DESTROYER’S NOBLE END

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 95, 16 January 1943, Page 5

DESTROYER’S NOBLE END

Nearly Rammed Japanese Battleship (Received January 15, 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January 14. The American aircraft-carrier Hornet, which was lost in action in the Solomons, had sunk or damaged at least 18 enemy ships, according to a statement by a Navy spokesman. All but 200 of the crew of 2900 were rescued by destroyers before the carrier sank. ’ “The American destroyer Laffey died a noble death in the battle of the Solomons on December 12,” writes an Associated Press correspondent. “The Laffey had just silenced a Japanese cruiser when she saw the huge bulk of an enemy battleship slashing through the darkness at 25 knots, and the Laffey rocketed straight toward the battleship in an apparent head-on suicide thrust.

“Lieutenant-Commander Hank, the Laffey’s commander, released a salvo of torpedoes at the right moment, and two of them pierced the giant’s side. The bows of the two vessels crossed so close that an alert Japanese on the forward deck could have tossed a hand grenade on to the decks of the destroyer. The Laffey, in passing, turned her sin. guns on the battleship’s bridge, shooting it away. Her thrust isolated the Laffey with the enemy battleship astern, another on the port beam, and two’large destroyers on the port bow. The Laffey sank one destroyer and set another on fire before she was destroyed by a salvo from the 14in. guns of the first battleship.”

Guadalcanal Outlook. “Cleaning out the Japanese on Guadalcanal is just a matter of time,” declared a high-ranking American officer on the island. “Nobody can stand the kind of losses they have been having. Fifteen Japanese are being killed for each American lost.” A United States naval eomumnique states; “On the night of January 10 motor torpedo-boats attacked a number of Japanese destroyers near Guadalcanal. Two torpedo hits were scored on an enemy destroyer and one on a second destroyer, and two possibles were reported on a third destroyer. The enemy force retired north-iwestward. On Wednesday Marauder medium bombers escorted by Airacobras and Lightnings bojnbed enemy installations at Reketa Bay. Results were not reported. “Our land forces continued to advance.”