TWO U-BOATS SUNK

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1940, Page 7

TWO U-BOATS SUNK

ATTACK ON CONVOY FAILS

DESTROYER'S ACHIEVEMENT

[BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.]

LONDON, February 10. The Admiralty announces that a destroyer sank tWo U-boats which were attacking a convoy. “It is not the normal practice to announce sinkings as they occur, but an exception was. made on this 1 occasion,” says the statement.. The U-boats were lying partially submerged, but the. leading ship detected a periscope and signalled an escorting destroyer which discovered the two Üboats almost simultaneously and attacked. them with depth charges, sending both to the bottom. Competent naval observers believe that the number of German submarines destroyed by the 'Allied forces since the war began exceeds 40. The achievement when the two Üboats were sunk by a destroyer is understood to be unique in naval history. Commentators observe that the probable effect of this news, in conjunction with the destruction last week of an enemy submarine which sank the tanker Vaclite while she was in convoy, will be that U-boat captains will be even more reluctant to approach merchant vessels under escort. The odds against merchantmen being sunk in convoy are 500 to 1. Only 13 of 7888 ships convoyed by the Allied Navies to the end of January have been sunk. The total includes 117 neutrals, of which three were lost.

TRAWLERS AND MEN LOST.

LONDON, February 11.

A tally of the Nazi ail raids or; shipping on Friday reveals that one German aeroplane was shot down and two so-seriously damaged they were unlikely to reach home. Two naval trawlers were lost. An unarmed merchantman, the Cliftonia, a Boston trader, the dredger Foremost, and several trawlers were damaged, but all reached ' port. Two members of the Foremost’s crew were killed. The Nazis machine-gunned vessels which went to the Foremost’s assistance. The Germans used aerial torpedoes in addition to bombs and ma-chine-guns.

Trawlers arriving in port brought stories of the typical courage with which the men manning Britain’s little. ships faced repeated attacks from aeroplanes diving from the shelter pt low clouds.

The Secretary to the Admiralty (Sir Archibald Carter) announced that the trawlers H. Robert Bowen and Fort Royal were sunk, with the loss of four officers and 18 ratings. Hurricanes chased into the clouds a Junker, which attempted to attack a tanker off the north coast of Scotland. Another, squadron pursued three Heinkels off Arboath, and one unnamed British warship surprised two Nazi aeroplanes attacking the Aberdeen trawler Barnsness off the north coast. One Nazi flew towards the warship when she appeared and dropped what seemed to be an aerial torpedo, but' it missed. The warship opened fire and the aeroplanes immediately departed. The Official German News Agency claimed that air patrols attacked six ships, either British or sailing under British convoy, and that these were either sunk or so seriously damaged that they could be reckoned totally lost. Only one German aeroplane was missing, in spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire and chaser aeroplanes. . BRITISH LOSSES. LONDON, February 10. The British steamer Chagres (5406 tons) sank after an attack off the north-west cpast of England. The commander, who was awarded the 0.8. E. for shaking off a submarine on September 7, was among the 62 saved of the crew of 64. With a huge hole in the hull, the 8000-ton Dutch oil tanker Ceronia has limped 1 into a British port. She was torpedoed 10 days ago, and since then has travelled 400 miles almost broken in two and joined only by the twisted wreckage of her decks amidships. The British steamer Gripfast, which ran aground since the Nazis’ bombing attack last week, has been refloated and towed to port. Survivors of H.M.S. Sphinx revealed that oil poured from the vessel to calm the tempestuous seas choked many of the crew. The German wireless announced that a U-boat had returned home after sinking 38,000 tons of enemy shipping. A postcard to his brother from a survivor of the British submarine Starfish, who is a prisoner in Germany, says: “We got bumped off in the Heligoland Bight, but the crew were, saved.”

The ship Burgerdiik has radioed that she is sinking on- the south-west coast of Britain, after a‘ collision. Later, the captain sent a message to the owners of the Burgerdijk that the passengers and crew were safe.

BOMBS DAMAGE SHIP.

(Recd. Feb. 12, 10.30 a.m.). LONDON, February 11

An. enemy plane dropped 12 to 16 bombs near the Boston Trader, which was damaged in the shipping raids on February 9. The plane also encircled the ship machine-gunning the crew. Two were slightly injured. \ The Gallia was mined on the southeast coast, but remained afloat. Lifeboatmen helped to tow her to a safe anchorage.

The German High Command claims that the Air Force continued reconnaissance activity over Britain yesterday. One British patrol vessel was sunk. All the aeroplanes returned safely.

SHIP IN DISTRESS.

(Recd. February 12, noon.) LISBON, February 11.

The British steamer Oregon has arrived in tow. If reports that it had boiler trouble off Cape Finisterre and sent out SOS. It drifted for three days, when a U-boat approached but did not fire, being presumably short of ammunition. She left the Oregon to her fate. Next day a tug made contact, but the .hawser, snapped. The second .officer and two seamen were killed and another seriously injured. ■ The Oregon was previously reported torpedoed. ' . '

blockade runners. ■ RIO DE JANIERO, February 10. The German freighters Uruguay at Pernambuco, and Wakama here, are believed to be preparing to sail to-day to join a convoy in mid-Atlantic. GRAF SPEE’S OFFICERS. , (Recd. February 12, noon.) MONTEVIDEO, February. 11.' - The newspaper “El Pais” says that several of the crew of the Graf Spee and Tacoma,, mostly officers and experts, have disappeared. It.is suspect- . ed that they have flown from Brazil to a ship for Italy and Germany.