FRESH SINKING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 133, 8 June 1942, Page 5

FRESH SINKING

OFF AUSTRALIAN COAST

SUBMARINE ALSO HIT

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) MELBOURNE, June 7. Another Australian merchantman has been torpedoed and sunk off the coast of New South Wales by a Japanese submarine. The ship broke in two and sank within a minute, and only five men out of the crew of 43 have been saved. The submarine was attacked by an Allied plane seconds after the torpedoing and is believed to have been sunk, Swooping to within 20 feet of the water, the plane dropped three bombs, the third of which is said to havej caused an explosion within the sub-j marine. The announcement of ibis latest sinking of a submarine is given in the following communique, which was ! issued today:— "An Allied plane has bombed and destroyed an enemy submarine. This brings the enemy's losses in his submarine drive in this sector to seven, with a probable1 eighth." The five survivors from the second torpedoed ship have been landed at an Australian, port. They were rescued by a ship that was following their vessel, and was within sight when the submarine was attacked. The hunt for enemy submarines has extended over so wide an area that the detection of any remaining submarines is confidently anticipated if they have not fled to the safety of their own waters. A search for 12 men who are still missing from the first cargo ship which was attacked and sunk by an enemy submarine on Wednesday will be continued till all hope has vanished. DIVE-BOMBING ATTACK. "We dive-bombed him from 700 feet and gave him everything we had," said Flight Lieutenant John Hitchcock, Sydney, 22-year-old pilot of the R.A.A.F. bomber which destroyed the Japanese submarine of? the coast on Friday. "The submarine was practically right in front of me when I saw the wake of his periscope. It vseemed too good to be true. The submarine itself was not visible. We circled round while we got a line on him. and then let go a salvo of four bombs. "We scored a direct hit on the target five feet behind the periscope. A huge column of water and debris shot up into the air and then a patch of oil appeared where the submarine had been." ■ This plane has returned to its patrol duties after refuelling at the base. The crew believe they saw another submarine crash-dive, but later they could find no sign of it.