1943 

April: First week: Shore patrols to get the new engines worked in.

April: (possibly at the start): Sailors went on leave for 4 or 5 days in groups accompanied by an officer. They go to Kumasi, Capital of Ashanti 200 miles inland. Jack stayed with Mr. Briscoe - the Mahogany King. See Jack's pictures below.

April 9 Friday: H.M.M.L. 266 sailed from Takoradi for Accra escorting S.S. CYMBULA.

April 10 Saturday: H.M.M.L. 266 returned Takoradi from Accra.

April 10 Saturday:  H.M. Ships CROCUS, DUNCTON, and PORTSDOWN with H.M.M.L.s 265 and 266 sailed from Takoradi for Freetown escorting Convoy T.S. 35 (eighteen ships).

April 15 Thursday: H.M. Ships SNOWDROP, CROCUS, DUNCTON, and PORTSDOWN with H.M.M.L.s 279 and 266 arrived Freetown from Takoradi escorting Convoy T.S. 35 (seventeen ships)

April 24 Saturday: H.M.S. SNOWDROP with H.M.M.L.s 296, 281, 289, 209, 266, 287 sailed from Freetown to rendezvous with and provide long distance A/S screen for Convoy A.F.D. XXIV, escorted by H.M. Ships ALCANTARA, MILFORD, AMARANTHUS, TAMARISK, WOODRUFF, YESTOR, and MORRIS DANCE.

On 24 April 1943, the corvette HMS Snowdrop (Lt. P.A. Tinne, RNVR) and the motor launches HMS 296 (T/Lt. R.C. Breckenridge, RCNVR), HMS 289 (?), HMS 287 (T/Lt. J.B. Bramwell, RNVR), HMS 281 (T/Lt. P.S. Castle, RNVR), HMS 266 (T/Lt. D.R. Beverley, RCNVR) and HMS 209 (T/Lt. A.M.C. Scott, RNVR) departed freetown to make rendezvous with the convoy which did at 1130Z/26. ML 281 had however returned to Freetown on the 26th after having been detached due to a defective Asdic installation. The dock and it's escorts arrived at Freetown on 28 April 1943.

April 28 Wednesday: H.M. Ships VIRGINIA, ARMERIA, CYCLAMEN, THYME, and SNOWDROP with H.M.M.L.s 296, 289, 209, 266, and 287 returned Freetown together H.M. Ships ALCANTARA, MILFORD, AMARANTHUS, TAMARISK, WOODRUFF, MORRIS DANCE, and YESTOR from New Orleans and Trinidad, all escorting Admiralty Floating Dock XXIV being towed by Tugs FRISKY, ZWARTE ZEE, ORIANA, AIMWELL, and CROCODILE in company.

Passage of floating dock AFD 24 from Trinidad to Freetown (further information from uboat.net)

May: Freetown: 0700 left Port escorting an Admiralty Tug and screen a Belgian Merchant ship that was on fire. Did some salvage work whilst waiting. It was 1 of 5 ships that had been torpedoed the night before (Jack's Diary page 9)

May 15

May 17: Arrives at Lagos, Nigeria- 36 hr trip from Freetown(?) (Jack's Diary page 11)

August: From  Lagos - return to Takoradi to screen 2 battleships (most probably)  the Revenge and Resolution whilst refuelling. (8th visit to Lagos) (Jack's Diary page 16)

About Screening battleships
During WWII, warships used a tactic called "screening" to protect larger ships, such as aircraft carriers and battleships, from enemy attack. This was typically done by using smaller, faster ships, such as destroyers and cruisers, to form a protective barrier around the larger ships. The smaller ships would use their speed and maneuverability to intercept and engage any enemy vessels that attempted to approach the larger ships.There were several different formations and tactics used in screening, depending on the situation and the type of ships involved. One common formation was the "line ahead," in which the smaller ships would line up in a single line in front of the larger ships, acting as a barrier against enemy ships. Another formation was the "cruiser screen," in which cruisers would be positioned around the larger ships to intercept enemy aircraft.Tactics used by the screening ships included using smoke screens, radar, and sonar to detect enemy ships and aircraft, and using their own guns, torpedoes, and depth charges to engage them. The screening ships would also use evasive maneuvers, such as zig-zagging, to make it more difficult for the enemy to target the larger ships.
(also see Jack's Diary part 2 page 16 for his description of screening)

September 8: Announcement Italy surrenders .... a few days later  ML 266 sails from Takoradi to Port Bouet under orders of the Copinsay - a Royal Navy Trawler. Mac the skipper (in the car photo ??)

November 11: ordered to return to Takoradi, relieved by ML256 with Hudson and Blenkinsop