GRIM DAYS IN THE “MED.”

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 81, Issue 7253, 18 September 1950, Page 5

GRIM DAYS IN THE “MED.”

WAR SALVAGE WORK IN NORTH AFRICA ADDRESS TO TE KUITI ROTARY CLUB How at the end of 1941 brave Italians in one-man submarines had sunk che only two “battle-waggons” in the Eastern Mediterranean at their moorings at Alexandria, leaving the Royal Navy with only two of three cruisers and a few destroyers to keep the sea lanes open, was told to the Te Kuiti Rotary Club by Mr. (Capt.) C. Morse at its ladies’ night on Tuesday. The midget submarines followed destroyers into the harbour when the booms were opened, and the battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth went down on to the mud when the limpet mines attached to the keels exploded. “Forthwith ‘Jerry’ concentrated every bomber he could bring to bear on Alexandria, but those two ships were re-floated and one after the other went through the floating dock —and in the meantime the navy had viitually nothing with which to keep contact with Malta,” added Mr. Morse. The same intensive bombing was experienced in Tobruk in 1942. Whilst his unit was endeavouring to keep that port clear of wrecks, the German Stuka.s by day and bombers by night plastered the area in a wild endeavour to stop the use of Tobruk as a supply base. Every man had his own light weapon with which to blaze away at the Stukas. It helped morale. For 31 days and 31 nights the stranded Yang-Tse-Kiang gun-boat, the Ladybird, was kept in continuous action before being battered to bits ... Then Tobruk fell to Rommel’s Panzer Divisions—and the navy lost 80 per cent, of its personnel! Ship after ship was sunk as they tried to get out of the harbour—and the irony was that one old smack with a small auxiliary engine, got out only to break its back in heavy seas outside. Mr. Morse’s unit, loaded with important equipment, made the voyage out, but that voyage was across the desert straight through the enemy lines. Also it transpired that every water bottle was filled with rum! Fortunately the party finked with the seventh armoured division before water was required. When his unit at the time of El Alamein went back to Tobruk there were 106 wrecks in the harbour, some to be blown up, and some to be sal.vaged.