30 April 1942 Part 1

30 April 1942 St Malo convoy diary

Weather: strong to stiff wind, visibility five to eight nautical miles, fairly rough to rough sea, easterly swell. 10:00: UJ 1404/11 sail to undertake the Jersey–St Malo night troop convoy requested by Harbour Commandant St Malo. V 206’s commander reports the boat unready for twenty-four hours owing to a cracked superheater-pipe flange, to be repaired aboard. 16:00: V 208/09 leave to escort Holstein and Derfflinger to Jersey. 17:15: V 207/11 arrive from Guernsey without convoy and anchor in the roads on divisional orders. 21:30: V 208/09 leave Jersey with Holland for Guernsey. 22:00: UJ 1411/04 night Jersey–St Malo convoy. Cherbourg–Alderney convoys fail owing to weather.

Correction to 29 April, item 2: ready Guernsey owing to weather; nil tonnage. Situation: V 206/10/12 St Malo, V 206 steam-pipe repair twenty-four hours; V 208/09 Holstein and Derfflinger St Malo–Jersey, then Holland night Jersey–Guernsey; V 207/11 Guernsey–St Malo, ready in roads; V 1510/204 Cherbourg, convoy unknown owing to weather; V 205/13 unready Cherbourg; UJ 1404/11 St Malo–Jersey without convoy. Tonnage 900 GRT.

Intentions for 1 May: V 210/06 ready St Malo, 23:00 night convoy to Jersey and Guernsey; V 208/09 RO 8 troop convoy Guernsey–Alderney, then without convoy to Cherbourg, M 1205 and RO 45 Cherbourg–Alderney, then to Jersey with RO 45 for Jersey and M 1205 and RO 8 for St Malo; V 207/11 ready in St Malo Roads until relieved; V 1510/204 ready Cherbourg; V 205/13 unready Cherbourg; V 212 St Malo–Guernsey for the Holland night troop convoy to St Malo; UJ 1404/11 night Jersey–St Malo, then ready in roads. Lock times: 30 April 09:30–11:30; 1 May 10:30–12:30 and 23:00–24:00; 2 May 00:00–01:00 and 11:30–13:30.

Closing escorted-tonnage table, GRT: 16 April 3,100; 17 April 7,600; 18 April 3,100; 19 April 8,300; 20 April 3,100; 21 April 7,800; 22 April 8,100; 23 April 3,700; subtotal 44,800. 24 April 2,400; 25 April 5,700; 26 April 4,000; 27 April 3,900; 28 April 400; 29 April dash; 30 April 900; printed subtotal 18,300 and total 63,100. Signed Dr Diederichs. [The second set of daily figures sums to 17,300, giving 62,100 overall. Substituting the daily entry’s 3,400 for 24 April reconciles the printed subtotal and total; both source figures are retained.]

Convoy annex, requested / executed / executed later / refused: 16 April 2/2/0/0; 17 April 4/4/0/0; 18 April 3/3/0/0; 19 April 2/2/0/0; 20 April 1/1/0/0; 21 April 4/3/0/1, shortage of boats; 22 April 4/4/0/0; 23 April 4/3/1/0, Gk 295 of 25 April; 24 April 2/0/1/1, weather, later on 25 April; 25 April 2/2/0/0; 26 April 2/2/0/0; 27 April 3/3/0/0; 28 April 2/1/1/0, weather, later on 30 April; 29 April 1/0/0/1, lock unavailable; 30 April 2/2/0/0. Totals 38/32/3/3, incorporating the visible corrections. [The 30 April request figure is overtyped; 2 agrees with the total.]

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0326–0328.