by torpedo | ||
| Vittorio Venetto(BB) | Damaged |
March 31, 1941
Cruiser HMS Bonaventure torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Ambra.
April 4, 1941
Armed merchant cruiser Voltaire sunk by German surface raider Thor.
April 5, 1941
U-76 depth charged south of Iceland by HMS Wolverine and sloop HMS Scarborough.
April 6, 1941
Gneisenau damaged by planes. A few days later Scharnhorst and Gneisenau both attacked and
damaged by bomber command.
Greek losses 1941
Greek vessel KIlkis bombed off Salamis
Malta April
April 5 destroyer Gallant bombed and put permanently out of action. She was sunk as a
blockship September 1943
April 30 Minesweeper Abingdon damaged and minesweeper Femoy bombed.
April 15, 1941
At the Tunisia Coast, a convoy of 3 Italian destroyers and 5 merchant ships were engaged
by the British 14th Flotilla which included the Mohawk, Nubian, Jervis and Janus. In this
battle, all 5 merchant ships were sunk as well as 2 of the Italian destroyers, the Luca
Tarigo and Baleno. A British shell eventually hit the Tarigo's bridge, blowing the
leg off the captain, Commander Pietro de Cristofero. An ensign of the Tarigo managed
to launch 3 torpedoes, sinking the HMS Mohawk before getting her steering gear destroyed
and having the deckhouses go up in flames. The Luca Tarigo finally settled to the bottom
of the sea after being hit numerous times.
| Italian ships | German ships | British ships | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabaudia | Transport | Exploded | Adana | Transport | Sunk | Jervis | Destroyer | ||
| Luca Tarigo | Escort | Sunk | Arta | Transport | Sunk | Janus | Destroyer | ||
| Lampo | Escort | Beached | Aegina | Transport | Sunk | Nubian | Destroyer | ||
| Baleno | Escort | Beached | Iserlohn | Transport | Sunk | Mohawk | Destroyer | Sunk | |
Mohawk sunk by torpedo from the Italian destroyer escort Luca Tarigo
March 31, 1941
U class submarine P-36 sunk by Italian aircraft off Malta.
Evacuation of Greece April 24th 1941
6 cruisers, 24 destroyers, 2 corvettes, 2 Landing Ships infantry, 14 troopships involved.
The Transports Pennland, Slamat(Du), Costa Rica and HMS Ulster sunk by dive-bombers.
April 24, 1941
Italian torpedo boat Simone Schiaffino sinks after hitting a mine off Tunisia.
April 27, 1941
HMS Wryneck sunk by German dive bomb aircraft in the Gulf of Nauplia after taking
survivors off Slamat.
D class destroyer HMS Diamond sunk after aircraft attack in the Gulf of Nauplia after
taking survivors off Slamat.
April 28, 1941
U-65 depth charged south of Iceland by corvette HMS Gladiolus.
May
HMS Hurricane bombed and sunk Liverpool. Raised and refitted by 1942.
May 2nd 1941
Jersey mined in the entrance to the Grand Harbour Malta. The ship was a complete loss and
she blocked other ships from entering the harbour.
May 3, 1941
Italian torpedo boat Canopo is sunk off Tripoli by British bombers.
May 7, 1941
U-94(Kuppisch) seriously damaged.
May 8, 1941
Tribal class destroyer Mashona sunk off Ireland by RN after bombing by German aircraft.
May 9, 1941
U-110(Lemp) captured by HMS Bulldog after attack by Bulldog and HMS Broadway and the
corvette HMS Aubretia. Foundered in Tow.
Mine detector vessel HMS Queenworth sunk by German aircraft North Sea.
May 13, 1941
Armed merchant cruiser Salopian sunk by torpedo fired from a submarine.
Italian torpedo boat Pleiadi sinks British submarine HMS Undaunted off the coast of
Tripoli, Libya.
Evacuation of Crete May 22nd to May 30th 1941
Cruiser HMS York abandoned during evacuations.
Juno bombed and sunk May 21st off Crete by S79's
Carlisle hit 22nd May
The Cruisers Orion, and Dido, along with the destroyers Hereward, Hasty, Havoc, Imperial,
Hotspur and Jackal evacuated troops from the northern ports.
The evacuation night 28th-29th May, Ajax accompanying Orion and Dido was forced to turn
back due to damage.
