Operation Duck (i)

'Duck' (i) was a British naval gunfire bombardment of coastal positions and the airfield at Stavanger on the south-western coast of German-occupied Norway (17/18 April 1940).

The undertaking was entrusted to the heavy cruiser Suffolk, supported by the destroyers Hereward, Janus, Juno and Kipling, which shelled the seaplane base at Sola to good effect, destroying four seaplanes as well as many installations, but Suffolk was then heavily attacked over a seven-hour period by Junkers Ju 88 twin-engined medium bombers of Hauptmann Klaus Hinkelbein’s II/Kampfgeschwader 30 as she retired, reaching Scapa Flow on the following day with her quarterdeck awash following the destruction of her X turret’s magazine: the ship was out of action until February 1941 as she was repaired on the Clyde. The destroyer Kipling was also damaged in the air attack.