C-in-C Plymouth, Vice-Admiral Ralph Leatham, devised Operation Tunnel, an offensive sweep along the coast of western France, the first being on the night of 5/6 September.

On 22 October, British authorities gained intelligence about the movement of the German blockade runner, Münsterland, which had departed Brest and was carrying an important cargo of latex and strategic metals.

[5] HMS Charybdis was assigned to the operation for the first time, with its skipper Captain George Voelcker in charge and on 22 October the British force put to sea from Plymouth.

[8] Soon after midnight the British force conducted a radar sweep at 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) while 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) west of Brittany.

[3] The British force was visible against the lighter horizon and the Germans were further aided by a rain squall approaching from the south-west.

This time the aft engine room was hit which flooded and cut all electrical power and increased the list to fifty degrees.

She listed heavily to starboard with her bows blown off; the crew subsequently abandoned ship [1] Charybdis sank within half an hour with the loss of over 400 men including her captain George Voelcker.

[6] The British force, now under command of Roger Hill of Grenville, only came back when they learned of Limbourne's crippling and then conducted a rescue operation; 107 of the crew of Charybdis were recovered through the morning and day.

[1] Lessons were learned by the British and despite the setback Operation Tunnel succeeded, with only four out of 15 blockade runners reaching France.

[6] On the next attempt, she was forced ashore and destroyed west of Cap Blanc Nez by fire from British coastal artillery at Dover, on 21 January 1944.

He discusses the planning, the events of the operation and its aftermath, identifying some of the salient oversights that culminated in the loss of both Charybdis and Limbourne.