AWATEA SUNK

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 April 1943, Page 5

AWATEA SUNK

BOMBED OFF N. AFRICA

GALLANT DEFENCE MADE

WELLINGTON, April 7. After a brief but notable career of six years, three of them in war condi'tions, the Union Steam Ship Company’s Awatea met her end last November on the coast of North Afriqa. She went down while fighting off a savage air attack in Bougie Bay, where she had just landed a party of assault troops. The Admiral commanding the forces said she fought like a battleship. The first assault on the forts about Algiers was made successfully on November 8. The next morning the ships of the convoy entered Algiers Bay to the accompaniment of an enemy air attack, which was repeated at dawn on Tuesday. .The Awatea proceeded into the harbour, where she embarked assault troops for an attack on a forward aerodrome at Djidjellie. She sailed late that night, but found conditions unfavourable for landing operations and entered Bougie roadstead. The troops had disembarked and stores and equipment were being discharged when enemy aircraft attacked and dropped two bombs close by the Awatea. The attack was driven off, but soon afterwards four bombers came from seaward at low level. One was shot down by the Awatea gnd another was badly damaged by 'other ships. ■ Having completed her discharge, the Awatea was actually under way Lor sea when an attack by an unknown number of aircraft developed. With all her anti-aircraft guns blaziing, the ship had gone a mile when ishe was hit in Nos. 1 and 2 hatches by a stick of bombs which set the fore end ablaze. Two hits by torpedoes on the port side caused damage and flooding in the after engine room and put the fire-fighting equipment out of action. Two other bombs struck the ship. One bomber was shot down and others were hit. The ship was swung round, but lost way too soon to be beached before she stopped. An explosion in the ship was felt. The ship was blazing furiously when she was abandoned.

The ship’s medical staff evacuated sick men from the hospital aft, and the crew carried them and the injured to the boats. The ship’s company was taken off in lifeboats and by a destroyer. There was no sign of her next morning.

SUBMARINES’ TARGETS

RUGBY, April 7. The Admiralty announced that a British submarine attacked an Italian 'cruiser of the Regolo class in the Straits of Messina. The noise of a heavy explosion followed the attack, the full effects of which were not observed. Other submarines operating in the Mediterranean torpedoed two tankers and a medium size supply ship. One of the tankers was intercepted near Cape Spartivento, Italy, while proceeding under air and sea escort. The other tanker was torpedoed while being towed off the north coast of Sicily, and the supply ship formed part of a convoy attacked near Marittimo. Noisy but ineffective enemy counter-measures made it impossible to observe the full results of these attacks. At least one tanker is believed to have been sunk.

U-BOAT PACKS

LONDON, April 7. “The new German tactics in the Atlantic include the use of 21-knot interceptor U-boats which chase and shadow Allied convoys and guide the U-boat packs to them,” says the naval correspondent of the “Daily Mail.” “Allied shipping losses in the Atlantic were considerably worse last month than in February, because of intensified enemy operations. The interceptor U-boats are able sometimes to radio a rendezvous ahead to the packs by an underwater communication system. The interceptors only attack a convoy where there is little chance of arranging a meeting with a pack.” A brand-new Italian cruiser which had been at sea for less than eight hours had its bow blown off by an Allied submarine.

DOENITZ DECORATED

LONDON, April 7

Berlin radio announced that Hitler had received Admiral Doenitz and decorated him with the Oak Leaves to the Knights’ Cross of the Iron Cross in recognition of his unique conduct of the U-boat warfare.

BRAZILIAN- CLAIM

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 7.

The Aviation Minister (oenor Salgado Fihlo) has announced that the Brazilian Air Force has sunk another German submarine, making the seventh credited to Brazilian fliers.