Troops also evacuated on destroyers Hotspur, Decoy, Kimberley, Hereward, Jackal and
Imperial.
Dido was damaged, Hereward lost and beached on Crete, Decoy damaged, Orion badly damaged,
Imperial abandoned and sunk.
2 Australian naval ships were damaged the destroyer HMAS Napier and the Cruiser HMAS Perth
hit May 30th
3 Cruisers, 6 destroyers, 29 smaller vessels sunk.
Battleship, Aircraft carrier, 3 cruisers, 1 destroyer severely damaged.
Battleship, 4 cruisers and 6 destroyers needed extensive repairs.
The 5th Destroyer flotilla lost 2 ships
The original Mediterranean fleet numbered 4 Battleship, Carrier, 12 cruisers and 30
destroyers.
| Destroyer | Cruiser | Other ships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashmir | Sunk 23nd May | Gloucester | Sunk 22nd May | AA cruiser Calcutta | Sunk June 1st |
| Kelly | Sunk 23rd May | Fiji | Sunk 22nd May | Valiant (BB) | Damaged |
| Kingston | Damaged 22nd May | Orion | Damaged 29th May | Warspite (BB) | Damaged 22nd May |
| Greyhound | Sunk 22nd May | Dido | Damaged 29th May | Barham (BB) | Damaged |
| Imperial | Sunk 29th May | Ajax | Damaged 28th May | Formidable (CV) | Damaged 26th May |
| Hereward | Lost 29th May | Naiad | Damaged 22nd May | ||
| Kelvin | Damaged 29th May | Carlisle | Damaged 22nd May | ||
| Nubian | Damaged 26th May | Perth | Damaged May 30th | ||
| Juno | Sunk 21st May | ||||
| Ilex | Damaged | ||||
| Nizam | Damaged | ||||
| Napier | Damaged | ||||
| Havoc | Damaged 23rd May | ||||
May 24, 1941
Hood sunk off Iceland. Bismarck action
May 27, 1941
Bismarck sunk in the North Atlantic.
Italian submarine Glauco sunk by HMS Wishart west of Gibraltar.
Allied Fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean June 2nd 1941
Battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant
Cruisers Ajax and Phoebe plus anti aircraft cruiser Coventry
17 destroyers
June 1, 1941
C class AA cruiser HMS Calcutta sunk by air attack.
June 2, 1941
U-147 depth charged north west of Ireland by HMS Wanderer and corvette HMS Periwinkle.
June 5, 1941
Tree class trawler HMS Ash mined Thames estuary.
June 9, 1941
British destroyers HMS Janus and HMS Jackal engaged in a running fight with the Vichy
destroyers Guepard and Valmy. Janus took some serious damage requiring a tow.
June 10, 1941
Destroyer HMS Gallant hit by aircraft torpedoes proceeding on to Malta Grand Harbour.
June 13, 1941
Lutzow bombed and retired to port.
June 15th
HMS Jervis and HMS Kimberley in action with Guepard and Valmy. Destroyer HMS Isis bombed
and towed back to port.
June 18, 1941
U-138 depth charged west of Cape Trafalgar by HMS Faulknor, HMS Fearless, HMS Foxhound and
HMS Forester.
June 20, 1941
Malta, destroyer HMS Gallant sunk after bombing.
June 24, 1941
Pelican class sloop HMS Auckland bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Bardia.
M-78 sunk west of Widawa in the Baltic Sea.
June 27, 1941
U-556 depth charged south west of Iceland by corvettes HMS Celandine, HMS Gladiolus and
Nasturtium.
June 29, 1941
U-651 depth charged south of Iceland by HMS Malcolm, HMS Scimitar minesweeper/sloop HMS
Speedwell and the corvettes HMS Arabis and HMS Violet.
July 1941
Failed attack on Malta harbour by the Italian 10th Light Flotilla (La Decima Flottiglia
MAS). 15 men were killed, 18 captured with only 11 making it back. Nine explosive torpedo
boats were sunk, two large launches were either sunk or captured and a third boat a MTL
also sunk.
Sloop Auckland and destroyer HMS Waterhen sunk at Tobruk.
July 11/12, 1941
D class destroyer HMS Defender lost after aircraft attack on Tobruk harbour.
July 21, 1941
M-94 sunk by U-140 in Baltic Sea.
