SEA WARFARE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22486, 22 January 1943, Page 5

SEA WARFARE

U-Boats Have Sunk 685 Allied Ships Only Sure Defence Is Convoys By Telegraph—N.Z Press Assn.—Copyright LONDON, Jan. 20. The United Press of America says that Axis submarines have sunk 685 United Nations and neutral ships. A Navy spokesman said: "We are not winning the battle of transportation. Our only sure defence is convoys. That takes more ships that we can muster. Even that is vulnerable. Anti-submarine defences in the Wesern Atlantic forced the Germans to move southward to the Caribbean and Mexican Gulf, where they are still active. If we can ‘stymie’ them as effectively as we did from Canada to Trinidad we will start winning the battle of transportation.” Full illumination of Allied convoys at night as a defence against U-boats is suggested by Admiral Yates Stirling. “The Germans appear to have given up daylight attacks on convoys as too dangerous.” he said. "They now attack at night in packs. At night a submarine usually attacks when on the surface and then crash dives. I believe that the best defence would be the full illumination of a convoy so that the U-boats could be seen by escort vessels before the torpedoes were fired. Merchant ships would burn running lights and could manoeuvre with safety. Warships would constantly sweep the sea with powerful searchlights. This would be a radical departure from the old method of running in complete darkness, but might save many a ship. ’ The Admiralty has announced that the fleet minesweeper Bramble is overdue and must be considered lost. Axis Losses British destroyers have sunk 13 enemy ships in the Mediterranean in the last three days. There were no casualties or damage to our ships. Ten of the 13 ships sunk were intercepted and destroyed off the coast of Tunisia. One of our submarines sank a supply ship and damaged two others. Another British submarine torpedoed a large enemy vessel but the extent of the damage could not be seen. The Admiralty states that in the early hours of Tuesday morning our patrols of light coastal forces intercepted >1 small enemy supply ship, escorted by two large trawlers, close to the coast of Holland. In the subsequent engagement the supply ship and one trawler were torpedoed and seen to blow up. Our forces suffered a .slight casualty and no damage in spite of intervention by enemy batteries on shore. A Lone Attack A lone British destroyer attacked an enemy convoy off the French coast at night. She sank a merchant ship and severely damaged another before she withdrew with nothing worse than a shell hole in her funnel. The story, which has just been released, slates that tor nearly four hours the destroyer weaved round (he convoy, : .'.using such confusion that on several occasions the enemy were firing at each other. Tire convoy, which consisted of three merchant ships, must have been important for the enemy provided three warships as an escortfin armed trawler and two fast and well-armed torpedo-boats.