ALLIED TORPEDO BOATS

Grey River Argus, 1 April 1944, Page 5

ALLIED TORPEDO BOATS

Sunk in S.W. Pacific by their own forces. (Rec 10 35 ) SYDNEY, March 31. Two Allied patrol torpedo-boats were sunk, bv an air attack, off New Britain on Monday, with the loss ot seven members of the crews. Announcing this, General MacAi thur s commui&ue to-dav says: “PrellmZv reports indicatp the possibility that friendly ’planes, failing to recognise the identificaton signals, may have mistakenly attacked. “These torpedo-boats were operating against enemy barge traffic m north New Britain waters. It is possible that the attacking 'planes were Kittvhawks or Beaufighters. “In tlie Solomons a third patrol torpedo-boat was lost, .when operathS on a special spotting mission, c ose o Bougainville Island. Four men were killed. A shell probably from an Allied destroyer, struck the patrol boat.”