17 April 1942

17 April 1942 St Malo convoy diary

Weather: ENE light wind, fair, visibility ten nautical miles. Numerous convoy tasks today. With V 206/12 tied to Olwe, only two pairs at St Malo and one at Cherbourg are available, since V 209 has generator damage and V 210 is unready owing to boiler cleaning. All requested convoys are accepted. 11:15: V 204/11 are ordered by radio to return Guernsey–Jersey after releasing their convoy, for the Rob. Müller 8 troop convoy Jersey–St Malo [V 204/08 in the later situation].

13:00: telephone message from 3rd Security Division: a British airman is in distress in grid square 2664, about 35 nautical miles by sea from St Peter Port, in the British mined area. The nearest boats leave Jersey at 13:00 and cannot arrive for six or seven hours; harbour-protection boats from Guernsey could scarcely arrive earlier. I report this situation, which makes employing forces seem inappropriate, and am told to refrain from sending them.

Olwe has entered Jersey, so V 206/12 escort Sea Commandant Normandy to Guernsey, taking two vessels along. I order them to wait until 20:00 and then bring the Maas/Nordplein troop convoy to Jersey. There the two transports are to join V 204/08 with Rob. Müller 8 for St Malo. V 206/12 remain at Jersey to protect Olwe.

Situation: V 206/12 Jersey–Guernsey convoy, evening Maas and Nordplein troop convoy back to Jersey; V 204/08 St Malo–Granville without convoy, then Rheinland and Favorit for Jersey, Normand, Helma, Tourane and Comptoir 66 for Guernsey, returning without convoy to Jersey; V 207/13 night St Malo–Guernsey troop convoy with Schockland, Karel and Derfflinger; V 1510/704 ready Cherbourg, possible night convoys; V 211 ready St Malo; V 209 unready St Malo; V 210 boiler cleaning and unready St Malo; V 205 dock Cherbourg. Escorted tonnage 8,700 GRT, corrected on 18 April to 7,600.

Intentions for 18 April: V 206/12 protect Olwe; V 204/08 night troop convoy Rob. Müller 8, Maas and Nordplein Jersey–St Malo; V 207/13 ready Guernsey; V 1510/704 Cherbourg, possible night convoys; V 209/11 ready St Malo; V 210 boiler cleaning and unready; V 205 dock Cherbourg.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0320–0321.