ENEMY SHIPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 April 1940, Page 6

ENEMY SHIPS

ONLY TWO TORPEDOED OFF NORWAY TANKER AND RIO DE JANIERO. MISAPPREHENSION OWING TO WRONG CALL. It is officially stated, Daventry reports, that two and not three German ships were torpedoed off the coast of Norway. The belief that a third German ship was sunk arose from the fact that the tanker Kreta. when stopped, sent out the call signals of another German ship. The Rio de Janeiro was torpedoed just outside Norwegian territorial waters and the captain, ignoring the submarine commander’s order to stop, tried to reach those waters. It is believed she had 300 men on board.

ANOTHER REPORT AT LEAST FOUR VICTIMS. INCLUDING TROOPSHIP AND U-BOAT. (Received This Day. 1.0 p.m.) LONDON. April 8. A German troopship, four miles from Norway, carrying five hundred troops, was one of at least four victims of the British Navy today. The ship was the Rio de Janeiro, of 5261 tons, carrying infantrymen, cavalrymen and airmen, ninety horses and military equipment. At least three hundred mon and all the horses are reported to have perished, because the Rio de Janeiro failed to halt when a British submarine signalled her off Arendal. Men jumped overboard when (he first torpedo hit the vessel. Norwegian fishing boats and torpedo boats picked up survivors and bodies, many of which were also washed ashore. The Rio de Janeiro did not sink immediately and consequently the submarine fired a second torpedo, killing Germans, hurling an iron bar across p Norwegian boat and killing throe on that vessel. The Poseidon, of 58(54 tons, was torpedoed off Sandefjord two hours later, namely, at 3 p.m.. after her crew had taken to their boats upon the submarine’s signal. The Kreta. cables earlier, went to the bottom near the same area. The crew was saved. No further details are available regarding the U-boat, cabled carl.er, which was the fourth victim.