VITAL SUPPLIES FOR MALTA
Convoy Gets Through (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 15. The Admiralty announces that naval operations have been taking place in the Western and Central Mediterranean during the past few days. The British forces are under the command of Acting Vice-Admiral E. N. Syfret. These operations have resulted in supplies and reinforcements reaching Malta despite very heavy enemy concentrations designed to prevent their passage. The reinforcements include a number of fighter aircraft. The measures taken by the enemy consisted of attacks by U-boats, by large numbers of torpedo-carrying and divebombing aircraft and by strong forces of E-boats operating in the central narrows.
A force of enemy cruisers consisting of ships armed with eightinch and six-inch guns was concentrated in the Tyrrhenian Sea and steered to the southwards as if to attempt to interfere with the passage of the convoy. The enemy cruiser forces, however, never came within range of our ships and turned back on being attacked by aircraft. The results of this attack were not observed. The enemy cruisers were intercepted and attacked on the way back to harbour by a British submarine and two hits with torpedoes were scored on enemy cruisers.
The destruction of one U-boat has already been announced and it is now certain that at least one more was sunk. The loss of the aircraft-carrier Eagle
has already been announced and the cruiser Manchester was damaged and subsequently sank. Many survivors have been picked up and it is believed others have reached the Tunisian coast since the position in which the ship sank was close to that coast.
The captains of all the merchantmen in the convoy received before their departure a personal letter from the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr A. V. Alexander. Such a message of encouragement underlines afresh the magnitude and the importance of the task undertaken night and day by the Merchant Navy.
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Southland Times, Issue 24824, 17 August 1942, Page 5
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314VITAL SUPPLIES FOR MALTA Southland Times, Issue 24824, 17 August 1942, Page 5
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