1 September 1944 Part 4

1 September 1944 USS Maloy intercepts the hospital ship Bordeaux

Confirmed naval interception. Event reference NAV-19440901-MALOY-BORDEAUX. One incident, supported by multiple source accounts. General Quarters sounded. Shots fired: 0.

At 1400 on 1 September 1944 USS Maloy (DE-791) stopped the German hospital ship Bordeaux at 48°53′ N, 01°58′ W, en route from St Helier, Jersey, to Île de Cézembre, France (paragraph 1).

Initial contact was visual smoke at approximately 15 miles; radar detected the target at 12 miles. The target was plotted on course 190° true at 15 knots. Maloy was patrolling seven miles off Cézembre, changed course to 080° true to intercept, and sounded General Quarters. At five miles the ship was recognised as a hospital ship by its markings. Bordeaux stopped of her own accord when one mile away (paragraphs 2–4). Distances are transcribed as “miles”; the report does not specify the unit further.

Bordeaux reported no passengers and approximately 35 regular crew members. Her commanding officer was named ALTE. CTF 125 directed Maloy to hold her until HMS Ulysses arrived. At 1700 Bordeaux was ordered to anchor at 48°52.2′ N, 01°55′ W. Maloy did not board her, because a British armed guard was to take over. The vessel was estimated at approximately 900 tons displacement, with several life rafts and no visible guns. Custody passed to HMS Ulysses at 1910 (paragraphs 5–10).

No shots were fired because Bordeaux stopped voluntarily (paragraph 11). Visibility was excellent, sea force 1, wind south-west force 1 (paragraph 12).

Evidence: contemporary US Navy Enemy Action Report, dated 6 September 1944, signed F. D. Kellogg; marked CONFIDENTIAL, first page ADVANCED COPY. Both supplied report images were visually checked. The report date is distinct from the event date. No time zone is stated in the report images.

Cross-references: 1 September 1944 Part 1, “US Navy historical account of Bordeaux interception” (set H, page 26), and Part 2, “US Navy September diary mission and Bordeaux interception” (set J, screenshots 1–2). These describe the same interception and must not be counted as further incidents. The historical account gives 1429 and 48°53′ N, 1°53′ W; the squadron diary gives 1300 and a guard aboard at 1730. Maloy’s report gives 1400, 01°58′ W and custody transfer at 1910. These differences remain source-specific and unresolved. The Part 3 Hall forwarding entry concerns Maloy’s August action report and is not evidence of a separate Bordeaux interception.

Register note: 00:04 in the Date field is the established within-day sorting sequence, not the incident time. The reported incident time is 1400.

United States Navy, USS Maloy (DE-791), Enemy Action Report, 6 September 1944, file DE791/A16-3/(034), F. D. Kellogg, paragraphs 1–12. Supplied two-page screenshots: New embedded diary images named by date/1 September 1944 Part 4 - Image 1.png and New embedded diary images named by date/1 September 1944 Part 4 - Image 2.png. Original screenshot filenames: Screenshot 2026-10-19 at 10.11.24.png; Screenshot 2026-10-19 at 10.11.47.png. Event reference NAV-19440901-MALOY-BORDEAUX.