HEROIC ACTION BY TURAKINA

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 84, 3 January 1941, Page 7

HEROIC ACTION BY TURAKINA

Long Fight With One Gun GERMANS’ STORY Majority Of Crew Killed CANBERRA, January 1. In announcing that 496 men, women, and children from ships sunk by German raiders have been rescued from the island of Emirau by an Australian vessel and landed at an Australian port, the Minister of the Navy, Mr. Hughes, said they brought back with them an epic story of how the British steamer Turakina fought a raider for nearly three hours with her one stern gun, and lost nearly two-thirds of her crew of 58 before the battle ended. Mr. Hughes said that those rescued from the island were the passengers and crews of seven of the 10 ships sunk in the Pacific in recent months. None of the Turakina’s survivors were among the rescued. “Many stories of individual heroism and endurance will emerge from the tale of the British Merchant Service in conflict with the enemy at sea,” saidMr. Hughes. At present only the most meagre facts were available. None of the survivors lauded has seen any of the Turakina men to hear their stories direct, but 23 Turakina survivors are known to be still prisoners in one of the raiders, and it was through a German guard that the rescued people learned of the fight. The Turakina was attacked in the evening twilight on August 20. She had only one gun, whereas the attacker was heavily armed, and had a trained fighting crew. She had greater speed, and could outfight the Turakina on every point; yet the Turakina fought her for over two hours and a half. It is believed that 35 of the Turakina’s crew were killed.