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• German submarine U-96 attacked British liner Almeda Star 200 miles west of Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom at 0745 hours, firing four torpedoes and her deck gun. Four lifeboats were launched before Almeda Star sank, but when seven British destroyers arrived, none of them were found, thus all aboard were lost (137 crew, 29 gunners, and 194 passengers). ww2dbase [CPC]
• Italian submarine Marcello approached an Allied convoy off the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom, but was detected by an escort destroyer, which attacked the submarine with five depth charges. Marcello suffered damage in her forward trim tank, forcing her end her war patrol to return to base. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-106 sank British ship Zealandic off the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom with three torpedoes. 73 survivors took to three lifeboats, but none were ever found. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Alessandro Malaspina reported that she failed to detect the Allied convoy that she had been ordered to intercept on the previous day; she set course to return her patrol area in the Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]

• Chiang Kaishek officially declared the disbanding of the Communist New Fourth Army. ww2dbase [New Fourth Army incident | Chiang Kaishek | CPC]

• Morosini departed La Pallice, La Rochelle, France at 0905 hours for trials, returning at 1815 hours. ww2dbase [Morosini | La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes | CPC]

• German Luftwaffe Stuka dive bombers attacked Malta. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | CPC]

• A French naval squadron attacked the Thai anchorage at Ko Chang island near the Thai-Cambodian border, sinking two gunboats, damaging a coastal defense ship, and killing 36 men. ww2dbase [Franco-Thai War | Ko Chang, Trat | CPC]

• British corvette HMS Rhododendron hit a mine in Liverpool Harbor, England, United Kingdom. She was to remain out of action for three months for repairs. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC]
• Harry Hopkins, while at a private dinner party with Scottish officials at the North British Railway Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, pledged American support for Britain. ww2dbase [M5 | Glasgow, Scotland | AC]

17 Jan 1941 Interactive Map