At 0936, SS Protesilaus struck a mine laid on 5 Dec, 1939 by U-28 in the Bristol Channel southwest of Swansea. The badly damaged vessel was beached in the Swansea Bay. The crew was rescued by the minesweeping trawler HMS Paramount and landed at Swansea. The Protesilaus was later refloated and towed to Greenock but declared a total loss. In September 1940, she was taken in tow by the British tug Empire Henchman and French tug Abeille 22 to Scapa Flow for use as a blockship, but on 13 September the ship sprung a leak and had to be sunk by gunfire about 5 miles northwest of the Skerryvore Lighthouse, Argyllshire

At 2130, the unescorted SS Ferryhill struck a mine laid on 20 Dec, 1939 by U-22 and sank 1.5 miles north from St Mary's Lighthouse near Blyth. The master and eight crewmembers were lost. Two crewmembers were picked up by the minesweeping trawler HMS Young Jacob and landed at North Shields.

SS Tekla torpedoed and sank SS Tekla at 58.18N, 02.25W - Grid AN 1681.

FRANCE:  The Duke of Windsor (who, as Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936) takes leave after a five month tour of duty with the British Expeditionary Force in France. 

 

I get talking to the sentry who came out of the pill-box to say "Hallo!" and ask him what the Christmas tree is doing on top of the flag-pole on the pill-box. "Oh," he says, "this is one the Germans gave us on Christmas Eve. We gave them a turkey in exchange." This was apparently effected by a loud-voiced arrangement. A German brought the tree half-way across the bridge. Then a Frenchman came out with a turkey and took the tree. A German fetched it from where the tree was, and the sentry seemed to think the procedure was quite natural.

Sunday Dispatch.

GIBRALTAR: The U.S. freighter SS Nishmaha is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities. 

MEDITERRANEAN:  The Italian liner SS Orazio catches fire off Barcelona, Spain, and 104 aboard the ship die. French destroyers rescue survivors. 

JAPAN: The British cruiser HMS LIVERPOOL stops the Japanese liner Asamu Maru off Honshu, and removes 21 German technicians on board.

The Japanese protested vociferously - there were demonstrations outside the British embassy in Tokyo apparently organised by the War Party. The boarding had taken place within sight of Mt. Fuji which was considered to be an insult to Japan. Whilst the boarding had taken place in accordance with international law, the boarding officer had omitted to sign the ship's log (allegedly an infringement). After much diplomatic activity nine of the Germans (described by the British as "unsuitable for military service" were returned to the Japanese who, in turn, promised not to refuse passage to any individual of a belligerent country "who is embodied in the armed forces or who is suspected of being so embodied". The British object in this was to prevent the crossing of the Pacific by the approximately 1000 German crewmembers of German ships in US ports.