ATTACK ON NAURU

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1940, Page 5

ATTACK ON NAURU

WARSHIP IN SEARCH OF RAIDER DAMAGE NOT AS HEAVY AS REPORTED. JAPANESE NAME USED BY ENEMY SHIP. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) t SYDNEY, December 28. The Minister of the Navy, Mr Hughes, stated that /radio communication with Nauru Island is now* re-established. He disclosed that the name/used by the raider was either Nanyo Maru or Manyo Maru, both of which appear in Lloyd’s register. Giving an account of the bombardment, Mr Hughes said that in the semidarkness just before dawn on Friday the German raider signalled a warning to the Nauru radio station not to use its wireless. It added that it was going to shoot at the phosphate loading jetties in order to save destruction to human life and property. Then, having satisfied itself that there were no warships in sight, it hoisted the Nazi flag and opened fire at pointblank range. The raider shelled the potash store and loading jetty, the cantilever for shore storage, and all the oil storage tanks. The oil fuel tanks were still blazing, but the power station was intact. No private houses were fired upon and nobody was injured. Mr Hughes added: “An Australian warship is on the raider’s trail " He said he did not think the damage done was as great as at first fearedhe did not think it would amount to £1,000,000, as estimated in one quarter