HIT BY TORPEDO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24635, 17 June 1941, Page 5

HIT BY TORPEDO

ENEMY SUPPLY SHIP BRITISH AIR ATTACK VESSa PROBABLY SUNK RUGBY, June 15. A good thick column of black smoke about IQO feet high rising from a 6000ton German supply ship off the Dutch coast on Sunday afternoon told the pilot of the attacking Beaufort aircraft that his attack with a torpedo had probably been successful. The Air Ministry News Service, supplementing the earlier Air Ministry communique, gives details of the action. Patrolling between th§ coast near Den Heilder and a convoy of several supply ships escorted by anti-air-craft vessels, the pilot came the attack. “ I think this so surprised the Germans,” the pilot said, “that by the time they started to fire on us I had dropped my torpedo on one of the largest ships in the convoy. She was a vessel of about 6000 tons, and was well laden and well down in the water. I had to take a violent evading action because the fire was getting rather hot, so I didn’t actually see the torpedo strike. When I had pulled round astern of the convoy, however, the ship was listing badly and a good thick column of black smoke about 100 feet high was rising from her amidships. I think she must inevitably have sunk within a few minutes.” ' Attacks on Battleship

The account of the pilot of the Beaufort aircraft-which scored a direct hit with a torpedo on a German battleship off the coast of Norway gives a .vivid picture of the night operations which were the routine of the Coastal Command.

The pilot said: “ Near midnight we had orders to push off with other aircraft from the squadron. Carrying our torpedo slung beneath us, we started off. There was a bit of moon, but it was partly obscured, and shone through the haze only occasionally. In some patches of cloud you could see hardly anything, but it was fairly light in the clear spaces. We were well over the North Sea when midnight came. We were flying pretty high as we approached the coast of southern Norway, and found several gaps in the clouds where the moon was breaking through. You could see the surface of the sea, and as we came into one of these clearances we suddenly spotted a formation of enemy warships away down under the starboard wing. The white wakes trailing behind them caught our eyes first: then we saw the ships—small, black, slim shapes. They were arranged in formation, with the pocket battleship in the middle, and five escorting destroyers around her. One destroyer was right ahead, and there were two more destroyers on each side, making a pretty effective scrden. “We dived to a few hundred f£et above the sea, and flew at right angles across the sterns of the two destroyers, bringing up at the rear. That put us on the port side of the formation. We made a right-about turn to starboard, and came straight back on its beam There was not much time to think about tactics. One destroyer was right in our way, and I had to skid round its stern to get a suitable angle to drop. Great Column of Water “ Next second I put the nose of the aircraft round, and saw the battleship in my sight. I pressed the button on the throttle, which released the torpedo, and made a sharp turn to port and opened by engines flat out. I was expecting a barrage of flak at any moment. As we flew clear from the ship, the rear gunner * and wireless operator shouted together, 1 You’ve hit it. There’s a great column of water going up and dirty white smoke.’

“T flew round in a circle to see for myself. Sure enough there was plenty of smoke and a patch of foam on the ship’s track. When we were satisfied with the result of our attack, we made a signal reporting it. When we got home we heard that other aircraft had found the German force after we attacked it. The ships had stopped by then, and were trying to hide themselves behind a smoke screen made by the destroyers. Still later, we learned that the formation had turned back to the Skaggerak and was limping home at reduced speed."