Nigeria's Hammerfjord attack turned interception into collision

After Norwegian civilians embarked in Empress of Canada, Vian received intelligence that a German convoy would reach Hammerfjord during the return passage. He kept the destroyers with the transport and took Nigeria and Aurora into the narrow waters, accepting the cruisers' risk rather than exposing the evacuees. A northerly gale, low cloud, poor visibility, and a few hours of darkness helped conceal a full-speed approach after the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer. Entering by dead reckoning, the cruisers opened fire and Nigeria collided with the German training ship Bremse, cutting her in half. Nigeria's forward bulkheads were stove in and she could make only eight knots, leaving little time before enemy reconnaissance aircraft could search for her. The bad visibility held long enough for the damaged cruiser to withdraw undetected and reach Newcastle for extensive repairs. The wider Operation Gauntlet mission also evacuated Norwegian and Soviet civilians and shut coal mines, producing useful results without committing British surface ships to the exposed northern bases.