11 May 1942 Part 1

11 May 1942 St Malo convoy diary

St Malo. S–SW light to weak breeze, visibility five to eight nautical miles; sea state corrected by hand to slight to moderate, calm sea. Convoys carried out according to the situation and intentions of 10 May. For the onward escort of convoy 3262, due today in Robin Bay according to the division, I order V 204/05: after completing the troop convoy leaving St Malo at 22:00 today for Guernsey, go without convoy to Jersey; on 12 May, at daylight, take convoy 3262 to Cherbourg; remain there for local convoy duties. V 213/1510 are to come to St Malo once V 204/05 arrive, with two suction dredgers if weather permits. These heavily worked boats are to have rest at St Malo; V 213 also needs boiler cleaning.

V 210/12, which entered Le Havre on 10 May under 2nd Security Division orders, report their intention to continue eastward to Boulogne during night 10/11 May. 15:30: an order requires increased alert from 21:00 to 08:00 during the nights from 11 May to the morning of 14 May. Remark: no situation report or reason accompanies this order. Without knowledge of the circumstances requiring it, I cannot decide whether particular orders should be given to the boats; such knowledge alone enables appropriate orders.

Correction to 10 May, item 2: V 208/09 Guernsey–Jersey with Holland, Pointe à Pitre and Helma; corrected tonnage 5,800 GRT. Situation: V 210/12 eastward passage; V 208/09 Jersey–St Malo with Holland, Ad. le Prince and Sable d’Or, then ready; V 207/06 protect Olwe; V 1510/213 ready Cherbourg for Alderney convoy; V 204/05 ready St Malo for night convoy 11/12 May with H 2, Karel and Saigon to Guernsey.

[Source gap: scan 0341 ends at original page 15, in the situation list for 11 May. Scan 0342 resumes at original page 20, during 14 May. Original pages 16–19, including the remaining 11 May entry, 12–13 May and the opening of 14 May, are absent from this scan sequence. Later corrections, closing figures and review references survive; they do not substitute for the missing daily text.]

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0341–0342.