GREAT FRENCH CAPITAL SHIP PUT OUT OF ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 July 1940, Page 5

GREAT FRENCH CAPITAL SHIP PUT OUT OF ACTION

Following on Rejection of British Terms FIRST LORD COMMENDS GALLANTRY OF NAVAL FORCES ENGAGED BALANCE OF SEA-POWER MADE SECURE The Richelieu, the most modern and formidable capital ship in the world, said Mr A. V. Alexander, First Lord of t e Admiralty, in a statement in the House of Commons, reported by Daventry, had been put out of action by the British fleet. The Richelieu was lying' at Dakar, a port in French West Africa. Mr Alexander said Britain had to make sure that the Richelieu could not be turned against her by the enemy. A naval force was therefore sent to Dakar ana presented terms similar to those presented at Oran. The French warship opened fire as the British representative approached to present, the terms and it was only after a time that the Richelieu received the message by signal. No satisfactory reply was received and the British commander had to use force. A motor-boat dropped depth charges near the stern of the Richelieu and escaped. The attack was carried out by the Fleet Air Arm which hit the Richelieu with torpedoes. Five explosions were heard. An aerial reconnaissance later showed the Richelieu with a list to port and down at the stern. Mr Alexander paid a tribute to the great courage and resolution shown by those engaged in the operation. The sister ship of the Richelieu, the Jean Bart, he said, would not be completed for sea for several months. The powerful French Fleet could not now alter the balance of naval strength. Referring to the French squadron at Alexandria, Mr Alexander said the warships there had been demilitarised. The French commander-in-chief realised that he could not get his ships to sea, as there was a powerful British fleet in Alexandria. Oil fuel had been taken ashore, armaments removed and most of the crews sent to Syria. The British Government had guaranteed the maintenance of the men left on the warships. There were one battleship, four cruisers and a number of smaller warships at Alexandria. A message from Tokio, Daventry reports, states that the British naval authorities at Singapore have seized the 43,000-ton French liner, lie de France. At Halifax, Nova Scotia, an attempt was made to scuttle a 35,000-ton French .liner. A British armed party closed the seacocks and saved the cargo of munitions.