Enemy Raider Damaged ATLANTIC ACTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 December 1940, Page 7

Enemy Raider Damaged ATLANTIC ACTION

The spirited naval action fought in the South Atlantic between H.M.S. Carnarvon Castle, an armed merchant cruiser, and the heavily armed German raider, whose name has not been revealed, is of more than ordinary interest, since it confirms the opinion that there are at least four similar enemy ships at large. The raider engaged by the Carnarvon Castle is probably identical with the one which was damaged in action with H.M.S. Alcantara in the South Atlantic on July 30. There appears to be another operating in the Atlantic north of the equator and there arc certainly two others, one in the Indian Ocean and the raider working off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia. Auxiliary Cruiser Actions The action fought by the Carnarvon Castle is the third naval engagement between armed merchant cruisers that has taken place in the South Atlantic. It is something of a coincidence that three such actions should lnive been fought close to the South American trade route. The first of its kind was the famous duel between the Carpiania and the Cap Trafalgar in September, 1914. The latter was a fast new German liner that slipped out of the River Plate in August and off the Island of Trinidad armed herself with the guns of the gunboat Eber from German South-West Africa. H.M.S. Carmania was a well-known Cunard liner that had been taken over by the Admiralty and armed and commissioned as an auxiliary cruiser. On September 14, 1914, the Carmania was on her way to examine Trinidad Island when she sighted the Cap Trafalgar coaling from two colliers. The latter ships cleared out and the Cap Trafalgar and the Carmania were soon in hot action. T.he range closed to 4500 yards and the British ship’s salvoes hit the enemy all along the waterline. Finally when the range was down to 3500 yards, the Carmania, which had suffered much damage to her bridge and superstructure, was heavily on fire. The enemy turned away and was soon out of range, hut she, too, was Ufidl.v ablaze and ultimately she caNsized and sank. So ended the first action that had been fought between two of the new class of armed merchant cruisers. Raider Twice Attacked Just over four months ago—on July 30—H.M.S. Alcantara—a Royal Mail liner commissioned as an auxiliary cruiser—engaged a heavily armed German raider off Trinidad Island. The latter was hit a number of times, but made good her escape when one of her shells hit the Alcantara in the engineroom and reduced her speed. It was an earlier Alcantara that on February 2S, 1916, engaged the German raider Greif northward of the Shetland Islands. These ships fought each other to a standstill, the Alcantara capsizing and sinking. The Greif was sunk by the Andes and the light cruiser Comus. From the cabled account of last week’s action it appears that the Carnarvon Castle sustained most damage on her lofty superstructure. It can readily be understood that ships built as passenger liners are not .able: to take the same punishment as a ship specially designed to fight. One of the principal dangers in armed merchant cruisers is fire. The German raider is said to have been seriously damaged. It is possible that she may be hunted down very shortly by one or other of the light cruisers patrolling the South American trade routes. The Carnarvon Castle, which was built in 1926 for the Union Castle Line, was re-engined and partially reconstructed in 193 S to enable her to make the run from England to Cupe Town in 13J days. She is a twin-screw motor-ship of 20,122 tons gross register and has a speed of 20 knots. British Captain’s Career Captain Henry Noel Marryat Hardy, D. 5.0., R.N., commanding officer of H.M.S. Carnarvon Castle, rendered distinguished service during the war of 1914-18 in the Dardanelles campaign of 1915, and the blocking operations at Ostend in 1918. He went on the retired list a year or so after the Armistice and returned to active service at the beginning of this war. He commissioned H.M.S. Carnarvon Castle after she had been converted into an auxiliary cruiser. A son of the late Mr. J. A. Hardy, of Hobart and Sydney, Captain Hardy was born in London on December 1, 18S4. He entered the Royal Navy in 1899 and was promoted sub-lieutenant in 1994 and lieutenant a year later, having obtained first-class certificates in all subjects. He specialized in torpedoes and was advanced to lieutenant-commander in 1913. He was lent for service in the Royal Australian Navy and on April 21, 1913, was appointed executive officer of the light cruiser Pioneer. He took part in the Australian naval operations in the Pacific, including the occupation of German New Guinea in 1914. Dardanelles And Ostend Subsequently Lieutenant-Command-er Hardy saw much service in the Dardanelles campaign in 1915. He was iu H.M.S. Folkestone, one of the minesweepers working in the strait under heavy fire and also in H.M.S. Racoon, one of the destroyers covering the minesweepers. He also commanded a mine-sweeping flolilla later in the campaign, receiving the D.S.O. for his services. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for rescuing wounded men under fire in Morto Bay. In April, 1918, Hardy commanded H.M.S. Sirius, one of the old cruisers employed as a block-ship in the first attempt to close the entrance to Ostend harbour. In the second attempt, on May 10, 1918, Hardy commanded H.M.S. Sappho, but an accident to her boilers reduced her speed to six knots and she was unable to take part in the operation, the Vindictive alone being employed as a block-ship. For liis good work in (he Ostend operations. Hardy received special promotion to the rank of commander and was awarded a bar to the Croix de Guerre. After a period of special service at the Admiralty, Hardy was appointed on October 30, 1918, squadron torpedo officer on the staff of Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Leveson. who was then flying his flag in H.M.S. Barham, Fifth Battle Squadron.— (S.D.W.).