Intensive War on Enemy Shipping

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 102, 1 May 1941, Page 7

Intensive War on Enemy Shipping

Heavy Toll by Sea and Air SURVEY OF WEEK’S OPERATIONS (British Official Wireless.) Received Wednesday, 9.20 p.m. RUGBY, April 29. The week which ended April 27 completed a period of intensive attack* ou Axis shipping. In ail thirty attack* were made in seven days, *om© from the air and some by sea. The biggest single episode was the naval boinoardment of Tripoli at dawn on April 21 in which three transport* were sot on fire, one being actually seen to sink. Ammunition ships exploded, a supply ship was sunk, while another was set seriously on fire and a destroyer heavily hit. Other British uavai operations undertaken during the period when the Navy was much occupied in the Eastern Mediterranean included the torpedoing of a 10,00U-tou tanker, a 600U-toa supply ship and a 7000-ton ammunition ship as well as the sinking of a fullyladen tanker on it* way to Tripoli by the submarine Tetrach. An oil tanker of over 10,000 tons endeavouring to run the blockade was also , sunk by the submarine Urge in the northern tneatre. The R.A.F. registered hit* on at least six ships while operating off Norway and nine more vessels were bombed off tho Dutch coast including a supply ship of 8000 tons and one of 4000 ton* which received three direct hits. The most sensational attack was de* livered at dawn on April 25 from a height of 25 feet on a 1600-ton supply ship, fcjome small ships were attacked with bombs and machine-gun fire during the same operation.