BRITISH SURVIVORS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20270, 11 June 1940, Page 6

BRITISH SURVIVORS

SUNKEN WARSHIPS several hundreds (British Official, Wireless.) Reed. 2 p.m. , ftUGBY, June 10. The Admiralty announced this afternoon: “As no further information has been received regarding the operations in connection with the withdrawal of our forces from Narvik referred to in yesterday’s Admiralty communique, and as up to the present it has not been found possible to establish communication with certain ships, the Admiralty regrets that it must now be presumed the following vessels have been lost—the aircraft carrier Glorious, the transport, Orama, the oil tanker, Oilpioneer. It is known that the Orama had no troops on board. “The following two destroyers must also be presumed to have been sunk—the destroyers, Acasta and Ardent. These ships were in company with the Glorious and probably were the vessels referred to in a German communique as a destroyer and a submarine chaser. No news so far has been received of either of these vessels. A German communique states that there were several hundred survivors from our ships.” The Glorious was originally a cruiser. She was completed in 1917. In 1930 she was converted into an aircraft carrier after the conversion of her sister ship, Courageous, which was completed in 1928. It will be remembered that the Courageous was sunk in September. The Glorious carried a normal complement of 1216. Of the seven aircraft carriers in the navy at the outbreak of war, thq Glorious is therefore the second to be list. The destroyers Acasta and Ardent were completed in 1930 and were vessels of 1350 tons, armed with four 4.7 guns and eight torpedo tubes.