Operation Substance
July 23rd the Cruiser HMS Manchester badly damaged by Italian aerial torpedo.
July 23rd the destroyer HMS Fearless sunk by bombs and HMS Firedrake damaged.
July 30, 1941
Cachalot scuttled off Benghazi after ramming by Italian torpedo boat Pap.
August 1941 Destroyer HMS Defender sunk by Italian bombs off Bardia
August 3, 1941
U-401 depth charged south west of Ireland by HMS St Albans, HMS Wanderer and the corvette
HMS Hydrangea.
British armament carrier Escaut sunk by aircraft off Suez.
August 9, 1941
U-144 torpedoed gulf of Finland north of Dago by Russian submarine Shch 307.(Tarrant)
(Szcz 307).
August 18, 1941
U class submarine P-32 mined off Tripoli.
August 19, 1941
Norwegian destroyer Bath (formerly USS Hopewell) sunk by U-204 off Irish coast.
August 21, 1941
First convoy to Russia.
August 23, 1941
U class submarine P-33 sunk off Pantellena by surface forces.
August 25, 1941
U-452 depth charged south of Iceland by trawler HMS Vascama and RAF aircraft.
August 27, 1941
U-570(Rahmlow) captured by coastal command Hudson aircraft and renamed HMS Graph.
August 30, 1941
Italian submarine Adua sunk by destroyers HMS Gurkha and HMS Legion.
September 4, 1941
Destroyer USS Greer attacks U-652 after being missed by torpedoes from the submarine.
September 8, 1941
Italian submarine Maggiori Baracca sunk by HMS Croome north-east of the Azores.
September 10, 1941
U-501 depth charged south of Greenland by corvettes HMCS Chambly and HMCS Moosejaw.
September 11, 1941
U-207 depth charged Denmark strait by HMS Leamington and HMS Veteran.
September, 1941
HMS Upholder(Wanklyn) sinks the troop transports Neptunia and Oceania.
September 13, 1941
The Finnish coastal defence ship Ilmarinen lost.
October 4, 1941
U-111 depth charged west of Tenerife by trawler HMS Lady Shirley.
October 17, 1941
U568(Preus) damages destroyer USS Kearney.
October 18, 1941
Town class destroyer HMS Broadwater torpedoed.
Tug HMS Assurance wrecked in Lough Foyle.
October 19, 1941
U-204 depth charged straits of Gibraltar by sloop HMS Rochester and corvette HMS Mallow.
October 22, 1941
Berberis class trawler HMS Alder wrecked off East coast of Scotland.
October 25, 1941
Italian submarine Galileao Ferranris sunk by HMS Lamerton and aircraft in the north
Atlantic.
October 31, 1941
USS destroyer Reuben James sunk by a U-522(Topp) while escorting a convoy.
Trafalgar day
AMC Aurania torpedoed by U-123.
November 8, 1941
Italian destroyers Fulmine and Libeccio are sunk by British Force K off Tripoli.
November 11, 1941
U-580 sunk in collision off Memel.
November 14, 1941
Italian torpedo boat Pleiadi is sunk off Tripoli by British bombers.
November 15, 1941
U-583 sunk Baltic after a collision.
November 16, 1941
U-433 depth charged south of Malaga by corvette HMS Marigold.
Malta First convoy 1941
Illustrious damaged 10th January and forced to retire. 11th January Light Cruiser Glasgow
damaged and Light Cruiser Southampton sunk after catching fire. (A Destroyer was also
sunk).
Malta Convoys July, September 1941
Losses destroyer sunk, cruiser and battleship damaged in addition to losses earlier in the
year.
29 merchantmen reached Malta with only two being sunk.
Ships based at Malta November-December 1941
| Aurora (CC) | Mined 19th December |
| Penelope (CC) | Mined 19th December |
| Lance (DD) | |
| Lively (DD) | |
| Ajax (CC) | |
| Neptune (CC) | Mined Sunk 19th December |
| Sikh (DD) | |
| Maori (DD) | |
| Legion (DD) | |
| Isaac Sweers (DD) Dutch | |
| Kandahar (DD) | Mined and sunk off Tripoli 19th December |
End of 1941 Eastern Mediterranean
Dido (CL)
Naiad (CL)
Euryalus (CL)
November, 1941
T class submarine HMS Tetrach lost.
