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• At 1804 hours, German submarine U-65 reported the sinking of an unescorted tanker of 7,000 tons with a spread of two G7e torpedoes about 70 miles southwest of Penmarch in the Bay of Biscay. The ship was immediately covered in burning oil and apparently broke in two before it sank. The ship was the 7,011-ton French tanker Monique. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-65 | Bay of Biscay | CPC, HM]
• German submarine U-122 became missing in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere west of Britain and Ireland; the crew of 49 were never seen again. ww2dbase [U-122 | CPC]
• The 13,056-ton British tanker San Fernando, damaged by German submarine U-47 on the previous day, sank. The master Arthur Richard Buckley and 48 crew members were picked up by the British sloops HMS Fowey (L 15) and HMS Sandwich (L 12) and landed at Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [HM]
• The 9,026-ton Norwegian motor tanker Eli Knudsen had been in Allied convoy HX-49, which was dispersed approximately 100 miles southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland after German submarine U-47 had torpedoed the San Fernando in the middle of convoy at 2007 hours on 21 Jun 1940. At 0336 hours German submarine U-32 torpedoed the Eli Knudsen, one of the slowest ships in convoy. All crew members abandoned ship in lifeboats and were picked up a few hours later by the sloop HMS Sandwich and taken to Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. The tanker remained afloat, although she would not survive the incident. ww2dbase [U-32 | Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Celtic Sea | HM]
• At 0158 hours the 3,999-ton unescorted Norwegian steam merchant ship Randsfjord, dispersed from Allied convoy HX-49, was hit by one G7a torpedo from German submarine U-30 about 80 miles south-southwest of Queenstown, Ireland. The torpedo struck on the port side in the foreship and caused the tanker to sink after three minutes. The master and three crew members were lost. Two men were crushed and injured between the starboard lifeboat and the side of the ship when they lost their grip while lowering themselves down to the boat. Some men jumped overboard and were later picked up by the boat. The submarine surfaced and the Germans questioned the survivors, handed them a bottle of brandy before leaving the area at full speed after two destroyers were spotted. ww2dbase [U-30 | Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Celtic Sea | HM]
• The French Flower-class corvette La Bastiase struck a mine whilst on sea trials in the mouth of the River Tees, north east England, United Kingdom. The mines were seen to be dropped by enemy aircraft the previous day. The vessel was a total loss killing her commanding officer Lieutenant de Vaisseau Georges Albert Lacombe, some of her crew and some of the engineers from Smith's Dock who were on board for the trials. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | North Sea | HM]
• At 0217 hours the 5,154-ton unescorted and unarmed Greek merchant steamer Neion was hit in the engine room by a G7a torpedo from German submarine U-38 while steaming without navigational lights lit on a non-evasive course at 10 knots in the Bay of Biscay about 40 miles west-southwest of Belle ÃŽle off the coast of Bretagne, France. One crew member was lost. The master, eight officers and 22 crew members abandoned ship in one lifeboat before she sank by the stern after five minutes. The cargo of naphtha drums was recovered in 1948. ww2dbase [U-38 | Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Bay of Biscay | HM]

• Duguay-Trouin was interned by the British at Alexandria, Egypt. ww2dbase [Duguay-Trouin | Alexandria | CPC]

• At Compiègne, France, in the very same rail carriage and at the same location as when the WW1 armistice was signed, French General Huntzinger and German General Keitel signed the armistice at 1830 hours to end the invasion of France. Meanwhile, France dispatched officials to go to Rome to negotiate peace with Italy. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | Compiègne, Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie | TH]
• The 3,713-ton French merchant steamer Amienois was bombed and sunk by German aircraft as she was pulling out of the harbor at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | HM]

• Leonardo da Vinci set sail from Naples, Italy, arrived at Castellammare di Stabia, Italy at 1225 hours, and returned to Naples, Italy at 1755 hours. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Napoli, Campania | CPC]

• Yosuke Matsuoka was named the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japanese Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoe's new government. ww2dbase [Yosuke Matsuoka | CPC]

• The 1,888-ton Swedish steamship Elgö was torpedoed by Italian submarine Capponi and sank to the north of Sfax, Tunisia. ww2dbase [HM]

• Destroyer USS Dickerson arrived at Bilbao, Spain to safeguard American interests. ww2dbase [Bilbao | CPC]

• In Britain, the second evacuation plan by the London County council resulted in over 100,000 children being evacuated to the west. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
• Charles de Gaulle broadcast a speech from London, England, United Kingdom on the BBC; in this broadcast, he used the term Free French for the first time, while declaring himself the French leader in exile. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | CPC]
• British Foreign Secretary Halifax had his undersecretary Richard Butler contact Swedish Minister in London, England, United Kindom Björn Prytz for a possible Anglo-German negotiations. Germans intercepted Prytz's report back to Stockholm and concluded that the war with Britain was likely to end by the end of the summer. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
• The Communist Party of Great Britain published a manifesto calling for a "People's Government", claiming that "the same kind of leaders who brought France to defeat are in high places in Britain". Furthermore the manifesto called upon workers to oust their own ruling classes which would encourage German workers to bring down Adolf Hitler. ww2dbase [AC]
• Noor Inayat Khan arrived at Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom with her family. ww2dbase [Noor Inayat Khan | Falmouth, England | CPC]
• Following the discovery during the previous night, by Flight Lieutenant Hal Bufton and wireless operator Corporal Mackie, of German Knickebein radio navigation beams intersecting over the Rolls-Royce factory at Derby in Britain, the Air Ministry established No. 80 Wing of the RAF at Radlett, north of London, under Wing-Commander Edward Addison, to operate anti-beam counter-measures. ww2dbase [AC]
• Eight survivors of Dutch steamer Berenice, which was sunk by German submarine U-65 on the previous day, were landed at Falmouth, England, United Kingdom. The ninth survivor of the sinking, the Berenice's master, died from his wounds after being rescued. ww2dbase [Falmouth, England | HM]
• The British motor yacht Campeador V (FY002) was requisitioned for war service on harbour patrol duties at hire rate £60.0.0d per month. She was sunk after activating a magnetic mine just south of Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. 20 people lost their lives; two crew members were picked up. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Portsmouth, England | HM]

• The US Congress adopted national defense tax measures designed to yield US$994,300,000 per year. ww2dbase [Washington | CPC]
• Clifton Cates completed his studies at the Army War College in Washington DC, United States. ww2dbase [Clifton Cates | Washington | CPC]

22 Jun 1940 Interactive Map