A DARING ATTACK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24790, 15 December 1941, Page 5

A DARING ATTACK

THE MEDITERRANEAN CRUISER SHELLS DERNA ENEMY SHIPS DAMAGED (Rec. 9 p.m.) CAIRO, Dec. 12. General von Rommel is believed to have withdrawn to a second line of defence near Derna, which may account for the daring attack on Derna by a British cruiser on December 10 A cruiser, screened by destroyers, swept to within point-blank range and shelled heavily a supply depot in the first daylight surprise attack of the present offensive. For 10 minutes the cruiser fired broadsides and stirred up a hornets’ nest of enemy dive-bombers which tried for hours to sink her. The cruiser’s shells riddled a 3000-ton merchantman and severely damaged other ships in the harbour, tearing great pieces from their hulls, and demolished docks, after which the British ships withdrew without loss. An agency correspondent with the East Mediterranean Fleet, describing the bombardment of Derna, says repeated 10-gun salvoes pohred more than 200 shells into Derna. The captain of a cruiser said: “We saw large chunks flying from a merchant ship of about 3000 tons and I think some Axis workshops will be unusable and offices uninhabitable for a long time. Having had no luck in finding any enemy shipping, we approached Derna, accompanied by two destroyers. We opened up 'in the morning. Enemy shore batteries retaliated with six smallish guns. Some of the shooting was very good, shells dropping near our bows, but other shots were erratic. We carried on the shelling fo>’ 10 to 15 minutes. Forty-two minutes later the first wave of divebombers came after us. Junkers 87’s and 88’s and torpedo bombers attacked incessantly from 8 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. This went on at increasing intervals till 12.30. By altering course we avoided all torpedoes and suffered no casualties or damage, in spite of six near misses from bombs. The enemy used 25 to 30 aircraft and dropped 30 to 40 bombs. We shot down one Junkers 87 for certain. Another was most probably shot down and several others damaged."