CONVOY BLASTED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 267, 13 October 1941, Page 5

CONVOY BLASTED.

ANOTHER ITALIAN SETBACK

(Rec. 12.10 p.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 12. On Friday night and early on Saturday morning disaster beiell another enemy convoy which attempted a passage of tlie Central Alediterranean, says the Air Ministry News Service. The convoy consisted of four medium and two large merchant vessels, including a tanker, escorted by five destroyers. Aircraft made a gruelling attack which lasted intermittently for seven hours, and none of the ships escaped damage. The convoy was first attacked by naval airerait. The destroyers, according to the description of our pilots, were “milling round in all directions.” Within 20 minutes three vessels had been hit by torpedoes. DAAIAGE TO THE NELSON.

A two-day battle between a British convoy and Italian aircraft in the Alediterranean recently, during which 11.A1.5. Nelson suffered slight damage and a merchant vessel was disabled and eventually lost, but which cost the Italians at least 14 bombers, was described by a member of the crew of the abandoned vessel when he landed at a Scottisli port. “Our first warning came early in the afternoon when bombs began to fall around us,” lie said. “After a lull the attack was renewed, but this time it was intensive. Three planes came diving at us. An escorting warship smashed one in mid-air, but another got its torpedo away. AVe saw it coming and it got us. “Despite bombs, torpedoes and shrapnel we suffered no casualties. Our guns roared away at the aircraft, during which time a destroyer with its guns blazing upward manoeuvred ahead of us and passed a tow-repp. Hour after hour we carried on under tow. AVe kept up our firing at tlie aircraft and saw them fall one by one out of the sky. AVe had peace during the darkness, but next day it was decided to abandon ship. A destroyer came alongside and we scrambled on its deck, carrying most of our gelongings.”— Official AVireless.