22 February 1942 Part 1

22 February 1942 St Malo convoy diary

00:30, Granville: V 206/V 205 secured. At 09:00 I began the return journey to St Malo by land.

To improve communications, especially faster arrival and departure reports, Cherbourg’s Naval Signals Officer agreed to use the harbour-protection wireless frequency. Harbour commandants or captains would send reports on it to Cherbourg for forwarding through the coastal circuit. Whether St Malo’s convoy office should have its own permanent wireless station would be decided later.

Convoys proceeded as intended. V 207/V 210 maintained anti-submarine surveillance in the Alderney–Cherbourg area from 09:00 to 13:00 under the 3rd Security Division’s orders, then received a wireless order to return to St Malo, entering at 23:00. V 209/V 204 escorted a division convoy to Cherbourg, arriving 18:30. V 204 reported her magnetic-protection installation unserviceable; repair duration was not yet known. At 23:00 V 1705 and the 40th Minesweeping Flotilla boats sailed St Malo–Brest with a convoy under division orders.

Situation: V 208/V 213 Alderney–Cherbourg night convoy with Sperber and Georgi. V 205/V 206 departed Granville 11:35 with Hubbastone for Jersey, Holland and Ponticherry for Guernsey, carrying troops. M 4007/M 4008, V 1705 and M 4005 ready St Malo for the night passage to Brest; V 212 ready St Malo. M 4000/M 4006 left Guernsey 06:00 for Jersey, departing 09:00 with Claus Wilhelm, Mazagan and Saigon for Granville, then St Malo and Brest overnight. V 207/V 210 began returning to St Malo at 13:00 after G 2905. V 204/V 209 ordered to St Malo at 13:00 [the narrative instead records arrival at Cherbourg at 18:30]. Escorted tonnage: 3,037 GRT.

Weather-dependent intention for 23 February: V 208/V 213 from Cherbourg at 05:00 with Claus Wilhelm, Schwalbe and, if possible, two tugs and two barges to Alderney; at 22:00 from Alderney with Claus Wilhelm, Gerfried, Franka and two tugs to Cherbourg. V 205/V 206 from Guernsey with an unidentified convoy for Jersey, then Diamant from Jersey to Granville. V 210/V 207/V 209/V 204/V 212 live firing off St Malo and readiness there; flotilla chief to instruct commanders in convoy duty. V 211 boiler cleaning, condenser and turbine repairs. Korvettenkapitän Rall to deputise for the flotilla chief, departing on duty and then leave from 24 February.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0266.