SL 67 was protected by HMS Malaya, a Queen Elizabeth-class veteran whose presence again made a surface attack unacceptable. German submarines sank five merchants but missed Malaya, leaving Lütjens unable to finish the convoy when he rediscovered it. With Malaya pressing from one side and Renown, Ark Royal, and Sheffield moving from the other, the German ships risked being trapped between powerful forces. The supposedly softer route therefore reproduced the same deterrence problem the raiders had met at HX 106.
Chapter · 2:15:04-2:25:45
SL 67 confronted the raiders with HMS Malaya
The supposedly softer Sierra Leone route produced another 15-inch-gun escort and the danger of Force H closing from the opposite direction.