DORNIER PUT DOWN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20603, 3 November 1941, Page 5

DORNIER PUT DOWN

SMALL MERCHANT SHIP ATTACK ON CONVOY (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 1. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. A. V. Alexander, told a vivid story to-day of how a small merchant ship of less than 1000 tons brought down a Dornier bomber. Mr. Alexander was speaking at the opening of the Dewsbury, Yorkshire, warships week —one of the many funds-raising campaigns. On August 16, he said, .several attacks were made on a convoy in which the s.s. Nephrite was sailing. As each enemy aircraft came within range, the merchantmen and escorts opened fire with everything they could bring to bear. Aboard the Nephrite the captain could hear the approaching roar of engines, but the aircraft was not sighted until it was within 200yds. Every gun aboard opened up. The crew stuck to their guns, despite a hail of machine-gun bullets. U’he Dornier swerved and the bombs fell clear of the ship. Debris poured down on to the deck as the aircraft hit one of the ship's masts, carrying away about 4ft, of the mast. A piece of one of the wings and hundreds of pieces of debris fell on to the deck as the enemy crashed into the sea.

At daylight next morning one of the escorting destroyers hauled alongside and her commanding officer hailed the Nephrite with the news that one plane had been brought down at the head of the convoy and one astern. The captain waved a piece of the Dornier’s wing as evidence of his success.

The only damage done in the convoy was the 4ft. of mast taken off the Nephrite. However, the next day the Germans industriously claimed that two ships, totalling 50,000 tons, had been sunk and three others damaged.