FATE OF YARRA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1942, Page 3

FATE OF YARRA

GALLANT LAST FIGHT AGAINST OVERWHELMING FORCE. ATTEMPT TO SAVE CONVOY. . (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) PERTH, March 14. The Australian sloop Yarra, the loss of which was announced on March 14, was sunk by Japanese cruisers while escorting a convoy to Australia from Java. The story of the thousand-ton Yarra’s gallant fight was told by a sub-lieutenant of the Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who was first lieutenant of a small motor minesweeper which was part of the Yarra’s convoy. The lieutenant, badly sunburned after four days’ floating round with 13 other survivors on Carley floats, was picked up by a Dutch merchant ship and has arrived in Australia. Six vessels escorted by the Yarra, an Australian minesweeper, and a sloop of the Royal Indian Navy, left Tanjong Priok on February 27. A submarine attacked them early on February 28, but the Australian minesweeper drove it off with depth charges The same day, in heavy and prolonged rain, two ships of the convoy were separated from the rest. Later, the Indian sloop, the Australian minesweeper, and another vessel were detached for Colombo. The convoy, • which now consisted of a passenger ship, a tanker, and a motor minesweeper, proceeded south with the Yarra as escort. A submarine attack on the night of March 3 failed. The Japanese were sighted in force at dawn on March 4. The enemy consisted of three Bin. gun cruisers and two destroyers. Each cruiser carried two aircraft and each had one aloft during the action. The odds were such that the British ships had no chance but they put up a gallant fight. The maximum speed of the convoy was 14 knots; that of the • enemy was more than 30 knots. Against concentrated broadsides of Bin. guns fired at point-blank range, the conyoy could bring to bear only light armament. As soon as the enemy

was sighted, the Yarra ordered the convoy to scatter and tried to shield the ships by laying a smoke screen. The motor mine-sweeper was hit, and after taking scuttling action, the crew abandoned ship. The two other ships and the Yarra continued firing till they were finally put out of action. One merchant ship blew up and the other sank.

The Yarra sank after heavy shelling and after having been bombed by Japanese aircraft.