Turakina’s Fight With Raider

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 2, 3 January 1941, Page 7

Turakina’s Fight With Raider

THIRTY-FIVE OF CREW BELIEVED KILLED EPIC STORY TOLB CANBERRA, Jan. 1. A total of 496 men, women and children from ships sunk by German raiders have been rescued from the Island of Emirau, north-east of New Guinea, by an Australian vessel and landed r an Australian port. Announcing this, the Minister of the Navy, Mr W. M. Hughes, said that they brought back with them an epic story of how the British steamer Turaktna fought a raider for nearly three hours with her one stern gun and lost nearly two-thirds of her crew of 58 before the battle ended. Mr Hughes said that those rescued from the island were passengers and crew of seven of 10 ships sunk in the Pacific in recent months. The ships sunk by raiders included the Rangitane, Komata, Holmwood, Turakina, Triaster, Triadic, Trlona, Ringwood, Notou and Vinni. None of the Turakina’s survivors are among those rescued. Mr Hughes stated that the rescued persons were landed on the island on December 21. They were of British, French and Norwegian nationalities, and included 70 women and children. “Many stories of individual heroism and endurance will emerge from the tale of the British merchant service in conflict with the enemy at sea,” said Mr Hughes. “At present only the most meagre facts are available. None of the survivors landed has seen any of the Turhkina men to hear their stories direct, but 23 of the Turakina’s survivors are known still to be prisoners in one of the raiders, and it was through the German guard that the rescued people learned of the fight.

“The Turakina was attacked at evening twilight on August 20. She had only one gun, whereas the attacked was heavily armed and had a trained fighting crew. She had greater speed, and could outfight the Turakina on c.ery point, yet the Tufrakina fought her for over 2J hours. It is believed that 35 of the Turakina’s crew were killed.” STILL WAR PRISONERS NEW PLYMOUTH, Jan. 2. Two Taranaki boys and probably three are still prisoners of war on tho German raider which set down 500 other persons from ships it had attacked on an island in the Bismarck group. New Plymouth relatives last night received advice from the Prime Minister that Maxwell Burn and Brian Huggett, who were on their way to join the Fleet Air Arm were aboard a German ship as prisoners of war.