CHINESE RIVER GUNBOAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25344, 30 September 1943, Page 5

CHINESE RIVER GUNBOAT

PART- IN SICILIAN CAMPAIGN NEW ZEALAND COMMANDER (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) (Rec. 8.45 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 23. The commanding officer of the Chinese river gunboat Scarab, which took part in the Sicilian campaign, is Lieutenant E. Cameron, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Christchurch. The Scarab was in six successful bombardments. She shot down four enemy aircraft and ame through without damage or casualties.

Lieutenant Cameron said: “ Our most successful bombardment was at Cape Molino, when the target was an ammunition dump and buildings. We and another ship caused explosions and a tremendous fire which we could still see when 25 miles away. The day Taormina fell we bombarded roads and other targets north of the town. It appeared that the enemy was waiting for us, for he opened up with heavy fire. We went further out, but closed in again at night-time. We put a three-inch shell right under one bomber when we shot it down in the day-time. We also shot down a bomber and a torpedo-bomber at night. “We claim,” Lieutenant Cameron added, “ to be among the first ships to go into action against the beaches for we led the invasion fleet in, and with our shallow draught got within half a mile of the shore. We spent 39 days around Sicily. We were doing patrols, bombardments, or some kind of work every day except four. We sometimes went ashore and bartered old clothes and cigarettes for fruit and vegetables. I got 100 lemons for a pair of old boots.” Lieutenant Cameron joined the Scarab in Singapore, where he went in. 1940. She was built in 1915, and served in the Middle East in the last war, and then from 1918 to 1940 served on the Yangtse River, fought Chinese pirates, and helped- to drive off Japanese aircraft bombing the Panay. She went to the Persian Gulf in 1941, and entered -the Mediterranean for the Sicilian campaign. Lieutenant Cameron is proud of the Scarab’s engines. “When we had to get away under heavy shelling,” he said, “we increased speed from four to 14 knots in a minute and a-half.”