EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 135, 10 June 1942, Page 5

EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Bee, 9 a.m.) WASHINGTON, June 9. .Niavy officials in Pearl Harbour announce that , Ensigji G. H. Gay witnessed the destruction of one Japanese Kaga-class aircraft-carrier and the probable destruction of two other carriers in the Midway island Battle. Ensign (Jay, a 25-year-old torpedo-plane pilot, related one of the most unusual eye-witness accounts of this major naval engagement. He had a sea-level view of operations when his plane was shot down, and watched the battle while clinging to his boat-.. * bag (raft), at the same'time-covering his head with the seat from his plane. Ensign oay took off on June 4 with his squadron, and at Midway Island be sighted his objective—three Japanese carriers strung- out over 10 miles and screened by a large force of cruisers and destroyers. The' Americans attacked in the face of terrific A,A. and

fighter opposition. Gay's plane was downed,^d his two crewmen were lulled, but G^y escaped with two slignt *muei wounds. . ■ . . From his position in the water Gay observed a Kaga class carrier burning •fiercely as the result of his squadron's attack. Then American dive-bombere appeared and blasted the two carriers wfoich previously had not been hit, starting tremendous fires, During l&e afternoon, Japanese ships approached the burning carriers, but were unable to get close enough to assist tbe fire-fighting operations. Gay was amazed to see % big Japanese cruijser begin firing at cne carrier In the apparent effort to, scuttle the; ■ • vessel, disregarding the danger to fee mm aboard. PLANES CAPPED ALOFT; The cruiser soon ceased firing, however, and a. destroyer aPP^ched jestantly overhead, with no place to . alight They were still circling like lost geese when darkness blotted out the scene. Gay was picked up the following day after spending 20 hours in the water. The Navy said it could be assumed that the carriers wMeb Oay observed were among those mentioned to the official coimminiQue. The Japanese losses are reported to be 14 to 18 warships sunk or damaged, three to five of which werecarrSk Of the 15 aircraft-carriers and sea» plane-carriers listed in "Brassey" the two vessels—the Kaga and Akagi—are much the biggest, Both are given as 20,900 tons, both were designed as capital ships, and they were completed ill 1928 and 1927 respectively. They mount 10 8-inch guns and smaller armament, and the Kaga has capacity for 60 planes, the Akagi for 50. They are not sister ships, however.

™.^ J s^**^ ti 3»&:. egardi | g the da * mage are obviously incomplete, and secondly, that the Japanese are not yet definitely defeated. [ Experts point out that there is a| large Japanese reservoir of fleet strength which might be used for a, counter-attack against the successful American forces, It is admitted that however large the Japanese force may j be and whatever fete it meets, it is hardly conceivable that the Japanese; would depart from their hitherto skilful tactics and risk everything in, one naval engagement,