14 October 1944 Part 1

14 October 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

08:00 weather: west force 5–8, sea 3–4, visibility ten nautical miles, cloud 5/10, base 1,000 metres. 11:15: Alderney sighted five J/K-class destroyers northbound in BF 3552. 12:00 weather: west-south-west force 5–7, sea 3–4, visibility ten nautical miles, cloud 6/10, base 1,500 metres.

14:55: FK 04/14 departed Peter Port for Sark. 14:56: Guernsey Group ordered Strassburg ready to fire eastward in support of the two FK boats. 15:20: Alderney sighted two motor torpedo boats northbound in BF 3528. 16:03: Guernsey Group ended Strassburg's readiness. 16:10: FK 04/14 entered Sark.

17:15: Rabenstein bearing station, Guernsey, reported a freighter with one funnel and two masts north-north-westbound in BF 2681. 17:50: FK 04/14 departed Sark for Peter Port; Guernsey Group ordered Strassburg ready to fire eastward in support. Battery ready at 17:54. 18:00 weather: west force 4–6, sea 2–4, visibility eleven nautical miles, cloud 7/10, base 1,200 metres. 18:35: Alderney sighted two Liberty ships northbound in BF 3524.

19:20–19:35: Guernsey harbour lights lit. 19:30: Strassburg's readiness lifted. 19:35: FK 04/14 entered Peter Port. Alderney–Guernsey convoy and Jersey–Guernsey courier passage postponed owing to weather.

Enemy convoy traffic observed: from Cherbourg, eight destroyers, two motor torpedo boats and two Liberty ships. Towards Cherbourg, one freighter with one funnel and two masts and one destroyer. From St Malo, one freighter with one funnel and two masts.

Roll 2422, scans 0861–0862, original pages 195–196.