PART I
At 0800 on 22nd November the flag of
Admiral Sir
Arthur J. Power, KCB, CVO, as Commander in Chief
East
Indies Fleet was hoisted in H.M.S. CARADOC.
2. The period
inaugurated by the change of command and ending with the
year was marked by a
further strike against Japanese in
Northern
Sumatra, a
comparative absence of U boat activity, and intensive
preparation for future
operations.
3. December saw no
shipping losses due to U boat action, although there was
evidence of one
Japanese U boat operating in the Bay of Bengal and
possibly another off the
southeast coast of Ceylon. There were
also indications of German U boats on passage in the
southern
Indian
Ocean.
18
DAY A/S SEARCH
4. A search which was
begun on the night of 3rd/4th
December in the Bay of
Bengal when an RAF Liberator on A/U patrol sighted a U
boat on the surface in
position 12 degrees, 37 minutes north, 88 degrees, 40
minutes East, and
attacked with depth charges, was continued by Force 66
operating with the RAF
for a period of 18, but without success.
(Force 66 consisted of H.M.S. BEGUM and 6 frigates of
the 60th
Escort Group.
5. On 8th
December, H.M.A. Ships NAPIER (D 7) and
NEPAL
arrived
at
Chittagong
and
thereafter supported the Army in their advance down the
Mayu Peninsula.
6. There was further
A/U activity between 13th and 15th
December when a force
commanded by the Captain, East Indies Escorts, in H.M.S.
LANDGUARD with 7
minesweepers of the 22nd Minesweeper Flotilla
and 4 sloops operated
in conjunction with RAF aircraft in the vicinity of 10
degrees, 00 minutes
North, 84 degrees, 00 minutes East. The
search was without result.
SUMATRA STRIKE
7. The strike against
Japanese bases in
Northern Sumatra
(Operation ROBSON) was carried out on 20th
December, when carrier
aircraft attacked airfields in the Sabang area, targets
at Belawan Deli, and
small craft at Uleehoe.
8. H.M.S. NEWCASTLE
of the East Indies Fleet took part in the operation with
the following ships
destined for the British Pacific Fleet under the Command
of Flag Officer
Aircraft Carriers, British Pacific Fleet:
INDOMITABLE (Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, British
Pacific Fleet),
ILLUSTRIOUS, BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT, and 7 destroyers of
the 27th
Destroyer Flotilla. The force left
Trincomalee on the 17th December and returned
22nd
December. The attack was not very
successful.
9. On the 28th
December, H.M. Submarine THULE reported that she had
attacked and probably sunk
a Japanese U boat in position 21 miles N.N.W. off the
northern entrance to
Penang.
FORCE
61 TO AKYAB
10. It had now become
clear that it would be possible to assault Akyab much
earlier than had been
planned and on 30th December, a bombarding
force, consisting of
H.M.S. NEWCASTLE (Flag Officer, Force 61, Rear Admiral
A.D. Read, CB),
KENYA,
NIGERIA, RAPID,
RAIDER, PATHFINDER, with PHOEBE as a Fighter Direction
Ship , was sailed from
Trincomalee for
Chittagong.
11. As reported by the
Vice Admiral Commanding the Third Battle Squadron, the
working up of Force 61
was “proceeded intensively during the earlier part of
the period.” The force was sailed at short notice
before
the date originally intended and QUEEN ELIZABETH, AMEER,
JUMNA,
and
FLAMINGO were not essential to the success of the
operation. Training of these units therefore
continued
after the remainder of the ships had left.
PACIFIC
FLEET WORKS
UP
12. Working up Force
61 was only part of the training programme during this
period. Main units of the British Pacific Fleet
assembled at Trincomalee early in December and carrier
out a full programme of
practices in harbour and at sea.
13. Transfer of
petrol to aircraft carriers at sea was among the
exercises which had their
place in the programme.
14. Meanwhile at
Mandapam, the newly formed 22nd Minesweeping
Flotilla was also
working up in readiness to join the British Pacific
Fleet. At the same time all available auxiliary
minesweepers were assembling at
Chittagong
for
operations on the Burma Coast.
Enclosure:
Appendix I - Shipping
Enclosure
to
Commander in Chief, East Indies Station letter No.
472/E.I. 1409/Ops
Dated
11TH February 1945.
Eastern Fleet War Diary – Appendix I –
Shipping
CONVOYS
All shipping continued to run free of trade
convoy
throughout the East Indies Station, there being no
appreciable U boat threat.
ROUTEING
In view of the possibility of U boats operating
off the
South and West Coast of Australia, shipping to and from
Australia continued to
be route south of 34 degrees South when crossing the
chop line 100 degrees
East.
TROOP
AND SPECIAL
CONVOYS
ABF.6B
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
BANN and LOCHY sailed Aden on 22nd
and arrived
Bombay
27th
December.
BAF.7
Six troopships escorted by H.M.S.
BANN, PLYM, TRENT, and LOCHY sailed from Bombay 12th
and arrived
Aden
17th
December.
BAF.8
One troopship escorted by H.M.S.
BANN and LOCHY sailed Bombay 30th
December and arrived Aden on 4th
January
AP.75A
(n.b. in list as BP7.5A, pen corrected to
AP7.5) One troopship escorted by HALLADALE
sailed
Aden
13th
and arrived Hormuz 17th December.
BP.121
One troopship escorted by H.M.I.S.
ROHILKAND and KHYBER sailed Karachi on 3rd
and arrived Hormuz 5th December.
BP.122
One troopships escorted by H.M.I.S.
ROHILKAND and KHYBER sailed Karachi on 20th
and arrived Hormuz 22nd December.
