COURAGEOUS SUNK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 September 1939, Page 5

COURAGEOUS SUNK

BRITISH AIRCRAFT CARRIER .1 TORPEDOED BY ENEMY SUBMARINE LATTER HEAVILY ATTACKED. BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received This Day, 9 a.m.) LONDON. September 18. The Min-isiry of Information announces Ilia I the airj erafl carrier ('mirage.,us was submarined and adds : “The full complement of tin' Courageous is about twelve hundred officers and mon. but she had a reduced complement of aircraft and therefore presumably a somewhat smaller crew.” Survivors are landing today, indicating that the ship was sunk close t.> England. Broadcasting Inst night, Daventry advised: “The Admiralty reciiets- tc announce that the aircraft-carrier H.M.S. Courageous has been sunk by an enemy submarine. ■ The survivors were picked up by merchant ships and destroyers.” The submarine was immediately heavily attacked by destroyers, which dropped depth charges. The submarine is believed to have been sunk. According to a later Daventry re- . port, four hundred men from the ' Courageous have been landed by destroyers. Many more men wore rescued by merchant ships, including Dutch and American vessels. The Courageous was sunk at 8 pan. One survivor said there were two distinct explosions. The ship immediately listed to port. She foundered 20 minutes later. Immediately after the explosions the lights went out. Many of the crew jumped into the water; Some of the men sang while they were swimming about in the water. It is stated that the Courageous, which was recommissioned in August as a unit of the Reserve Fleet, had a reduced complement. There were between 1000 and 1200 men on the Courageous. A Washington message states than an American ship rescued 33 members of the crew of the Courageous.