NAVAL HISTORY MADE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21576, 12 February 1940, Page 7

NAVAL HISTORY MADE

Destroyer Sinks Two U-Boats

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 11, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, February 9. IT IS OFFICIALLY announced that a destroyer has destroyed two U-boats. The newspapers emphasise the unprecedented achievement of a single destroyer to sink two U-boats in the same day. The U-boats were lying partially submerged waiting for the convoy, but the leading ship detected a periscope and signalled the escorting destroyer, which discovered two U-boats and almost-simultaneously attacked them with depth charges, sending both to the bottom.

Competent naval observers believe that the number of German submarines destroyed by the Allied forces since the war began exceeds 40. Yesterday’s achievement, when two were sunk by a destroyer, is understood to be unique in naval history. Commentators observe that the probable effect of this news, in conjunction with the destruction last week of the enemy submarine which sank the tanker Vaclite while in convoy, will be that U-boat captains will be even more reluctant tc approach merchant vessels under escort.

The British steamer Chagres (5403 tons) sank after an attack on the north-west coast. Commander Roberts, who was awarded the 0.8. E. for shaking off a submarine on September 7, was among the 62 of the 64 of the crew saved.

With a huge hole in her hull, the 8000-ton Dutch oil tanker Ceronia lias limped into a British port. She was torpedoed 10 days ago and since then has travelled 400 miles almost broken In two and Joined only by the twisted wreckage of her decks amidships. The odds against merchantment

being sunk in convoy are 500 to one. Only 15 of 7888 ships Convoyed by the Allied navies to the end of January have been sunk. The total includes 117 neutrals, of which three were lost. The German wireless announced that a U-boat returned home after sinking 38,000 tons of enemy shipping. A postcard to his brother from a survivor of the British submarine Starfish, who is a prsoner in Germany, says: “We got bumped off in the Heligoland Bight, but the crew were saved.” t