AXIS SHIPS SUNK

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 89, 26 January 1942, Page 3

AXIS SHIPS SUNK

ATTACK ON ITALIAN CONVOY. ACCOUNT BY A SURVIVOR. % DIARY FOUND ON SOLDIER. (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, Jan. 24. The diary of an Italian soldier made prisoner in Cyrcnniea describes with frank realism a successful attack by British submarines on a heavilyescorted convoy carrying reinforcements to Libya last autumn. The soldier was travelling in a convoy which, on September .18, was engaged by submarines of the Mediterranean fleet and mostly destroyed. An Admiralty communique four days later said that the convoy consisted of three liners, two similar to the Vulennia, of 24,489 tons, and the other of about the same tonnage. Two of the liners, it stated, had 'been destroyed. The diary, after describing the boarding of the transports at Taranto, says that the convoy, which consisted of the Neptunia and Oceania, besides the Vulcania, on which the writer was travelling, was joined by five destroyers, which acted as escort. On September 17 there were two alarms during the day, and a torpedo was said to have been fired by a submarine, but missed.

On September 18, he says, he heard early in the morning that there had been an explosion in the Neptunia and Oceania.

“Our ship, the only survivor of the convoy, had gone full speed ahead, accompanied by one destroyer. Two Stukas joined l the escort. At 7.30 1 was watching them, and suddenly one dived and dropped two bombs. , While wondering what it was bombing, we saw three trails of foam coming towards our ship. After a moment of astonishment I yelled ‘ torpedoes,’ and at the same time the ship turned and was saved. Later the reddish coastline of Africa appeared, and shortly afterwards we entered the port of Tripoli.” The writer says he was greatly impressed by the number of ships sunk in the harbour —funnels and masts protruding from the water. At the quay there were other damaged ships, one cut in half. The mercantile quarter of the port was also badly damaged. “.Survivors of the Neptunia and Oceania, both of which had been sunk, were landed. Their accounts of the disaster were terrible, and they could hardly bear to talk about it,” says the writer. “But I managed to collect the following details: At 4.16 a.m. the propellers of the Oceania were struck by a torpedo, and at the same moment the Neptunia was struck amidships, promptly listing. “The Oceania, though helpless, was still in a condition to he towed, although not in immediate danger of sinking. Destroyers wore busy picking up survivors. Some were in boats and some were swimming. The rescue work went on for .about three hours, when suddenly the Neptunia took a greater list and sank, dragging with her everything near. “The Oceania had to stand by helpless, but she was not seriously damaged. Suddenly two tremendous explosions were heard and the ship listed badly. In a few minutes the Oceania had vanished, leaving nothing hut wreckage and foam behind. Most of the drowned were Germans, because they insisted on taking their kit and rifles on to the destroyers, and were taken by surprise by the last two torpedoes.” The Neptunia was a liner of 19,475 tons, and the Oceania a liner of 19.507 tons. The Admiralty announced during September, 1941, that the Italian ship Esperia (11,398 tons) had been torpedoed and sunk off Tripoli l>y a British submarine. She was in an exceptionally strongly-escorted convoy.— British Official Wireless.