RETURN TO BASES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24282, 26 April 1940, Page 7

RETURN TO BASES

BRITISH SUBMARINES DETAILS OF ACTIVITIES 5 (British Official Wireless) " " RUGBY. Apl. 24. (Received Apl. 25, at 7 p.m.) The homecoming of several British Submarines which were recently engaged in operations off Norway enables further details of their successful activities against German naval an supply ships to be told. The Trident, sister ship of the Thetis, sank a 9000-ton German tanker which formed part of the German advance forces in the Nazi attack on Norway. The Trident had no sooner reached her area of operations than she sighted the German tanker. “ Our first torpedo struck her and she began to sink rapidly,” said one of the crew. “ Our commander watched the captain of the German ship until the bridge of his vessel was' submerged and he had thrown himself into the sea V/e picker) him up and brought him on board. It is believed that between them the three other submarines which have now returned —the Sealion the Snapper and the Sunflsh —sank between 35.000 and 40.000 tons of enemv shipping, including transports bearing trooos and war material The Sunfisn alone is reported to have sunk 17.000 tons of enemv ships The Snapper landed four German prisoners from the Hamburg tanker Moonsund. which she sank and which carried 400 tons of aero petrol—enough to fly 200 German bombers to England and back. The Snapper was depth charged on numerous occasions and also bombed from the air.