VICTIMS OF U-BOATS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 99, 23 October 1942, Page 5

VICTIMS OF U-BOATS

500 SHIPS SINCE PEARL

HARBOUR

LONDON, October 21. The Battle of the Atlantic claimed its five hundredth announced victim of submarines with today's announcement of the loss of a medium-sized freighter in July in fhe North Atlantic. This ship was attacked by three submarines. The survivors have landed, but the captain was imprisoned on a submarine.

According to the Associated Press of America,' tabulations show that in the 500 announced sinkings of United and Allied Nations' merchant ships since Pearl Harbour, 3400 lives have been lost and more than 1954 of crews and passengers are missing, most of whom are considered dead. More than 15,462 have been rescued and landed safely at western Atlantic ports. At least 60 ships' captains are known war casualties, including 12 who were imprisoned on "board Axis raiders between June and August, 1942.

On the basis of announced sinkings, June, with 111 lost, was the molt costly month of the war. Since then sinkings have decreased steadily, being 48 in August, 14 in September, and four so far in October. Since Pearl Harbour, the losses were at least 191 American merchantmen, 86 British, and 48 Norwegian.

The Navy Department at Washington announced that a medium-sized Panamanian merchantman was torpedoed and sunk early in October off the northern coast of South America. Twelve of the crew were drowned when a lifeboat overturned after catching in the rigging of the sinking vessel. Thirty-seven others reached South American ports.