ARUBA ATTACKED

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 February 1942, Page 5

ARUBA ATTACKED

IN DUTCH WEST INDIES OIL-TANKERSTORPEDOED LONDON, February 16. Enemy submarines shelled the island of Aruba in the Dutch West Indies The oil refineries at Curacao were slightly damaged, but there were no casualties. . The submarines also torpedoed three tankers. One tanker, which was torpedoed 20 miles north of the Venezuelan coast, though badly damaged, was brought to port. One of the others was sunk and the third was wrecked. A fourth Standard Oil Corporation tanker was also torpedoed, and badly damaged, but she did not sink. This is the first attack made by enemv forces on Dutch possessions ffi? the y Western Hemisphere. Curacao is the depot where the oil is tranferred to tankers. Possibly some, of the submarines which made the attack were sunk. As soon as the attack began American aeroplanes took off and patches of oil which later appeared on the' surface of the sea indicated possible hits with bombs. , An unexploded torpedo found after the attack was of German will be recalled that United States troops were recently sent to the island to assist in its defence. The oil refinery there is the largest in the world. It had recently stepped up its octane output. _ SUBMARINES SUNK WASHINGTON, February 17. Lieutenant-General Andrews, Commander of the United States Caribbean defences, reported upon his return to Balboa from Aruba, that some submarines engaged in the attacks on Standard Oil tankeis had been sunk by American and Dutch General Andrews has further reported that the total loss in the Aruba attack were: One tanker sunk, one tanker damaged, and 24 members of the crews are missing and dead. SAILINGS CANCELLED

WILLEMSTAD, February 17. The United Press learns, from Aruba, that aeroplanes have taken off to warn 14 Allied oil tankers that the Caribbean waters, shetierr are at present in the Caribbean waters, to make for port immediately. All tanker sailings have also been cancelled until the United State Navy and Air Force has cleared up the region of submarines. SEVEN SHIPS TORPEDOED.

(Recd. 2.20 p.m.) MARACAIBO, (Venezuela), ieb. 17. The Mene Grande Oil Company has announced that seven ships have been torpedoed in the Caribbean, between Aruba and the Venezuelan coast. Shipments from Aruba nave been held up because of the attacks. One ship, loaded with 85,000 barrels of oil, was sunk, and another when last seen was on fire 25 miles off the coast The survivors oi the others have‘landed at Aruba. Fifty-nine seamen are dead or missing.