From:
SeaWaves Magazine
April 11th 1940
1940 - Shipping in the Kattegat is bombed by RAF squadrons 10 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S, one bombed ship without result. 51 Sqn Five a/c. One bombed ship without result. 77 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S. No ships sighted. One FTR. 102 Sqn. Six a/c. One bombed and destroyed an 8,000 ton ammunition ship
1940 - Returning from the Oslo landings, pocket battleship Lutzow is torpedoed and badly damaged by submarine HMS Spearfish in the Skagerrak
1940 - HMS Penelope is damaged when she runs aground in Vestfjord on her way into Narvik
1940 - Both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious arrive independently at Malta, and then depart for Gibraltar escorted by the destroyers HMAS Stuart, HMS Bulldog, Westcott & Wishard
1940 - RAF reconnaissance reports having placed Admiral Hipper in Trondheim on 10 April, plans were drawn up for HMS Furious' squadrons to make a dawn torpedo attack on Trondheim and sink the foe. This was to be the first aerial torpedo attack of the war to date. All 18 aircraft were to participate, 816 Squadron being led by Lieutenant-Commander Henry Horace Gardner, RN and 818 Squadron by Lieutenant-Commander Patrick George Osric Sydney-Turner, RN. Takeoff commenced at 0400, with the entire force taking its departure at 0419, the squadrons proceeding independently to attack from different directions. Climbing to 8,000 feet enroute, 816 Squadron sighted Trondheim Fjord at 0514, the roads being entirely obscured in cloud. Hoping to surprise the foe, the formation commenced a diving attack at 0519. Emerging from the clouds at 3,000 feet, the cruiser was nowhere to be seen, having "flown the coup" the prior evening. Flying towards Skjoren Fjord, the Squadron sighted a destroyer that appeared to be at anchor and opted for her. In actuality the target was Theodore Riedel, which had run fast aground the day before. 816's attack commencing at 0522, all nine aircraft making good drops on the stationary target. But to their horror, about 500 yards from the target, all the torpedo tracks ended, four of the nine exploding. Not equipped with proper maps, the attackers had not realized that the target was aground in shoal water. Meanwhile, 818 Squadron sighted another Maass-class destroyer in Trondheimfjord heading towards the harbor. Unknown to the British, this was Friedrich Eckholdt, returning after her unsuccessful attempt to sortie home with the Hipper. In any case, eight of the nine attackers were able to release their "kippers" on her. Two exploded prematurely, the other six being skillfully avoided. It was a very disheartened band that returned to the ship at 0630. Later that morning, Furious dispatched a two Swordfish of 816 Squadron on an armed reconnaissance over Trondheim harbor. After completing the main task, they opted to dive bomb Reidel, apparently still aground in Skjoren Fjord at 1220. Unfortunately, all the six bombs dropped fell wide of the mark. Both aircraft returned safely at 1345
1940 - Corvette HMS Arrowhead laid down Sorel PQ
1940 - Corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin (ex-Banff) laid down Vancouver BC
1940 - U-435 laid down
1940 - U-5 encountered a British submarine & fired one torpedo without success
1940 - U-7 set out a landing party to occupy the Norwegian lighthouse Marstein
1940 - Submarine HMS Spearfish torpedoes & damages German pocket battleship Lützow putting her out of action for about a year
1940 - On her way into Narvik to support the attack of British destroyers, Light cruiser HMS Penelope ran aground off Fleinver in the Vestfjord and was badly damaged. She was towed clear by the HMS Eskimo