AUSTRALIAN SLOOP

Grey River Argus, 18 March 1942, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN SLOOP

Against Five Warships

“YARRA’S” GALLANT END

WITH THREE OTHER SHIPS

[Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.) PERTH, March 17The Australian sloop Yarra. whose lo's was announced on Saturday, was sunk by Japanese cruisers while essorting a convoy to Australia from Java The convoy included on on tanker, a passenger ship a motor minesweeper. The Yarra was built in 1935. She was of 1060 tons, and hiad a complement of 101. The story of the Yarra s gallant fight was told by a sub-lieutenant of ! the Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer i Reserve, who was the First Lieutenant of a small motor mine-sweeper, which was part of the Yarra’s convoy. The lieutenant was badly sunburnt. After four days’ floating around, with 13 other survivors, on Carley floats, he was picked up by a Dutch merchant ship, and arrived in lA’Ustralifi * On February 27 a convoy of six vessels, escorted by the Yarra. also an Australian minesweeper and a sloop of the Royal Indian Navy, left Tanjong Priok for Tjilitja/p- A sub-' marine attacked early on February 28. but the Australian minesweeper drove it off with depth charges On the same day. in heavy, prolonged rain, two ships of the convoy separated. Later, another vessel was detached for Colombo, the Australian minesweeper accompanying her as escort. The remainder of the convoy approached Tjilitjap on March 2, but were instructed to go to Australia. The Indian sloop was then detached from the convoy.

The convoy, therefore, now consisted of a passenger ship, tanker and motor minesweeper. The convoy proceeded south with the Yarra as escort. A submarine attack on the night of March 3. failed. The Japanese were sighted in force at dawn on March 4. The enemy consisted of three eight-inch cruisers and two destroyers.. Each cruiser carried two aircraft and each had on« aloft during the action. The odds Were such that the British ships had no chance, but they put up ia gallant fight. The maximum speed of the convoy was 14 knots and that of the enemy more than 30 knots. Against the concentrated broadsides of eightinch guns fired at point-blank range, the convoy clould not bring to bear light armament. As soon as the enemy was sighted, the Yarra ordered the convoy to scatter, and tried to shield the ships by laying a smokescreen. The motor minesweeper was hit and after taking scuttling action, the crew abandoned the shin. Two merchant ships and the Yjarra’ continued firing until thev were finally put out of action. One of the merchant ships blew up and the other sank. The Yarra sank after heavy shelling, and after having been bombed by Japanese aircraft.