“TERRIFIC SIGHT.”

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 252, 21 September 1940, Page 8

“TERRIFIC SIGHT.”

SINKING OF TRANSPORT

(British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 1.40 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 20. An officer of the submarine Sturgeon has told the story of the torpedoing and sinking of a big German transport as announced by the Admiralty to-day. He said that in the Skaggerak on the morning of September 2 it was blowing quite hard, and they saw nothing at all until an aeroplane came into sight as it was getting dusk. Then the hydrophone operator reported that lie could laintl.y heaq a ship. They had a look round and saw first one small German destroyer, then another, then an enormous transport. Tilts conditions were not very good, and the transport was about 2J miles away when first sighted. “We went to the diving stations and very shortly afterwards fired our torpedoes. As soon as we fired we went down a bit, but after two or three minutes came up.for a look round. The transport was still going along with the destroyers escorting her, and the aeroplane was flying round. We w'aitcd, then fired again. Not long after the second lot of torpedoes were fired there was quite a big bang in the submarine. “Then we had another look and saw a gigantic column of black smoke which must have gone 2000 ft into the air. We dived, but came tip for another look. About twenty minutes later we saw the transport, which must have been of at least 10,000 tons, burst into flames. “It was a terrific sight,” said the officer. “The transport was settling down in the water. Slie was a mass of flame from end to end. We had another look an hour later and the transport had then gone. The only thing that marked the spot were searchlights and torpedo-boats, who were obviously searching for survivors.” See “Transport Sunk”—Page 7.