GALLANTRY AT SEA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 40, 27 November 1940, Page 6

GALLANTRY AT SEA

NEW ZEALAND TROOPSHIP, ATTACKED BY NAZI PLANE. MINISTER PAYS TRIBUTE. (United Press Association— Copyright ) (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, November 20. A remarkable tale of gallantry and resource on the part of the captain of a New Zealand troopship when attacked by enemy aircraft was told in a broadcast by the Minister of Shipping (Mr R. H. Cross). The Minister had already paid a warn tribute to the part the merchant navy is playing in Britain’s war effort, saying: “Each of the forces depends on the merchant navy for continued capacity to fight.” Mr Cross added: “The New Zealand cargo ship Sussex is a large ship of well over 10,000 tons. She was making her way to Britain, via the Cape, with a general cargo, including wool, from Australia. A largo wooden locker hac! been built between decks, in which was stored many tons o'f explosives packed in steel cylinders. “She had an anti-aircraft gi\n and an anti-aubmarine gun. Her gunners had been practising during the voyage, amusing themselves with our own aircraft when they flew over, training their guns on them and, short of firing on them, treating them as an enemy. Her master encouraged the pilots to ‘ bomb ’ the ship as practice for the gunners in what might be in store for them.

“One morning, off this coast as daylight was breaking, an aeroplane was seen flying high in the sky. The gunners were already standing-to. The plane seemed to make signs of recognition from the air, but suddenly there was a hail of bullets. The captain at once gave the orders to fire.

The aeroplane came on overhead and dropped two bombs, and unluckily both scored hits. One bomb exploded on the funnel, which crashed on the deck and did serious damage. The other bomb burst on the hatch and started a fire in the cargo of wool.

The gunners were infuriated by the success of the attack and worked their guns with every ounce they had. One gunner,; a lad of 18, was badly wounded by. the Germans’ bullets and was burned by a bomb, but, despite his wounds and loss of blood, and despite orders from the bridge to go down to his bunk, he refused to leave the * gun and stuck to his piost. The German came round to attack but the fire was too good and he had to turn away.

Knowing He had scored a hit the German thought he had got the ship and signalled her to stop, but there was only one answer and that came from the guns.

. The captain was not giving in nor his crew, ancl so three times more the German.. tried to attack and three times more that hard-driven gun held him off. Then he gave it up, hut in the meantime the fire started by the second bomb was raging fiercely down below. All hands who could possibly be spared were fighting to prevent is spreading to the wooden locker full of explosives. At last they managed to get the fire under control.

Later that night the captain knew he was out of. his_course. Then the ship ran into a fog, and the ship was rammed by a trawler, luckily only lightly. Showers of sparks poured from the hole where the funnel had stood. Finally the captain got his bearings from another boat and eventually brought his ship to port.