ILLUSTRIOUS ATTACK

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1941, Page 7

ILLUSTRIOUS ATTACK

CREW’S FORTITUDE BOMB STRIKES NEAR BRIDGE CRUISER SOUTHAMPTON LOST [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, January 16. Correspondents of News Agencies on the Illustrious, during the attack by German dive-bombers in the Mediterranean last week, give remarkable accounts of the episode, which will find a place in naval history as an example of fortitude and devotion to duty of the officers and men under the severest bombardment, and may prove to have been one of the historic tests of the effectiveness of the air weapon against warships at sea. The stories were written as the Illustrious battle continued, but the Illustrious made port under her own steam. She had fought off waves of German dive-bombers, at intervals, for seven hours.

Correspondents agree that the German Air Force, in its first appearance in the Mediterranean, gave the Illustrious one of the severest poundings ever delivered from the air against a single ship. The Illustrious never ceased to fight back, and the correspondents cannot find words to express admiration for the coolness and discipline of the entire crew. The first attack occurred soon after noon, when two torpedo-carrying aircraft appeared, but their torpedoes passed harmlessly astern. Then somewhat later, the main assault developed. Three Junkers 87’s were seen approaching out of the clouds. The guns of all ships opened up a terrific barrage. Four more planes joined the first three. The sky seemed filled with bursting shells and twisting planes. The noise was appalling. As the leading plane dived, it released a single 10001 b bomb, which fell into the sea slightly astern. The first hit was scored by a German bomber soon after the last of the Fleet Air Arm machines had taken off from the flight deck to engage the enemy. A tremendous explosion shook the ship, as a 10001 b bomb burst below the bridge, but fortunately the damage was slight. One correspondent describes how the next thing he saw “was the wing of a German plane drop from the sky, and fall across the after lift of the Illustrious. The air was filled with almost overpowering flames. The guns of the Illustrious continued to roar, the chatter of pompoms mingling with the harsher crack of the heavier armaments. The planes continued to dive so low that they sounded as though they were almost landing on the flight deck. At intervals, the ship continued to shudder from near misses.” . . All the correspondents comment on the daring of the German pilot's. The German dive-bombers, it is said, appeared to converge from all sides, and then dive in rapid succession. Meeting the„full strength of a terrific. barrage, they nevertheless held their bombs for release at the very last moment.

' As the last attack came to an end, the correspondents, to whom the short time seemed an eternity, were naturally comforted to hear the Admiral remark as he descended from the bridge to examine the damage—- “ That was the

LONGEST FIVE MINUTES I have had in my life.” Splinters and riddled steel struts and wires sprawled, where a few minutes before, they had stood trim and solid. Cascades of water escaped from the holed pipes. The flight deck was covered from end to end fvith debris from the bomb explosion. Further forward was the wrecked crane. ' The wounded were tended as fast as possible, but the respite was only temporary. Eleven high level planes drew a further tremendous barrage of fire from the Illustrious guns. This attacks did not result in any further hits, and was apparently part of the attack against the Fleet in general, distinct from the concentrated fury of the dive-bombers, brought against the most vulnerable target in the whole escort, namely, the Illustrious herself. The high level attack was followed by the second appearance of divebombers. In this onslaught, the Illustrious received a few near misses, causing many perforations above and below the waterline.. The afternoon dragged slowly on with further intermittent bombing. / At dusk, the enemy tried further aerial torpedo attacks. Once more, the barrage went up, only two of the guns having been put out of action. Then darkness brought an end to the story. On reaching port, the wounded were quickly removed to hospital.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. [BY CABLE. —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, January IG. The British aircraft-carrier Illustrious has arrived in a Mediterranean port under her own power. She was attacked almost incessantly for seven hours in the heaviest attack yet made on a single British warship, in which 40 to 50 German aeroplanes took part. They flew so low that the Swastika markings were plainly seen. Scores of bombs fell round the ship and machine-gun bullets spattered her decks. Some near-misses by huge bombs shook the ship so violently that it seemed as if at any moment the blast would overturn her. One bomb tore a hole in her side. The blast from another struck a gun crew. Every gun in the Illustrious roared. It was a tremendous crescendo of fire, but the Germans kept relentlessly diving in, dropping bombs and aerial torpedoes, apparently determined to sink the Illustrious at all costs. Fighter aeroplanes took off from the Illustrious and engaged and temporarily forced off the German bombers, but they returned within an hour, diving in through great barrages of fire. One explosion shattered the captain s glass-enclosed bridge. Officers assisted in carrying tru wounded over the flight deck to medical stations. Others pulled survivors from the wreckage and then dashed ii

