SYDNEY'S COMMANDER HONOURED BY KING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 172, 22 July 1940, Page 7

SYDNEY'S COMMANDER HONOURED BY KING.

CRETE BATTLE.

C.B. Follows Victory Over

Italian Cruiser.

ROUSING WELCOME TO VICTOR. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received noon.) LONDON, July 21. It is officially announced that Captain J. A. Collins, commander of H.M.A.S. Sydney, has been made a Companion of the Bath following the success of the Australian cruiser against an Italian unit in a battle near Crete in which the cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni was sunk.

A British official wireless message says the King also awarded Commander Hugh Nicholson the D.5.0., senior officer of the destroyer force, a bar to hie D.S.O.

An action between the cruiser Sydney, of the Royal Australian Xavy, accompanied by destroyers, and two Italian cruisers off the Island of Crete, in the eastern Mediterranean, early yesterday morning, resulted in the sinking of the Italian vessel Bartolomeo Colleoni.

Two enemy cruisers were engaged and the other was hit, but escaped owing to her superior speed. British destroyers rescued 545 of the crew of the Bartolomeo Colleoni, and were heavily bombed while doing so by Italian aircraft.

A summarised story of the Sydney's exploit ifi contained in an official communique from the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, as follows:—

"Our patrols in the Aegean Sea, consisting of the Sydney and some 1 destroyers, made contact with two enemy cruisers of the Bartolomeo Colleoni class to the north-west of Crete at about ?.:S0 a.m. on Friday. Our destroyers first sighted the enemy, the Sydney arriving to support them about an hour later. Enemy Tried To Escape. "The enemy altered course to the south-west and endeavoured to escape. Our forces made a determined attack, and accurate fire from the Sydney scored vital hits on the Bartolomeo Colleoni, which reduced speed, and this enabled the destroyers to complete her destruction. The second cruiser, Giovanni Delia Bunde Xere, was chased and hits were observed, but her superior speed saved her from a similar fate.

"Our forces rescued 543 men from the I Bartolomeo Colleoni, including the captain. The Italian Air Force bombed our ships while they were carrying out the humane work of rescuing their men, repeating the bombing a number of times on the return journey. There were no casualties in the British ships."

The Sydney arrived at Alexandria yesterday, accompanied by three destroyers, the latter bringing the Italian survivors. The crews of British and French warships lying at anchor sent a thunderclap of cheering across the water as the destroyers steamed in. The Sydney followed, her band playing "God Save the King.-' Her appearance was the signal for fresh cheering, which swept round the fleet for several minutes, and the Sydney's crew waved their caps in acknowledgement.

It was a big day for Alexandria. The population turned out en masse to celebrate the Sydney's feat. Thousands of Egyptians clapped their hands and cheered with the British eoldiers crowding the quays.

The Italian prisoners appeared listless and nervous as they landed on the blazing hot bricks of the quay at Alexandria. The majority of them gave the Fascist salute as they came ashore and murmured "Thank you" in broken English to their rescuers.

Some of the Italian sailors said the daily rations on board ship had been steadily reduced, and the food problem in Italy was more difficult every week.