MORE U-BOATS DESTROYED

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13331, 18 December 1943, Page 3

MORE U-BOATS DESTROYED

ANOTHER ACTION IN THE ATLANTIC Two Allied Convoys Get Through Safely Further Blow At Germany’s: Submarines' London, Dec. 17: For the third time within a fortnight there is news of a successful action against U-boats in the North Atlantic. The latest joint Admiralty and Air Ministry communique issued' to-night tells how two U-boats have been sent to the bottqm and two important west-bound convoys brought, safely to port. The enemy were not able to make even one attack against the convoy ships. The first U-boat was spotted on the surface by a Coastal Command Liberator about 15 mjles from on© of the convoys. The Liberator attacked twice in the face of strong anti-aircraft fire and at the same time sent out signals of the action. Two destroyers, H.M.&. Duncan and Cadet, both veterans of convoy battles, and two corvettes raced to the scene. The U-boat dived and the ships saw great columns of water rise in the air from the plane’s depth charges; The ships took up - the hunt and accounted for the U-boat with depth charges two hours later. The second 1 submarine, sighted later by the Cadet,- was also destroyed by the escort ships and the convoys proceeded to their destinationwithout further incident. In the last three Atlantic actions J 3 U-boats have been destroyed for certain, three more heavily damaged and nine others attacked. Of the convoys escorted during this time less than one half per cent of the ships were sunk. Lieutenant Hankey, of H.M.S. Duncan, who was present at these two kills, told journalists in London to-day something of his experiences. He explained that the Duncan had been on a roving commission. On this particular voyage she had crossed the central Atlantic six times, travelled nearly 7000 miles and escorted five convoys. "It is a long monotonous job,” he said, ‘‘and you have to be on the alert every minute.”