November 3, 1941
Carrier HMS Indomitable ran aground in Jamaica.
Tripoli November 8-9 1941
Italian destroyer Fulmine sunk by British naval gunfire. The Grecale damaged and 7 german
transports sunk.
Italian destroyer Libeccio sunk by the submarine HMS Upholder.
Loss of Ark Royal
November 13th 1941 while returning from a Malta convoy she was torpedoed by
U-81(Guggenberger). On the 14th she sunk while under tow.
November 19, 1941
Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney and German armed merchant cruiser Kormoran sink each other
off western Australia.
November 24, 1941
Cruiser HMS Dunedin torpedoed and sunk by U-124.
November 23/25, 1941
The Battleship Barham was torpedoed and sunk by U-331(v.Tiesenhausen) while with Queen
Elizabeth, Valiant and 8 destroyers.
November 27, 1941
RAN Sloop Parramatta sunk by U-559.
November 28, 1941
U-95 sunk in the Mediterranean by Dutch submarine O-21.
November 30, 1941
U-206 depth charged west of St Nazaire by RAF.
December 1, 1941
Destroyer HMS Jackal hit by aerial torpedo.
Italian destroyer escort Alvise Da Mosto sunk by British force K off Tripoli.
December 6, 1941
Naval auxiliary transport ship Chakdina carrying prisoners and wounded torpedoed and sunk
by U-81.
December 7, 1941
U-208 sunk off Gibraltar trying to enter the Mediterranean.
December 11, 1941
Italian submarine Amiraglio Caracciolo sunk by HMS Farndale off Bardia.
U-208 sunk of Gibraltar by Corvette HMS Bluebell while trying to enter the
Mediterranean.(Tarrant)
Italian torpedo boat Alcione is sunk off Crete by British sub HMS Truant.
December 12, 1941
Flower class corvette HMS Windflower lost in the North Atlantic after a collision.
December 12-13, 1941
Italian cruisers Alberico Da Barbiano and Alberti Di Giussano are sunk off Tunisia by
British destroyers of the 4th destroyer flotilla.
December 14, 1941
The Cruiser HMS Galatea torpedoed by U-557 sunk next day near Alexandria.
December 14, 1941
U557 torpedoed Arethusa class cruiser HMS Galatea who sunk 15th near Alexandria.
U-127 sunk by RAN destroyer HMS Nestor.
December 15, 1941
U-127 depth charged south west of Cape St Vincent by HMAS Nestor.(Tarrant)
December 16, 1941
U-557 lost after collision with Italian torpedo boat.
First Battle of Sirte December 15-17, 1941
No losses, but the Italian convoy being protected reached its destination.
December 17, 1941
U-131 depth charged off Cape St Vincent by HMS Stanley, HMS Exmoor and HMS Blakeney the
sloop HMS Stork, corvette HMS Penstemon and RAF aircraft.
December 18, 1941
U-434 depth charged south west of Cape St Vincent by HMS Stanley and HMS Blakeney.
HMS Stanley sunk by a U-boat in the Atlantic
December 18/19, 1941
Leander class light cruiser HMS Neptune mined and sunk, HMS Aurora holed, suffering only
minor damage, HMS Penelope damaged, and the destroyer HMS Kandahar stern blown off finally
sunk by the Royal Navy.
December 19, 1941
Queen Elizabeth and Valiant sunk by Italian frogmen of the Decima Flottiglia MAS at
Alexandria.
Both ships were subsequently raised, but the British were left without a Battleship in the
eastern Mediterranean.
British cruiser force K suffers the loss of HMS Neptune in a minefield (see above).
U-574 rammed off Lisbon by sloop HMS Stork.
Tanker Sagona and the British Destroyer Jervis severely damaged Alexandria.
December 21, 1941
U-451 sunk by RAF off Gibraltar while trying to enter the Mediterranean.
U-567 depth charged north of Azores by sloop HMS Deptford and corvette HMS Samphire.
CVE HMS Audacity sunk by U-751(Bigalk) while escorting a convoy.
December 23, 1941
U-79 depth charged off Bardia by HMS Hotspur and HMS Hasty.
December 28, 1941
U-75 sunk by HMS Kipling off Mersa Matruh.
Grimsby class escort Grimsby sunk by aircraft, Parramatta torpedoed.
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