"Nelson" returned from the dockyard on 24 July and reassumed her role as the Home Fleet flagship. "Rodney" was transferred from Scapa Flow to Rosyth on 23 August with orders to attack the German invasion fleet in the English Channel when Operation Sealion began. She returned to Scapa on 4 November to begin convoy escort duty. After the armed merchant cruiser was sunk the following day by the heavy cruiser , the sisters were deployed to the Iceland-Faeroes gap to block any attempt by the German cruiser to return home. The following month "Rodney" was detailed to rendezvous with Convoy HX 93 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and escort it home. The ship encountered a strong storm with gale-force winds on 6–8 December that caused leaks in her hull plating with a moderate amount of flooding. Repairs at Rosyth began on the 18th that included structural reinforcement of the hull plating and general reinforcement of the forward hull structure.