STRIKES BY CARRIER PLANES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24631, 30 July 1945, Page 5

STRIKES BY CARRIER PLANES

A communique issued to-day from i Admiral Nimitz’s headquarters says: “The following damage is shown in •preliminary reports of strikes in .the Inland Sea region to-day by British and American carrier aircraft. The battleships Haruna and Ise and the cruisers Aoba and Oyado, which were previously damaged, were set on fire, and the escort carrier Caiyo was again damaged. The battleship Hyuga, which was heavily damaged on 15 now resting oil the bottom, with her decks amidships under water. “Three submarines were sunk. Four destroyers, two destroyer escorts, two medium transports, three small freighters find one unidentified vessel were damaged. One plane was shot down near our-ships, and 18 were shot down near the targets. Seventy-five were destroyed on the ground, and a further 56 damaged on the ground. “Reports are not yet available from the British carriers. . _ “Search aircraft yesterday sank a small cargo vessel, and damaged two small cargo vessels and three schooners in the Tsushima Straits, near search aircraft left a small freighter transport sinking. They destroyed and damaged small crait near Honshu.” “British and American carrier aircraft renewed their attacks on targets in the Inland Sea region at dawn today.” savs a later communique. “In widespread attacks on enemy shipping and installations punishing damage was inflicted on Japanese sea and land installations. "Enemy air-borne resistance continued to be light. Our attacking planes shot down 15 enemy aircraft over the targets, and six others, including four torpedo planes, were shot down by combat air patrols in the vicinity' of Allied surface ships. No attacks were carried out against our ships. "Sixty-one aircraft were destroyed and 68 damaged on the ground. Nme vessels, aggregating 8000 tons, were de-

stroyed and 35, aggregating 20,000 tons, were damaged. . “The battleship Haruna, the, light aircraft-carrier, Hosho, the escort air-craft-carrier Kaiyo, the gunboat Duji, an old heavy cruiser, two destroyer escorts, two submarines, and an unfinished aircraft-carrier were also slightly damaged. _ “Thirty-five American pilots and aircrew personnel were lost in combat. The correspondent of the Associated Press with the 3rd Fleet says that in the carrier strike against targets in the Inland Sea. the battleship Hyuga is reported to have been sunk; Several warships were set on fire. The interceptor opposition was fierce, and many enemy planes were shot down. The correspondent said that divebombers, torpedo planes, and fighters at 3 p.m. streaked through accurate moderate to heavy flak and pounded the Kure naval base. Three of the first four attacking Hellcats landed 10001b bombs on the warships already hit on Tuesday and Wednesday. The raiders destroyed or damaged scores oi enemy planes, many of which were shot down in combat. Fires raged through Kure and spurted into the sky from the remnants of the enemy fleet. Several of the warships will probably be out of action for the duration of the war. The correspondent pointed out all of the 10 battleships with which Japan itarted the war have been knocked out. - The Tokyo radio said that the raiders also struck at airfields, factories, and shipping on Shikoku bland. About 230 Mustangs based on iwo Jima simultaneously swept the Toyko. airfields anq i military Installations. The 20ih Air Force has announce that Superfortress incendiary raids have levelled more , than 150 square miles of urban and industrial centres in 48 Japanese cities. _ . The Tokyo radio says that on Wednesday an Allied patrol had bombed an internjrt'ent camp In Hong Kong, causing casualties among the British contingent.