SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 125, 26 April 1940, Page 7

SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS.

BRITISH SUBMARINES. HOSTILITIES AT SEA. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 23. The home-coming of several British submarines recently engaged in operations off Norway enables further details to be given of the successful activities against German naval and supply ships. The 'Trident, a sister-ship ■of the Thetis, sank a 9000-ton German tanker which formed part of the German advance forces in the Nazi attack on Norway. The Trident had no sooner reached her area of operations than she sighted the German tanker. “Our first torpedo struck her, and she began to sink rapidly,” said one of the crew. ‘‘Our commander watched the captain of the German ship until the bridge of his vessel submerged and he had to throw himself into the sea. We picked him up and brought him on board.”

The submarine Sunfish alone is reported to have sunk 17,000 tons of enemy ships, and tlie Snapper landed four German prisoners from the Hamburg tanker Moonsund, which she sank and which carried 400 tons of aero petrol—enough to fly 200 German bombers to England and back. The Snapper was attacked by depth-charges on numerous occasions and also bombed from the air. 'The Sea Lion, Snapper and Sunfish arc sister-ships of the Salmon and Spearfish, which themselves have fine records to their credit. A message from Gibraltar says that German ’planes machine-gunned a steamer believed to be the ltalo Balbo (Italian) off the south-east coast of England last Saturday, states a Press Association message. Some of the crew were injured. The British steamer Lolworth (1969 tons) was mined off the south-east coast. Two of the crew were killed and lifeboats [licked up the remainder, of whom eight were admitted to hospital. The capture is reported of two German transports carrying food to Narvik. Able-Seaman Charles Riley is a sailor the Germans cannot sink. He has escaped four times in seven months. He was a member of the aircraft-carrier Royal Oak, which was torpedoed, and then twice on ships attacked by ’planes. I-Je was reported killed in action when the destroyer Glowworm was sunk from the air. Riley lias now reached home. The New York Times reveals that three passenger and cargo liners which were formerly operated under the Danish registry by the United Ifruit Company are at present operating between San Francisco and South American ports, flying the Honduran flag. British officials pointed out that the vessels are subject to seizure even if carrying American passengers. Thirty-seven shins have been brought in to tiie United Kingdom contraband bases or detained bv order of the Ministry of Economic AVarfare in view of tlie situation in Norway and Denmark (states a British Official AA’ireless message). These were additional to the 55 neutral shins which were at the bases on Apnl 23.