FURIOUS ATTACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 January 1942, Page 3

FURIOUS ATTACK

ON BRITISH ATLANTIC CONVOY FOUR SHIPS LOST AT LEAST THREE U-BOATS SUNK. TWO ENEMY AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. January 3. News of the continuouslywaged Rattle of the Atlantic is contained in the loliowing Admiralty conniiuuiipie: “Week after week our convoys continue to arrive, bringing vital supplies to our shores. Among those which arrived recently was one which bail been subjected to an exceptionally determined and sustained attack by both submarines and long-range a ircra ft. “More than 90 per cent of the merchant shipping tonnage in that convoy arrived safely, and serious losses were inflicted upon the enemy by the convoy escorts. It is known that, at least three attacking U-boats were sunk, since prisoners of war from these U-boats were taken. Two Focke-Wulfe aircraft were shot down into the sea and a third was severely damaged and may not have regained its base. "The successful passage of the convoy and the losses inflicted on the enemy were not. however, achieved without loss to the convoy escorts, and the Admiralty regrets to announce that the former American destroyer H.M.S. Stanley (Lieutenant-Comman-der D. B. Shaw), and the auxiliary vessel H.M.S. Audacity (Commander D. W. Mac Kendrick) were sunk. AN EARLY SUCCESS. “The convoy consisted of more than 30 merchant ships, with Vice-Admiral Raymond Fitzmaurice as Commodore. The first attack developed on December 17. and before noon on that clay the first U-boat was sunk. It was sighted on the surface and sunk by gunfire from ships of the escort. Prisoners who were taken from this Üboat stated that it had been forced to the surface by damage inflicted in depth-charge attacks earlier in the day. “That afternoon two Focke-Wulfe aircraft approached the convoy. They were engaged and driven off by naval aircraft from H.M.S. Audacity. Next day the attacks by U-boats continued. The escorts counter-attacked successfully, another U-boat being forced to the surface by depth-charges and then sunk. Some of the crew survived as prisoners of war. “Some hours later H.M.S. Stanley, which had taken part in the destruction of this second U-boat, was herself torpedoed and sunk. The other escorts countered with heavy depth-charge attacks, and yet another U-boat was forced to the surface. It was rammed and sunk by H.M.S. Stork (Commander F. J. Walker), some prisoners being taken. “On December 19 three Focke-Wulfe aircraft approached the convoy and endeavoured to attack it. They were at once engaged by naval aircraft from the Audacity, two being shot down into the sea. and the third driven off badly damaged. For the next two days the enemy continued io attack the convoy with U-boats, and during this time the Audacity was torpedoed and sunk. She was an auxiliary vessel provided for the defence of convoys against German long-range aircraft. FINAL COUNTER-ATTACKS. “During these two days the remaining U-boats were relentlessly hunted and depth-charged by the convoy escorts. On December 21 the attack was finally driven off. American-built Liberator aircraft of the Coastal Command joined the convoy at this stage and played a conspicuous part in the final series of counter-attacks which finally freed the convoy from further assault. “Though no prisoners were taken as a result of many depth-charge attacks which were carried out during the last two days of the attack, it is possible that they achieved further successes. The convoy sailed on to its destination. “During the whole of these determined attacks by the enemy, which continued for five days, only two merchant ships from the convoy of more than 30 ships were sunk, and their combined tonnage was 6103. German communiques claimed that nine merchant ships of 37,000 tons were sunk out of this convoy, in addition to naval units sunk, and two more merchant ships damaged. This claim represented an exaggeration of more than 600 per cent., which may indicate the degree of the enemy’s disappointment at the severe losses he sustained.”

The Audacity was formerly the German vessel Hanover, which was taken as a prize by a British naval patrol in March, 1940.