“CAN BE HELD”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20914, 14 October 1942, Page 3

“CAN BE HELD”

ISLANDS ADMIRALS BELIEF U.S. CRUISERS LOST AUCUST NIGHT BATTLE (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (11 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 13. Bear-Admiral McCain, who has returned from the Solomon Islands area to become head of the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics, at the press conference of Colonel F. Knox, Secretary of the Navy, declared: “We can hold the Solomons and expand. The Navy Department announced that United States airmen bombed and damaged two enemy cruisers and shot down 15 enemy planes in the area north of New Georgia Island. The Navy Department announced that the Marines had. enlarged their positions on Guadalcanar during two days’ offensive. The Japanese suffered . many casualties. The Allied losses in the Solomons naval battle in August were four cruisers. This has been disclosed by a NavyDepartment communique, which says: “Certain phases of the Solomon Islands campaign, which were not announced previously for military reasons, can now be reported. Reconnaissance in June and July revealed enemy activity of much significance in the Japanese-controlled Solomons. An airfield was in progress of construction on Guadalcanar and 'facilities at other nearby bases were being expanded rapidly. Japanese Aims Thwarted “This expansion, together with the i increased activity in eastern New Guinea, clearly indicated the enemy was attempting to establish and maintain control of the air and sea in the Solomons area. The establishment of such control would put the Japanese in a position to launch a seaborne invasion of Darwin and Australia and would seriously have threatened our supply lines with Australia and New Zealand as well as the island bases in New Guinea and Fiji Islands. “It was necessary, therefore, that these enemy designs be blocked by our capturing and utilising his key positions in the south-eastern Solomons. This was accomplished on August 7, when .the United States forces surprised and captured the Japanese positions on Guadalcanar and in the Tulagi area. Vigorous opposition was offered to the consolidation of our positions. Throughout August 7 and 8 enemy planes raided our shore positions, transports and fleet units, but these did not prevent the United States Marines from seizing most of the key positions on Guadalcanar and Tulagi by .the afternoon of August 8. Screens of Warships “Meanwhile, additional troops, supplies and equipment were being unloaded from transports and supply ships, and it was imperative that these operations should be successfully completed. To this end screening groups of Allied cruisers and destroyers were placed on both sides of Savo Island. Additional screening forces were placed near the transDorts. “Early on the morning of August 9 an enemy aircraft dropped flares over our transports and supply ships. Simultaneously, a force of enemy cruisers and destroyers skirted the south coast of Savo Island at high speed and headed in the direction of the transports and supply ships, which were silhouetted in the illuminated areas. ' Rapidly the enemy sighted our covering unit located to the south-east of Savo and opened fire with guns and torpedoes, seriously damaging and setting fire to the Australian cruiser Canberra. Later it became necessary to abandon the Canberra, which sank the following morning. After a brief engagement with our south-eastern screen, the Japanese altered their course to proceed through the passage north-east of Savo Island. Here the Japanese force encountered our north-east screen of cruisers and destroyers and a close-range battle resulted. The action was fought with guns and torpedoes, with targets illuminated by searchlights and star shells. The enemy fire was heavy and accurate and the United States cruiser Vincennes was hit repeatedly and sank during the night. The third cruiser Astoria was badly damaged and burned during the night and sank the following morning. The cruiser Quincv was also lost. ' Enemy- Losses Unknown “It has not been possible to determine the extent of the damage inflicted on the Japanese ships by our screening forces. The enemy withdrew to the north-west without attempting to attack our transports and suoolv ships. Although the majority of the personnel were saved, there were still many casualties as a result of the sinking of the Allied cruisers. The loss of these has now been offset by. an appropriate reallocation of ships which was made possible by new ship construction.” The American heavy cruisers Quincy, Vincennes and Astoria each carried a crew of about 600. They were armed with Bin. guns and carried four aircraft. All were launched before 1936 at a cost of £3,750,000 each. The loss of the Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes makes a total of nine American shins announced as having been sunk in the Solomons —three cruiseit two destroyers, four transports. In addition, two destroyers were damaged. The Japanese suffered 38 ships sunk or damaged. The Navy Department announced that a medium-sized American freighter was torpedoed and sunk off the Pacific coast several days ago. The survivors landed at a west coast port.