LOSS OF HERMES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 227, 8 July 1942, Page 3

LOSS OF HERMES

SUNK IN TWENTY MINUTES. VICTIM OF DIVE-BOMBERS. NEW ZEALANDER’S ACCOUNT. 1 i _ . 7 .i '' (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, July G. •Swimming in the warm Indian Ocean under a clear blue sky, AbleSeaman K. A. -Walls, of Wellington, saw Japanese dive-bombers batter the aircraft-carrier Hermes until she became like a big flaming ball. The Japanese continued to bomb until the ship sank. AMiilo treading water, Able-Seaman Walls saw silhouetted against the skyline an anti-aircraft gun operated by an able seaman who had served nearly 20 years in the Royal Navy. AbleSeaman Walls said the gunner must hate Known he had not a chance, but he kept on firing as the Hermes settled down. Then she suddenly turned over and went down in a quick finish, less than half a minute. _ That was on April 9. Able-Seaman Walls has now returned to England after an absence .of 18 months. He served in the Hermes for seven months ■ gotng to Seychelles, Mauritius, and Cape Town. He was an anti-aircraft munition supplier on the top flight deck of the Hermes when the Japanese, attacked. ; - Able-Seaman Wells said: “It was a perfect day. We were at action stations as usual at dawn. We were about o() miles south of Trincomali and 10 miles from the coast, when we heard that a merchantman had been sunk 60 miles to the north, after which we intercepted a Japanese wireless message to their parent ship saying that ive had been sighted, so we knew we could expect an attack. rni MaHnes s P°tted the Japanese first, they dived out of ..the sun. J saw bombs go right, through the deck leaving small holes. Then J. beard explosions below at which the whole ship shuddered, following which fires dirokb iQXIt. l "'VI iC “The steering-gear was out of action. The water pumps were.also put out of action. As a result, the Hermes ievolved helplessly in circles, on fire, while the Japanese battered her. “We could „see l the dive-bombers’ markings—red blobs and also yellow and black stripes on the fuselages. They dropped bombs from about- the height of a six-storev building relentlessly. it only took .about 20 minutes to sink the Hermes. “There were few lifeboats, which were mostly all smashed, so I stopped into the water when the ship, lurched. J managed to find a bit of wreckage. The chief worry while the Japanese finished off the Hermes was the concussion from bombs, which .exploded in the water. I could fool the .effect on my stomach and legs. ! was picked up after 4f hours when a hospital ship arrived. 1 went to Ivandy for two days. “After the Hermes sank the Japanese fired three bursts from ’machineguns, which was apparently a signal, for they took up formation and flew off. While we were in the water a surgeon wont to bits of the wreck for four hours, giving morphia to the badly wounded .men, of whom many were badly burned. He did grand work.’’ Able-Seaman Walls is now on foreign service leave in London.