Sunday, February 13, 2011

Day 532 February 13, 1941

U-96 and U-103 attack convoy HX-106 225 miles South of Iceland, sinking 2 British tankers carrying fuel from Aruba. U-96 sinks MV Clea at 3.08 PM (all 59 hands lost). At 4.25 PM, MV Arthur F. Corwin is stopped and set on fire by 2 torpedoes from U-103 and then finished off by U-96 at 7.50 PM (all 44 crew and 2 gunners lost).

Eritrea, East Africa. Fighting continues in the mountains near Keren while Royal Navy attacks the Red Sea port of Massawa (Operation Composition). British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (on the way to the Mediterranean to replace HMS Illustrious) launches 14 Fairey Albacore biplanes to bomb Massawa harbour, sinking Italian steamer Moncalieri and causing minor damage to Italian warships. 2 Albacore are shot down and the 6 aircrew taken prisoner (only until April, when Massawa is captured by Allied forces).

British antisubmarine trawler HMT Rubens is bombed and sunk by a German FW200 aircraft 275 miles Southwest of Ireland (all 21 hands lost).

At Plymouth, England, anti-submarine trawler Notre Dame De France collides with British destroyers HMS Ripley and HMS Burwell during their seatrials after refitting (both are ex-US Navy, transferred under the destroyers for bases agreement). HMS Ripley is damaged requiring repairs at Devonport, Plymouth, until March 3.

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