GALLANTRY AND RESOURCE

Evening Star, Issue 23745, 28 November 1940, Page 10

GALLANTRY AND RESOURCE

DOMIfINHI SHIP REPELS ENEMY TWICE HIT BY BOMBS GUN CREW'S FINE WORK (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, November 26. A remarkable tale of the gallantry and resource of the captain of a New Zealand ship when it was attacked by enemy aircraft was told in a broadcast by the Minister of Shipping (Mr Ronald Cross). The Minister had already paid a warm tribute to the part the merchant navy was playing in Britain’s war effort, saying, “ Each of the forces depends on the merchant navy for its continued capacity to fight.” “ The New Zealand cargo ship Sussex is a large ship, well over 10,000 tons,” Mr Cross said. “ She was making her way to Britain via the Cape with a general cargo, including wool, from Australia. A large wooden locker had been built between decks, in which were stored many tons of explosives packed in steel cylinders. She had an anti-aircraft gun and an anti-submarine gun. Her gunners had been practising during the voyage, amusing themselves with our own aircraft when they flew over, training their guns on them and, short of firing on them, treating them as an enemy.

“ Her master encouraged the pilots to bomb the ship as practice for the gunners in what might be in store for them. One morning off this coast, as daylight was breaking, an aeroplane was seen flying high in the sky. The gunners were already standing to. The machine seemed to make signs of recognition from the air, but suddenly there was a hail of bullets. The captain at once gave orders to fire. DIRECT HITS. “ The aeroplane came on overhead and dropped two bombs, and unluckily both scored hits. One bomb exploded on the funnel, which crashed on the deck and did serious damage. The other bomb burst in a hatch and started a fire.in the cargo of wool. The gunners were, infuriated by the success of the attack, and worked the guns with every ounce they had. One gunner, a lad of 18, was badly wounded by German bullets and burned by a bomb, but in spite of his wounds and loss of blood, and in spite of orders from the bridge to get down to his bunk, he refused to leave the gun and stuck to his post. “ Twice the German came round to attack, hut the fire was too good and he had to turn away. Knowing that he had scored a hit, the German thought he had got the ship, and signalled her to stop, but there was only one answer, and that came from the guns. “ The captain was not giving in, nor were his crew, and so three times more the German tried to attack, and three times more that hard-driven gun held him off. Then he gave it up, but in the meantime the fire started by the second bomb was raging fiercely below. All hands who could possibly be spared were fighting to prevent it from spreading to the wooden locker full of explosives. At last they managed to get the fire under control.'

“ Later that night the captain knew that he was out of his course. Then the ship ran into fog and the ship collided with, a trawler, luckily only lightly. Showers of sparks poured from the hole where the funnel had stood. Finally the captain got his bearings from another boat and eventually ! brought his ship to port.” JAPANESE CONSUL-GENERAL NEW APPOINTMENT MADE

BATAVIA, November 27. (Received November 28, at 9,5 a.m.) The newly-appointed Japanese Consul-General, Mr Ishizawa, arrived at Sourabaya with his family. He replaces Mr Saito, who has been promoted director of the South Seas Affairs Bureau, which was recently created in the Foreign Office. SCRAP IRON ANO STEEL AUSTRALIA BANS EXPORTS CANBERRA, November 27. (Received November 28, at 8 a.m.) The Commonwealth Government has decided to place an embargo on the exportation of scrap iron and steel. The prohibition applies to all countries outside the British Empire. The Minister of Customs (Mr Harrison) said the decision had been taken in order to conserve supplies for future national and Empire needs. VESSEL WRECKED ON SHORE NEAR BURBAN CAPE TOWN, November 27. (Received November 28, at noon.) The Ovington Court grounded near Durban and is breaking up in the surf. STRIKE SETTLED AMERICAN AIRCRAFT COMPANY DOWNEY (California), November 26. The Vnltee strike has been settled. [A message received on November 16 stated: Vultee Aircraft Company employees, wbo are manufacturing military planes for the United States and Britain, struck. duc> to the company's refusal to yield to demands for a minimum wao^jL