Chris,
Maybe the date was the 17th. No mention of the air action or any air attacks in my source but there was an interesting surface encounter when four German destroyers "
were sighted near Brest by British aircraft" at 0719 on the 17th. Erich Steinbrink, Hans Lody, Karl Galster and Friedrich Ihn were attempting a raid on the Bristol Channel.
The RN light cruisers Newcastle and Emerald left Plymouth at 1100 (17th) to counter this raid, along with destroyers Jackel, Jupiter, Kashmir, Kipling and Kelvin.
A long-range gun action took place from 1600-1800 hours with damage to neither side. Jupiter has engine problems before the engagement which would then leave the RN force with the composition you quote.
"
Both forces were back in their respective ports early the next day".
My source is the excellent 'WORLD WAR II SEA WAR', Volume 3, page 45 by Donald A. Bertke, Don Kindell and Gordon Smith.
See
www.naval-history.net
Regards,
Martin Gleeson.