SUBMARINE SUCCESSES

Evening Star, Issue 24103, 26 January 1942, Page 6

SUBMARINE SUCCESSES

ITALIAN LINERS SUNK LOSSES IN MEDITERRANEAN (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Jan. 24. The diary of an Italian soldier who was taken prisoner in Cyrenaica describes with frank realism a successful attack by British submarines on a heavily-escorted convoy which was carrying reinforcements to Libya last autumn. The soldier was travelling iu tlie convoy which on September lb was engaged by submarines of the Mediterranean iieet. Two of the ships wore definitely destroyed. An Admiralty communique four days later said the convoy consisted of three liners, one similar to the Vulcania (of 24,460 tons) and the other two of about the same tonnage. One of the liners, it was stated, had been destroyed. • Tho diary, alter describing the boarding of transports at Taranto.' says that the convoy, which consisted of , the Neptunia and the Oceania, besides the Vulcania, on which the writer was travelling, was joined by live destroyers, which acted as escort. On September 17 there were two alarms during the day and ,a torpedo was said to have been fired by a submarine, but missed. On September 18, the soldier says, he hoard early in the morning that there had been an explosion on the Neptunia and the Oceania. ONE SHIP ESCAPES, “ Onr ship, the only survivor of the convoy, had gone full speed ahead accompanied by one destroyer. Two Stukas joined our escort. At 7.30 I was watching them, and suddenly one dived and dropped two bombs. “ While wondering what it was bombing wo saw three trails of foam coming towards our ship. After a moment of astonishment I yelled ‘ Torpedoes.’ and at tho same time the ship turned a half-turn and with this dear movement was saved. Later the reddish coastline of Africa appeared and shortly afterwards we entered tho port of Tripoli.” The writer says he was greatly impressed by the number of ships sunk in' tho harbour—their funnels and masts protruded from the water. At the quay there were other damaged ships, one being cut in half. The mercantile quarter of the port was also badly damaged. “ Survivors of the Neptunia and Oceania, both of which had been sunk, wore landed. Their accounts of the disaster were terrible, and they could hardly, bear to talk about it,” says the writer, “ but I managed to collect the following details. At 4.15 a.m. the propellers of the Oceania were struck by a torpedo and at the same moment tho Neptunia was struck amidships, the ship promptly listing. The Oceania, though helpless, was still in condition to bo towed. Although she was not in immediate danger of sinking, all who could had to be rescued by destroyers, whichever© busy picking up survivors, some in boats and some swimming. TREMENDOUS EXPLOSIONS. “ The rescue work went on for about throe hours, when suddenly the Neptunia took a greater list and sank, dragging with her everything near. The Oceania had to stand by helpless, but was not seriously damaged. “ Suddenly two tremendous explosions were heard and tho ship listed badly. In a few minutes the Oceania had vanished, leaving nothing but wreckage and foam behind. Most of those drowned were Germans because they had insisted on taking their kit and rifles on to the destroyers and wore taken by surprise by the last two torpedoes.” The Neptunia was a liner of 19,475 tons and the Oceania a liner of 19.507 tons. Tho Admiralty announced that during September, 1941, the Italian ship Esperia, of 11,398 tons, had been torpedoed and sunk off Tripoli by a British submarine. She was in an exceptionally strongly escorted convoy. GERMAN PARACHUTIST ARRESTED IN EIRE NEW YORK, January 24. The Dublin correspondent of the ‘New York Times ’ reveals that Mr de Valera’s Government, while systematically rounding up 1.11. A. leaders with a view to preventing the establishment of an anti-Allied fifth column, arrested a German parachutist, Herman Gertz, who for 18 months had worked in the 1.R.A., gaining a leading position.Generally, however, he found the 1.11. A. unready to work for Germany. It is not known whether other Gorman parachutists are still secretly working in Eire. In spite of Mr de Valera’s assurances, the belief is growing that Eire is getting closer to war, but simultaneously the fear is growing that German bombers would mercilessly wreck tho defenceloss Irish cities. Therefore the public demands modern aerodromes, guns, fighters and pianos, and also Trained crews of pilots before considering the American overtures for bases in Eire. RESOURCEFUL SAILORS CREW OF TORPEDOED MERCHANTMAN (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. January 24. Resourcefulness worthy of the “Swiss Family Robinson” wins shown by tho crew of a torpedoed British merchantman, who, after sailing for lour days and a-half in a ship s lifeboat, sighted the coast of Africa. “ We got ashore,” said one member, “ and made a big fire and started condensing water' for drinking. We filled a petrol tin with salt water, and to a hole iu the tin we fitted one of tho hollow iron stretchers which had supported the boat’s hood. The steam passed through this tube and into a bucket, which was kept in a larger bucket containing cold water. In this wav we condensed the stream.”

The same member of tlic crow said that next morning a South African reconnaissance piano flew over and spotted them, and later came back and dropped provisions of all sorts, as well as advice that help was on the way from the land and the sea. At dawn the following morning two armed trawlers of the South Afx-ican Seaward Defence Forces came in close to the beach, but their occupants were unable to land owing to the heavy surf. Thev tried to send a lifeboat ashore, but" the line attached to it snapped. Later the survivors wore rescued by soldiers of the South African Army.

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