to get others. The engine crew kept one turbine and then another operating and then resorted to steam pressure to keep the Illustrious forging ahead. When she was nearing port, German bombers again dived in just before dusk. A column of smoke poured from the carrier’s flight deck. The captain shouted orders to his offiicers while bomb splinters and ma-chine-gun bullets peppered about him. ■ The Illustrious came into port with the spirit of her officers and men un--1 daunted. The ship was soon being up ready for sea again. A 1 small fire in the interior was quickly extinguished. While shipwrights plugged the -bomb holes, the ship’s dead were taken out for burial at sea near the spot where they fought so valiantly. • A correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain, who was aboard the vessel, says that the Italian destroyer Vega which was sunk, fought for nearly an hour. Italian shore batteries were engaged at the same time. The entire crew of the Vega went down with her.

SOUTHAMPTON SUNK. FIRE FROM AERIAL ATTACK RUGBY, January 16. An Admiralty -communique states: The Southampton has become a total loss. As announced on Tuesday, the Southampton was hit during the air attacks on our ships in the Mediterranean, ahd fire broke out on board. As a result of the damage, the fire later attained such proportions that it became necessary to abandon the ship. The Southampton had subsequently to be sunk by our own forces, when it was found impracticable to tow her to port. The great majority of the crew was saved. SUBMARINE’S SUCCESS. RUGBY, January 16. Information has been received that His Majesty’s submarine Pandora sank two Italian supply ships in the central Mediterranean, both of about 5000 tons, and both southbound. One was seen to have a deck cargo of motor transport.

LOST ITALIAN DESTROYERS. (Received January 17, 12.20 p.m.) 1 LONDON, January 16'. The Associated Press correspondent with the Fleet reveals that the. Italian destroyer sunk in the Sicilian Channel on January 10, was the 1642 ton Vega, one of Italy’s latest. Other new details include the fact that a British cruiser set fire to a second destroyer, before the lastnamed escaped in the haze. A British plane later located and dropped bombs on a burning enemy destroyer. It is not known definitely whether this sank or was beached. The Italian shore batteries joined in the naval engagement, but ceased fire immediately the Vega sank. A British cruiser engaged the Vega, while other British units answered the shore batteries. The Vega returned shell for shell. Four torpedoes eventually struck her magazine. There was a great mass of flame and a terrific explosion, and the Vega slipped beneath the waves.

RUSSIAN COMMENT LONDON, January 15. Italy’s claims regarding the naval battle fought in the Sicilian Channel were commented on by a Russian j newspaper, which said that the battle proved that air power did not control naval power. The newspaper points out that the British are apparently launching a knock-out blow to the | Italians in Libya, and states that the campaign will probably extend to Abyssinia and the Sudan, and later to East Africa. It adds that Britain’s desire is to achieve a quick victory over the Italians in the Mediterranean, so that she will be able to concentrate all her efforts on the European theatre. N.Z. CASUALTY WELLINGTON, January 16. The following casualty involving I a New Zealand naval rating serving in the Royal Navy is reported:— Acting-Leading' Airman William George Ferguson, injured in an air raid, suffering from a scalp wound, condition not serious. His father is Mr. W. J. Ferguson, 69 North parade, Shirley, Christchurch.