AXIS SHIPPING

Grey River Argus, 27 January 1943, Page 1

AXIS SHIPPING

Heavy Losses BRITISH NAVAL SUCCESSES RUGBY. Jan. 25. Within the last few weeks the Canadian corvette Ville de Quebec has rammed and destroyed a German submarine in the Western Mediterranean. The Admiralty stated that more enemy shipping in the Central Mediterranean was destroyed by British submarines. A submarine attacked a small enemy supply shin escorted by four auxiliary craft. A torpedo hit was scored and the enemy ship was seen to sink. Two medium-sized enemy supply ships, one with destroyer escort, near Djerba, southern-easter Tunisia, and the othei’ 60 miles west of Tripoli, were torpedoed and sunk. Both enemy ships were north-bound. Off the island of Maritime Sicily, a torpedo hit was scored on a large modern supply ship, escorted by two destroyers. The ship’s engines stopped immediately, and it is considered that she probably sank. This ship was also north-bound. A convoy, consisting of a medium-sized laden enemy supply ship, escorted by two naval vessels, was attacked ofl the east coast of Sardinia. One of the escorts was sunk by gunfire and the other damaged and beached in a sinking condition. Then the submarine torpedoed and sank the supply ship. The millionth ton of Axis shipping to fall a victim to British submarines in the Mediterranean was sunk almost a t the same time as Tripoli fell. This was' announced to-night by Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, Com-mander-in-Chief, Mediterranean. He said the Navy was busy clearing Tripoli harbour, hut this did not mean Lhat supplies were not being sent in for the Eighth Army. “It is impossible to estimate the exact figures but that is the figure—l,ooo,ooo tons destroyed,” he added. Admiral Harwood revealed that a British submarine was sent to the bottom just tts Tripoli fell. “Now it is full speed ahead in the battle for Tunis,” he said. “The Navy is already busy dynamiting wrecks blocking the entrance to Tripoli harbour. We will presently be employing the supply system used at Bardin Tobruk and Benghazi before salvage crews cleared the ports. The temporary system is that 'advanced beach survey parties choose appropriate points, then mobile beach parties occupy them, to unload supplies as soon as landing craft shove their noses in to the beach.”