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Notable events involving Retort include:

29 Nov 1940
At 0402 hours, Capt.(D.5) Capt. L.F.A.V.N. Mountbatten, GCVO, RN) was informed that gunfire had been reported off Prawle Point.

At 0553 hours, HMS Jackal (Cdr. C.L. Firth, MVO, RN), who was operating together with HMS Javelin (Cdr. A.F. Pugsley, RN, with Capt.(D.5) Capt. L.F.A.V.N. Mountbatten, GCVO, RN on board), reported sighting three unkown ships. One minute later another signal was received from HMS Jackal stating that HMS Javelin had been torpedoed.

At 0609 hours HMS Jackal engaged an enemy destroyer but she soon lost contact.

At 0637 hours HMS Jackal sent a signal asking for tugs and an air escort for her disabled sister-ship HMS Javelin

Three minutes before, at 0634 hours, HMS Kashmir (Cdr. H.A. King, RN), which was in company with HMS Jersey (Lt.Cdr. W. Evershed, RN) and HMS Jupiter (Lt.Cdr. N.V.J.T. Thew, RN), reported that they had a lost touch with the enemy after a short action.

At 0700 hours, HMS Kashmir reported that it was thought one of the enemy destroyers had been damaged.

At 0818 hours, HMS Jackal reported that HMS Javelin was still afloat but that her bow and stern had been blown off, two tugs were requested, one on either end.

At 0834 hours, HMS Kashmir, HMS Jersey and HMS Jupiter were ordered to screen HMS Javelin.

At 0850 hours the tug HMS Caroline Moller departed Falmouth followed at 0855 by HMS Retort which sailed from Plymouth.

Also at 0850 hours three Blenheim aircraft took off as air escort.

At 1010 hours the destroyer HMS Kipling (Cdr. A. St. Clair-Ford, RN) departed Dartmouth.

At 1039 hours HMS Jackal left for Plymouth with survivors from ships attacked by the German destroyers. She arrived at Plymouth at 1347 hours.

At 1419 hours HMS Kashmir reported that enemy aircraft had attacked them.

HMS Javelin in tow of two tugs arrived at Plymouth at 0425/30.

HMS Jersey had already arrived at 0150/30 followed by HMS Jupiter at 0239 hours.

HMS Kashmir and HMS Kipling arrived at 1340/30.

The German destroyers encountered were once again the Z 4 / Richard Beitzen, Z 10 / Hans Lody and Z 20 / Karl Galster. Before their encounter with the British destoyers they had sunk the British tug Aid (134 GRT, built 1914, five dead) and damaged the French tug Abeille XIV (126 GRT, built 1927. two dead). A barge that had been under tow by the Aid sank at 1145/29. Z 10 / Hans Lody was hit several times and all German destroyers had some splinter damage. (1)