EPIC STORY
OF TURAKINA’S GALLANT FIGHT ONE GUN AGAINST HEAVY ARMAMENT. THIRTY-FIVE OF CREW KILLED. <By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received This Day. 1.10 p.m.) CANBERRA. January I. Four hundred and ninety-six men. women and children, from ships sunk by German raiders, have been rescued from the island of Emirau, north-east of New Guinea. oy an Australian vessel and landea at an Australian port. Announcing this, the Minister of the Navy. Mr. Hughes, said the rescued people had brought back with them an epic story of how the British steamer Turakina fought a raider for nearly three hours with her one stern gun, and lost nearly twothirds of her crew of 58 before the battle ended.
Mr. Hughes said those rescued from the island were passengers and members of the crews of seven of the 10 ships sunk in the Pacific in recent months. Ships sunk by raiders included the Rangitane. Komata. Holmwood. Turakina. Triaster. Triadic. Triona. Ringwood. Notou and Vinni. None of the Turakina’s survivors were among those rescued, Mr. Hughes stated. The rescued persons were landed on the island on December 21. They were of British. French and Norwegian nationalities, and included 70 women and children.
Many stories of individual heroism and endurance will emerge from the tale of the British Merchant Service in conflict with the enemy at sea." said Mr. Hughes. "At present only the most meagre facts are available. None of the survivors landed has seen any of the Turakina men to hear their stories direct, but 23 survivors are known still to be prisoners in one of the raiders, and it is through the German guard that the rescued people learned of the fight. The Turakina was attacked at evening twilight on August 20. She had only one gun. whereas the attacker was heavily armed and had a trained fighting crew. She had greater speed and could outfight the Turakina 011 every point, yet the Turakina fought her for over 21 hours. It is bebelieved that 35 of the Turakina crew were killed."
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 January 1941, Page 6
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338EPIC STORY Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 January 1941, Page 6
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