Source: ADM 199/1104 Be pleased to lay before Their Lordships the following report of proceedings for the period 1st to 31st October 1942. OPERATION EZ The chief event of importance was the visit of HM Ships Argonaut, Intrepid and Obdurate on the night of 22nd/23rd October for Operation EZ. The object of the visit was the evacuation of about 38 officers and 207 other ranks of the Royal Air Force who formed the crews and ground staff of the two Squadrons of Hampdens and three P.R.U. Spitfire aircraft which had been sent out for Operation EV. Opportunity was also taken for these ships to bring out personnel and stores for North Russia, and to take personnel to the United Kingdom. The personnel going home, apart from RAF, were mainly from Archangel and included Rear Admiral Boddham-Whetham (Commodore of PQ18 convoy), survivors ex PQ17 and PQ18, and various odds and ends from Moscow and North Russia, making a total of 75 officers and 341 men.  The personnel coming out were Commodore Meek (relief for Rear Admiral Boddham-Whetham), Medical Officers and ratings for the hospital unit at Vaenga, and a few reliefs for time-expired officers and men out here. Stores and provision brought out include 18 tons of corned beef and biscuit, and apparatus for W/T Station and Masking Beacon. About 350 tons of fuel was taken in by each ship during the night.  To bring the 165 0fficers and ratings round from Archangel and to take back stores, 2 minesweepers and 2 corvettes were used. These arrived a.m. Wednesday 21st October - the Minesweepers left on 23rd and the Corvettes (which were detained while sorting the stores) left on 24th October, all for Archangel. As in Operation EU, the Russians co-operated well, and the transfer of men and stores and the fuelling were carried out fairly quickly, allowing Argonaut and destroyers to leave Vaenga 8 hours after their arrival. OPERATIONS IN EAST BARENTS SEA - MINESWEEPING IN YOGORSKI AND MATOCHKIN STRAITS On 11th September the Soviet patrol-vessel Musson was mined and sunk at the entrance to the Matochkin Strait, and on the 13th the Commander in Chief, Northern Fleet, asked if British Minesweepers from Archangel could be sent to clear the area of mines, observing that there was a good deal of shipping in the Matochkin Strait awaiting release.  Having first ascertained that the three new motor-minesweepers recently handed over by us to the Soviet at Archangel, were not available, I ordered HM Ships Halcyon, Hazard and Sharpshooter to be sailed from Archangel for this purpose. They passed the Dvina Bar at 0800 local time on the 16th and off Cape Gorodetski picked up two Russian Merchant vessels to be escorted to Novaya Zemlya.