WARFARE AT SEA

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1940, Page 5

WARFARE AT SEA

CONVOY ATTACKED DESTROYER TORPEDOED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) OTTAWA, December 9. A Canadian Naval communique announced His Majesty’s Canadian ship, “Saguenay,” lias been damaged by a torpedo, while she was engaging an enemy submarine in the Eastern Atlantic. Twenty-one men are missing and are presumed to have been killed in action. Eighteen ratings are wounded. The “Saguenay” has reached port, and at present is being repaired. It is learned, unofficially, that tlio “Saguenay” attacked a submarine when the latter attempted to attack a fleet of merchantmen under the destroyer’s care. The submarine, it is reported, submerged under heavy gunfire, fighting defensively. It discharged one torpedo before it fled. Captain C. R, Miles commanded tlio “Saguenay.” ENEMY RAIDER BRITISH CRUISER IN PURSUIT MONTEVIDEO, December 9. Unofficial reports are circulating that H.M.S. “Enterprise” has closed in with the German raider, and is ready for battle. It was previously reported that the “Carnarvon Castle” officers received word from H.M.S. “Enterprise” that she had sighted and was overtaking the raider. H.M.S. “Enterprise” has a speed of 33 knots, and seven 6-inch guns, so that the German ship, if she has fallen into tlio way of tlio cruiser, is not likely to be able to evade an action, nor is its result in much doubt. RUGBY, December 9.

Official Naval circles in London have nothing to say on the reports that the British cruiser “Enterprise” is in contact with the German commerce raider which escaped from the auxiliary cruiser “Carnarvon Castle.” This is not surprising, as if any British warship lias the good luck to get on the track of the raider so soon after its recent escape, a period of silence would be expected before she would make any signal.

RAIDER’S GUN STRENGTH MONTEVIDEO, December 9. The Uruguayan Naval officers inspected the “Carnarvon Castle.” They voiced the opinion that tlio German raider had used 5.9-inch guns of a more modern typo than tlio “Carnarvon Castle’s” guns, firing fragmentation shells, which have a similar effect to shrapnel. It cut the teakwood decks of the “Carnarvon Castle” like a razor, ’['hey added that tlio “'Carnarvon Castle” had obviously 'been aggressive, because a majority of the hits weie forward. NO PRISONERS ABOARD MONTEVIDEO, December 9. Herr Langman, the German Minister here, appealed to the Uruguayan Foreign Office to make a search of all the British ships in the harbour for the 2'Z Germans who were removed from the ship “Itape,” by the “Carnarvon Castle,” GERMAN SHIP “IDARAVALD.” HAVANA, December 9. Members of the crews of two launches went out seeking for survivors of the German ship “klanvald, ’ which launches have now returned, tyithoui, finding any survivors, and are asserting that they are sure that the “Iclarwald” was captured by a British cruiser, and that she is at present' being towed to u Jamaican port. They believe that the capture took place between Santiago, De Cuba, and Jamaica. A SUB-MARINE SEEN HAVANA, December 9. The Manzanillo Naval station reported that a submarine of unknown nationality was sighted off the Cuba south coast.