BATTLESHIP WARSPITE
DAMAGED AT SALERNO LONG TOW TO GIBRALTAR LONDON, Mar. 20. It is revealed that the battleship Warsoite was; in September, 1943, towed from Salerno more than 1500 miles, first to Malta, then to Gibraltar for repairs, after receiving a direct hit from a German bomber, reports Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Mediterranean headquarters. Warspite was summoned to give support at Salerno at a tricky time. This veteran of three years’ Mediterranean action stood off the beaches for days pouring 15in shells into the German lines. When the shoot was finished and the Salerno beach-head secure, Warspite lay at anchor close inshore. Then the Luftwaffe came, and a direct hit put Warspite out of action. Tugs rushed to the helpless battleship, and steel hawsers were hurled aboard. The tugs took three days to tow her to Malta, but as there were no dqcking facilities for repair work there it w'as decided to tow Warspite to Gibraltar, over 1000 miles away. The tow. which was one of the war’s biggest, took another seven days.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 25800, 22 March 1945, Page 5
Word Count
173BATTLESHIP WARSPITE Otago Daily Times, Issue 25800, 22 March 1945, Page 5
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