LOYALIST WARSHIPS RESUME OFFENSIVE

Northern Advocate, 1 April 1937, Page 5

LOYALIST WARSHIPS RESUME OFFENSIVE

CIVIL WAR

Admiralty -Claims Upper Hand On Sea, As Well As In The Air

(Received 10 a.m.) VALENCIA, March 30

After many months of idleness, dur-'j ing which it was overhauled and re- I constructed, the Republican fleet has assumed the offensive. Besides shelling Malaga, Motril and Melilla on Saturday's the fleet bombarded the port and military buildings of Iviza, where great damage was observed. Another section shelled the fortifications, seaplane base and radio station at Puerto de Sollef, in the Balearic Isles. > Thfe Admiralty states: “We now have supremacy on the sea as well as in* the air, and the crews are all Spanish, including the officers.” The Government has the battleship Jaime I. and the cruisers Libertad and CerVantes’ each 9385 tons, the Mendez t

Nunfez, 6140 tons, and 17 destroyers. A Gibraltar message says that rebel aircraft, supporting the cruisers Baleares, Canaries and Almiranie Cerveraintensely bombarded Castellon, Valencia, and blew up barracks, inflicting heavy losses on troops. They also 'destroyed two munition factories. Later they made contact with portion of the Loyalist fleet, which avoided an engagement.