2 October 1944

2 October 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

08:00 weather: north force 3–4, sea 2–3, visibility fifteen nautical miles, partly clouded, cloud base 2,000 metres. 09:40: Alderney sighted two Liberty ships southbound and two northbound in BF 3552.

12:00 weather: north force 3, sea 2, visibility fifteen nautical miles, partly clouded, cloud base 1,000 metres. 13:20: twelve LSTs southbound in BF 3528. 13:30: seven LSTs and one Liberty ship northbound in BF 3528. 14:05: eleven LSTs and two destroyers southbound in BF 3528. 14:55: Alderney sighted one hospital ship, three LSTs, six Liberty ships and one auxiliary aircraft carrier southbound, and five motor torpedo boats northbound, in BF 3528. 15:50: one LST, five J–K-class destroyers and four motor torpedo boats southbound in BF 3528. 16:10: six LSTs northbound in BF 3552. 17:05: four vessels difficult to identify, probably freighters, northbound in BF 2682.

18:00 weather: north-north-west force 2–3, sea 2, visibility eighteen nautical miles, lightly clouded, cloud base 2,000 metres. 22:30: Alderney sighted an unblacked-out hospital ship northbound in BF 3528.

Enemy convoy traffic observed during the day: towards Cherbourg, eight Liberty ships, twenty-three LSTs, seven destroyers, one hospital ship of LST size, a further four LSTs, one auxiliary aircraft carrier and four motor torpedo boats. From Cherbourg, four Liberty ships, one LST, one escort destroyer, a further thirteen LSTs, five motor torpedo boats and one hospital ship. From St Malo, two destroyers, four vessels probably freighters and three large vessels with an afterdeck and one funnel. [The source lists separate LST groups; they are retained.]

Roll 2422, scans 0848–0849, original pages 182–183.