U.S. NAVAL HARBOUR

Grey River Argus, 5 June 1942, Page 5

U.S. NAVAL HARBOUR

BOMBED BY JAPS Off Alaska Mainland WASHINGTON, June 3. A Navy communique announced that four Japanese bombers and about fifteen fighters attacked Dutch Harbour, Alasna, at 6 a.m. (local time) to-day. Tne attack lasted for fifteen minutes. Dutch Harbour is a United States naval station, hi Fox off the Alaskan mainland.

The Navy has completed plans to swear into the service the avengers of .'Pearl Harbour, in a special ceremony to be held on Sunday, June 7, six months to the minute after Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbour. Ten thousand sailors, marines, and coastguardsmen will be sworn in, in a mass ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard. The Navy revealed to-day that it has developed a liquid-cooled aircraft motor, and has awarded the contract for its production to the Aviation Corporation. . The new motor is considerably larger than any .in use at preset!t. It will have sufficient power to compare favourably with the largest type of aircooled engines. The Navy, in announcing that it had placed a contract foT the new liquid cooled aviation engines, said that this engine’ develops 2000 horse power. The Navy states that the development of this extraordinary power plans follows the same general line of construction as adopted by the Army. The House unanimously, without debate voted for war against Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania. The Senate is expected to vote tomorrow.

The War Department has announced 75 additional deaths in action of American soldiers, bringing the total since December. 7 to 796, of which 513 were killed in the Philippines This does not include 479 Philippines scouts killed in action. The Treasury Department has disclosed that the value of American securities owned by British subjects which have been sold in the United States during the last three years to pay for war materials is £135,708.000. In addition, approximately £125000,000 worth of British owned American securities has been placed under the trusteeship of the New York Federal Reserve Bank as collateral for a loan of £160.250,000 from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. During these three vears Canada has sold £18,000,000 worth of .American securities.. The War Production Board is to take control of all imports into the United States. The board will receive power to compel foreign vessels to give preference to cargoes considered essential for the prosecution of the war. Among the commodities considered least essential for 'this nurpose are .coffee, cocoa, and bananas. It is stated that shipping is now a greater problem than production.

DAMAGE NOT GREAT. WAREHOUSES SET AFIRE. (Rec. 11.40.) WASHINGTON, June 3. The U.S. Navy, in a communique, says: A further report from Dutch Harbour states that the Japanese air attack caused only a few casualties. There were a. few warehouses set on fire, but no serious damage was suffered. Rear-Admiral Freeman, Commander of the Alaskan Naval District, has issued a statement that the Japanese attack was not a surprise, and that the station was prepared to meet it. ,

HUNT FOR AIRCRAFT CARRIER. (Rec. 11.40) WASHINGTON, June 3. It- .is almost certain that the a'ttackers at Dutch Harbour came from an aircraft carrier. American bombers are now hunting for one. They are operating against odds in favour of the enemy aircraft icarrier, through fogs and storms, which are prevailing there this season. A Second Jap. Raid. ON DUTCH HARBOUR. (Rec. 11.50) WASHINGTON, June 3. The United States Navy has announced that the Japanese bombers made a second attack on Dutch Harbour six hours after the first one. Details at present are not available. Bigger Raids Expected ON WEST COAST OF .AMERICA. (Rec. 11.50) WASHINGTON, June 3. The New York “Times’s” military correspondent, Mr. Hanson Baldwin, expresses the opinion that Japans raids on Dutch ’ Harbour will prove merely to be the first of several enemv raids in the near future against the west coast of North America. “Moreover,” he “the Dutch Harbour attacks may only be a feint so as to district vigilance from other points on the west coast of America, where a full-out raid is intended. Warnings Given ALL ALONG AMERICAN COAST. ( BIG AIR OFFENSIVE POSSIBLE. (Rec. 1.5). WASHINGTON, June 3. The Japanese raids on Dutch Harbour have! shifted the focus of the Pacific war towards North America. They have put the defences right from the Aleutian Islands to Panama on the alert against further thrusts The brief official reports on these (first air attacks on North American soil have failed tp indicate immediatel v whether they are a hit and run blow, oj are the opening phase of an western stepping-stone to, Canada and the United States

Mr. Anthony Dimond, Alaskan Delegate to Congress, has given a warning. He said: “I am afraid that there are too few defending planes to beat back a possible sustained series of attacks if the Japanese open un a big scale offensive such as the Philippines invasion. >

The Western Headquarters of the R.C.A.F., at Victoria, have ordered a radio b.lhck-out in the British Columbia coastal, area. The A.R.P. leaders in Seattle have warned the public r.o prepare for a bla-'-k-out at an instant’s notice. The California Defence Council has issued an emergency alert, callino - for vigilance. The military authorities at Balboa have cancellec’ all leave for soldiers ari sailors in the Canal zone, and have ordered the alert to be intensified. U.S. Navy Expansion 19 MILLION-TON PROGRAMME. (Rec. 11.30.) RUGBY, June 3. “The launching of two destroyers from a United States'east coast port-

to-day gave point to almost a simultaneous announcement by Chairman Vinson of the Naval Affairs Committee, that he was introducing legislation for a vastly-increased navy programme, estimated to cost eightythreejiundred million dollars,” states a News Agency message. It adds: “This programme provides for nineteen million tons of new combatant vessels, including five hundred thousand tons of additional aircraft-car-riers. There will also be some eight hundred small vessels for patrol and mine duties. “ Chairman Vinson predicted that the originally-projected two-ocean U.S. Navy would probably be completed within the next -4 months. He believed that the proposed programme would virtually double the number of ships of the present fleet. Besides the aircraftcarriers, he sa'id, he contemplated half a million tons of cruisers, both light and heavy ones, and nine hundred. thousand tons of destroyers and destroyer-escort vessels. —8.0.W. 347 WARSHIPS IN SERVICE. (Rec. 11.50.) WASHINGTON, June 3. In the House, Mr H. Vinson, Chairman of the House Naval Committee, introduced an appropriation Bill for eighty-three hundred million dollars, authorising the construction of five hundred fighting ships as earlier reported. The new ships will be additional to those already authorised.! In the most recent official disclo-1 sure, the United States Navy report-1 ed that 346 fighting ships Were now' in service, and 347 being built.