GREAT CONVOY BATTLE

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22354, 22 May 1944, Page 3

GREAT CONVOY BATTLE

AT LEAST TWO U-BOATS SUNK BRITISH DESTROYER LOST (Official Wireless) RUGBY, May 19 An Admiralty communique says that the Royal Navy has escorted a convoy with valuable equipment and stores to and from North Russia. In the course of the voyage British ships and naval aircraft destroyed at least I two U-boats, also probably sank one j or two more and probably damaged i others. The only British loss was i the destroyer Mahratta, which was i torpedoed and sunk. The Allied convey, which was one of the biggest yet, carried about 250,000 tons of war material. The battle covered a number of days on the outward and homeward trips. Vice-Admiral Glennie, who commanded the new British cruiser Black Prince, said the battle was fought out in the Arctic Circle in appalling weather—ll degrees below zero. The two “kills” were made by Swordfish aircraft. One pilot, although -uffering from appendicitis, hit his U-boat the first time, scoring a probable kill. Less than 24 hours later he underwent a sucessful operation in the sick Bay. Survivors were picked up from one U-boat. New Zealand Officers New Zealanders in the Fleet Air Arm, Sub-Lieutenants J. L. Nicholls, of Auckland, and R. E. Cocklin, of ! Invercargill, took part in the action. | Sub-Lieutenant John L. Nicholls. j is the son of Mr G. H. Nicholls, of Te ' Aroha. Aged 24, he joined the Fleet ! Air Arm in 1940 and has seen continuous service in the Mediterranean. I the Atlantic, East Africa and ScotI land. i Writing recently, Sub-Lieutenant ! Nicholls described an action fought | earlier this year on the same convoy route to Russia. “We certainly had to work our passage to and from the I Red Rep-üblic,” he wrote, “but it was j some show. Fortune was with us all the way and our squadron made a wonderful name for itself.”