Less than five days after the successes of Operation ZėrstorenKonvoi, the Second Battle off the Channel Islands takes place.
The Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, along with the Destroyer Z1 again patrol 30 miles off France. After numerous failed air strikes, a Hawker Sea Hurricane successfully attacks Z1, lightly damaging her. The Hawker's 20mm cannons damaged the bridge, and put gun #3 out of service. Finally, a anti submarine task force is sent to shadow and send information on the German capital ships.
But a day later, daylight comes quick, and, the British find themselves out of position. The German battleships, having spotted the force, blast away. They want to clear the possible distractions and intelligence.
The British act quick, laying smoke screens and firing their small 4.7" guns. One such hit straddles Z1, and another two hit the bridge but don't explode, they are dud shells.
The german battleships soon return fire. In just minutes, a number of shells explode and penetrate inside the E class destroyer HMS Eclipse. She immediately takes a 30* list to the left.
Soon Eclipse slides beneath the waves, just like so many other destroyers...
Another destroyer is again sunk. Only one survives the sinking. The only destroyer left is the retreating HMS Express. Lutjens decides to let it go, but it eventually sinks.
Again, the intelligence / A/S group sinks...
Lutjens decides to return to base, Z1 was slowly taking on water. Air strikes were also coming more frequent, and it seemed to Lutjens that HMS Rodney could appear on the horizon at any moment.