Oil Tanks Blaze At Naum From Point-Blank Fire Of Raider

Northern Advocate, 30 December 1940, Page 6

Oil Tanks Blaze At Naum From Point-Blank Fire Of Raider

(Received 10.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 29. JUST BEFORE THE GERMAN RAIDER SHELLED NAURU ISLAND IT FLASHED THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE BY WIRELESS TO THE STATION ON THE ISLAND: “Do not use your wireless or I shall shoot the mast down. “lam going to shoot the phosphate loading jetties, in order to save destruction of human life and property.”

wj; The raider then satisfied itself that no warships were in sight, hoisted the'German flag in place of the Japanese flag and. opened fire at point-blank range.

• Contact was re-established on Saturday with the Nauru wireless station and the graphic story of the island’s bombardment was told.

Nobody Injured

Oil fuel tanks were still ablaze, but the power station was intact, and it was stated definitely that nobody was injured in the attack. The raider shelled the potash store and loading gear, the cantilever loading jetty, all oil storage tanks and the cantilever shore storage. Flames lit up the sky as the oil caught fire. The mooring gear, store and other phosphate buildings were ghelled at close range. Japanese Name. In destroying the mooring buoys the raider brought its pompoms into play. No private houses were fired upon. After the shelling the raider steamed away.

The Australian Minister for the Navy (Mr Hughes) yesterday disclosed that the name used by the raider was either Nanyo Maru or Manyo Maru. Referring to a cablegram from Tokio saying that Japan would take a grave view of the matter, it could be substantiated that the raider was sailing under Japanese disguise, Mr Hughes said these facts were .authentic.

No Tokio Comment.

A Tokio message says that the vernacular newspapers treat the shelling in a luke-warm manner. They carry brief despatches from Melbourne, but do not comment on the Japanese flag aspect. Mr Hughes said in Sydney last night that he did not think the damage done at Nauru was as great as was at first feared. He did not think it would amount, to £1,000,000 as was estimated in one quarter.

Earlier Estimate,

The raider is believed to have done nearly £1.000,000 worth of damage to the Phosphate Commission’s plant and buildings, stated an earlier message.