SUBMARINE SINKS TRANSPORT

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1940, Page 7

SUBMARINE SINKS TRANSPORT

HEAVY GERMAN LOSS [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, September 20. An Admiralty communique issued at 1.45 p.m. states: It can now be stated that His Majesty’s submarine, Sturgeon, successfully attacked a heavily-laden enemy transport, off the northern point of Denmark on the evening of September 2. The enemy transport was a ship of about ten thousand tons. She was escorted by small naval vessels and aircraft. The Sturgeon carried out a successful attack in spite of difficult conditions of light and heavy weather. Torpedoes hit the enemy transport, from which came brilliant flashes of flame, and a dense column of smoke. A few minutes later, the whole ship burst into flames. When the Sturgeon came to the surface some time later, the transport had sunk, and the German escort vessels were sweeping the water with searchlights in search of survivors. It will be remembered that reports from Stockholm stated a German transport was sunk by a British submarine on the evening of September 2, and a very, large number of German troops were killed. This was denied by the German wireless and official news agencies.” The transport was hit at five to six thousand yards. The transport which was due at North Oslo Fiord, was stated by Swedish sources to have carried 3000 to 4000 men.