THE SHELLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 309, 30 December 1940, Page 4

THE SHELLING.

TANKS AND STORES. ESTIMATE OF DAMAGE? (By Air.) SYDNEY, Dec. 29. It was when contact was re-established on Friday with Nauru Island that the story of the bombardment was told by radio. Oil fuel tanks were then still blazing, but the power station was intact. The most pleasing news was the statement that nobody had been injured in the attack. The Minister of the Navy, Mr. Hughes, giving an account of the attack, said that the raider was sailing under Japanese colours and a Japanese name. She steamed to the island undetected, the port l>eing made u<?e of by many Japanese vessels. When it was found that 110 warships were in sight the raider signalled its threat to the wireless station. Daylight was just making its appearance, and it was 20 minutes to seven when the raider ran up the Nazi flag and opened fire. The potash store and loading gear, the cantilever loading jetty and shore storage, and all oil tanks wem shelled, flames lighting up the sky as the oil caught fire.

At close range the mooring gear, store and other phosphate buildings were shelled. Pom-poms were used by the raider to destroy mooring buoys. Private houses were not fired upon. The raider made off after doing all the damage it was able to inflict. Mr. Hughes, said he did not think the damage was as extensive as at first feared. He did not anticipate it would amount to £1,000,000, as was estimated in certain quarters. In referring to a cablegram from Tokio saying that Japan would take a grave view of the matter if it could be substantiated that the raider was sailing as a Japanese ship, Mr. Hughes said the facts were authentic. Lloyd's Register shows the name Maru, 3610 tons, and the Manvo Maru, 290.4 tons.