PB.88
One troopship escorted by
H.M.I.S. ROHILKAND and KHYBER sailed Hormuz and arrived
Karachi 31st
December
CM.59A
One troopship by H.M.S. LINARIA and
later by H.M.S. GORLESTON sailed Kilindini 29th
November and arrived
Aden
5th
December.
CM.59B
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
BANFF, JASMINE, and LINARIA sailed Kilindini on 24th
December and
arrived
Aden
1st
January.
MC.14
Three troopships escorted by
H.M.S. FALMOUTH, GENISTA, and HONESTY sailed Aden on 14th
and arrived Kilindini on 22nd December.
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S. FALMOUTH,
FREESIA, and GENISTA sailed Kilindini on 24th
December and arrived Durban on 30th
December. This convoy was accompanied by
H.M.S. VALIANT from Aden to Durban.
CX.36
One troopship escorted by
H.M.I.S. RAJPUTANA and
OUDH
sailed Colombo on 13th
and arrived Addu Atoll on 17th December.
XC.35
One troopship escorted by
H.M.I.S. RAJPUTANA and
OUDH
sailed
Addu Atoll on 19th and arrived Colombo on 21st
December.
CH.58
Two troopships escorted by
H.M.I.S. KATHIAWAR sailed Chittagong on 3rd
and arrived Sandhead on 4th December.
CH.58A
Two troopships escorted by H.M.I.S.
BIHAR sailed
Chittagong
on 4th
and arrived Sandhead on 5th December.
CH.59
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
ROCKROSE and H.M.I.S. PUNJAB sailed Chittagong on 7th
and arrived Sandhead on 9th December.
CH.60
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
AWE and H.M.I.S. CARNATIC sailed Chittagong on 8th
and arrived Sandhead on 9th December.
CH.60A
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
AWE and H.M.I.S. ORISSA sailed Chittagong on 11th
and arrived Sandhead on 12th December.
CH.61
Two troopships escorted by
H.M.I.S. KATHIAWAR and
BIHAR
sailed Chittagong on 12th
and arrived Sandhead on 13th December.
CH.62
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
ROCKROSE sailed
Chittagong
on 15th
and arrived Sandhead 16th December.
CH.62A
One troopships and one special ship
escorted by H.M.I.S. PUNJAB sailed Chittagong on 15th
and arrived Sandhead on 16th December.
HC.86
Four troopships escorted by H.M.I.S.
KATHIAWAR and
BIHAR
sailed Sandheads
on 1st and arrived Chittagong on 2nd
December.
HC.87
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
ROCKROSE and H.M.I.S. PUNJAB sailed Sandheads on 5th
and arrived Chittagong on 6th
December.
HC.88
Two troopships escorted by H.M.S.
AWE and H.M.I.S. CARNATIC sailed Sandheads on 7th
and arrived Chittagong on 8th
December.
HC.88A
One special ship escorted by
H.M.I.S. ORISSA sailed Sandheads on 9th and
arrived Chittagong on 11th
December.
HC.89
Two troopships escorted by
H.M.I.S. KATHIAWAR and
BIHAR
sailed
Sandheads on 10th and arrived Chittagong on
11th
December.
HC.90
Three troopships escorted by
H.M.S. ROCKROSE and H.M.I.S. PUNJAB sailed Sandheads on
13th and
arrived
Chittagong
14th
December.
JA.1
One troopship escorted by H.M.S.
TAY sailed
Colombo
11th
and arrived
Aden
on 17th
December.
JC.70
Three troopships escorted by
H.M.S. JED and SHOREHAM sailed Colombo on 3rd
and arrive
Chittagong
on 10th
December.
JC.70A
One troopship and one special ship
escorted by H.M.I.S. HINDUSTAN sailed Colombo on 11th
and arrived
Chittagong
on 19th
December.
JC.70B
One troopship escorted by H.M.I.S.
BALUCHISTAN sailed Colombo on 21st
and arrived
Madras
on 24th
December.
CJ.44A
One troopship and one special trip
escorted by H.M.S. NIGELLA, CESSNOCK, and IPSWICH sailed
Vizagapatam 29th
November and arrived Colombo 4th
December.
US
–
SU
U.S.S. GENERAL BUTNER escorted by
H.M.S. WHELP and WAGER sailed Bombay 1st
December. Destroyers parted company on
crossing 5 degrees south and U.S.S. GENERAL BUTNER
proceeded independently to Melbourne.
U.S.S.
GENERAL
POPE sailed Melbourne on 28th
November and was met by H.M.S. URSA and UNDAUNTED in 5
degrees South on 8th
December being escorted to Bombay where
she arrived on 11th December.
U.S.S.
GENERAL
POPE escorted by H.M.S. URSA and UNDAUNTED sailed Bombay
16th
December and was met by H.M.S. LONDON on 19th
December. Destroyers parted company on 20th,
H.M.S. LONDON continued as escort till 24th.
U.S.S. GENERAL POPE arrived Melbourne on 29th
December.
U.S.S.
ADMIRAL
BENSON sailed from Melbourne on 17th
December and was met by H.M.S. ROEBUCK and RELENTLESS in
5 degrees South on 27th
being escorted to Bombay where
she arrived on 30th December.
NAAF
RIVER
Heavy lift ship BELRAY escorted by H.M.S. HIND
and SHOREHAM
sailed
Chittagong
on 13th
and arrived in the Naaf River on 14th
sailed again on 16th and arrived at Sandhead
on 17th
December.
ESCORT
VESSELS
At the end of the month, the following number of
escort
vessels were undergoing refit or major repairs or were
on passage to or from
refit:
Aden
Escort
Force
2
Kilindini
Escort
Force
4
E.I.E.F. 13
___
19
VERBENA
to
be loaned to Kilindini Escort on completion of her
refit.
SAVORGNAN
DE
BRAZZA has sailed for United
Kingdom for refit.
Area of operations, click to
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