Second Narvik Sea Battle Stirring Story Of British Victory

Northern Advocate, 26 April 1940, Page 5

Second Narvik Sea Battle Stirring Story Of British Victory

(Received 2.30 p.rn.) RUGBY. April 2: The second battle of Narvik on Apri 13. in which seven enemy destroyer wore lost and shore batteries silence* at a cost of three British destroyer damaged, is the subject of a stirrin; account published by the Admiralty The weather was misty with lor clouds and a drizzle, when, at noor the British naval force steamed up t< the head of West Fiord toward Narvik. The force was led by Icarus, amconsisted of the destroyers, leant; Hero. Fox Hound, Kimberley anc Forester, the Tribal class destroyer: Bedouin, Funjab, Esquimau anc Cossack and the battleship Warspite. Feat of Navigation. It was under the command of Vice Admiral Whitworth, whose flag i'lev in the Warspite (30,600 tons) mounting eight 15-inch guns and eight 6-inci guns. To take so large a ship through the long, narrow approach to Narvik wa: in itself a feat of navigation. It was moreover, attended by great risk, since it was known that German destroyers lurked in the fiord and there was no knowing what trap they might have laid. * Air reconnaissance and the presence of accompanying destroyers coulc reduce the dangers, but by no mean: eliminate them. First Contact. The first contact took place at 12.2 C p.m. A German destroyer appeared out of the mist on the south side of the fiord. She was sighted almost simultaneously by the Icarus and Bedouin which with Punjab and Cossack opened fire, but the enemy turned away and disappeared in the mist. Al 12.45 a German loomed up on the starboard side and was at once engaged by our destroyers, whose fire she returned. Five minutes later another German destroyer of the same class came in sight and joined in the action. Our destroyers thus had two targets to engage. Warspite Opens Fire. A few minutes later Warspite opened fire. Some minutes before the British forces came abreast of Ballanger Bay, a warning was received from the Warspite’s aircraft that an enemy destroyer was lurking in the bay. This destroyer was sighted by Icarus at 7.7 p.m. The German ship opened fire and this was immediately returned. Bedouin and Esquimau also engaged this destroyer as soon as they came in sight of her. This German destroyer made obstinate resistance. In eight minutes, however, she was ablaze forward of amidships, and aft, but one of her guns kept in action until finally silenced by the Warspite. While this action was in progress British destroyers were still under fire from tvvb enemy destroyers to the east of them. More enemy destroyers appeared, until there was six enemy ships zigzagging about ahead of the British force. Veritable Dog Fight. Having dealt faithfully with the enemy destroyer in Balianger Bay. Icarus. Bedouin, Punjab and Esquimau sighted their fire on these enemy destroyers. A veritable dog fight ensued, with all ships firing rapidly and making large alterations of course in order to dodge the fall of salvos and keep their guns bearing. At 1.30 p.m. aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm attacked the harbour works al Narvik. Warspite was then approaching a position from which she was to bombard the coastal fortifications. By this time other British destroyers, which had been to northward, were also in action with enemy destroyers at a range of about three miles. Bridge Narrative. So far as this destroyer action was concerned it lasted about half an hour and by 2.30 was decisive. The following is an extract from the bridge narrative of one of the destroyers : 1.58 p.m., one enemy badly hit: 2.00. shore batteries firing. 2.031. enemy destroyer on fire. 2.05, German destroyer hit by torpedo, another enemy on fire. 2.10, enemy fired torpedo. 2.14, another enemy destroyer on fire. 2.15, this enemy again hit. 2.24, two explosions on second enemy destroyer to catch fire. 2.26. two explosions on another burning enemy destroyer. Fled Up Fiord. It seemed that this was the end, but four German destroyers, one badly damaged, fled up Romdak Fiord, dropping smoke to hinder the chase. Thus, by 2.30, three of the enemy had been destroyed, one was a blazing wreck in Ballanger Bay, one drifted, a derelict, north of Narvik, and was abandoned by her crew, who were pulling for the shore, and a third had beached herself in Jangs Fiord to the north-east. The remaining four German destroyers had sought refuge up Romdak Fiord. Neither the German’s gunfire nor their torpedoes had effect on the British ships. While the destroyer action was in progress. Warspite was bombarding shore batteries in the vicinity of Narvik Harbour, assisted by Cossack, which went close into Narvik Harbour and engaged shore batteries fiercely at a range of less than half a mile. Others Give Chase. In this engagement with shore batteries, Cossack was supported by Punjab and Fox Hound. Meanwhile Esquimau, Forester, Hero, Bedouin and Icarus gave chase to destroyers up Romdak. Fiord to the cast of Narvik and about 10 miles long. Halfway up there is a narrow neck only about 200 yards across, and about two miles from the head of the fiord. There is a fairly sharp bend. Thus there were two places which had to be passed without being able to see what lay ahead.

As soon as Esquimau passed through the narrow neck she came under fire. Bezched Destroyer Fires. A German destroyer, which had been badly damaged, had been beached on the south side of a bend in the fiord, and opened fire as Esquimau* came into view. Piero reached the narrows to support Esquimau, but could get no fiu> ther. There vms not sufficient sea room in the fiord to manoeuvre, and it was, therefore, left to Esquimau to silence the enemy. This was soon accomplished, hut Esquimau received some damage. When the other British destroyers, came though the narrows they saw the enemy ablaze from stem to stem. Hero, supported by H.M.S. Kimberley, then took the lead and advanced round the bend. Scuttled ! At the head of the fiord lay the remains of three German destroyers. The most northely, which was almost beam on, appeared undamaged, but there was no sign of life on her. but there was no sign on her. Only the bows of the middle one showed above the water. The other was on lire aft. but seemed otherwise all right. At 4.20 p.m., Hero and Icarus sent armed parties in whalers to investigate the two German destroyers which remained afloat. The whalers were on their way when the northernmost destroyer She had been scuttled, listed to starboard and slowly sank. Pulled Down German Ensign, British armed parties boarded the remaining German destroyer, which was named the Hans Lademann. Men of the Hero pulled down the German Ensign and rehoisted it with the White Ensign above it. A search revealed that she hac! been deserted except for one wounded officer, who was taken on board Hero as a prisoner. Then the British forces re-formed' and withdrew, leaving Ivanhoe and Kimberley in possession of the fiord. Later that night, Ivanhoe rescued survivors of the destroyer Hardy from Ballanger. During the night a party of 126 Germans entered the town and surrendered to the 24 men of the armed guard landed from Ivanhoe, and, at the request of the Norwegian authorities that these Germans should be kept in custody, Ivanhoe provided the local Norwegians, mostly miners, with rifles and ammunition so that they should be in a position to guard the large body of German prisoners.