ACTIONS IN CHANNEL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 August 1942, Page 3

ACTIONS IN CHANNEL

BETWEEN LIGHT NAVAL FORCES ENEMY SHIP PROBABLY DESTROYED. ALL BRITISH VESSELS RETURN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, July 31. An Admiralty communique states: “During the night, our light coastal forces were active in the North Sea and English Channel and there were three brushes with the enemy. In the early hours of the morning, one of our patrols intercepted five armed trawlers off Ymuiden. Our patrol attacked and an action followed lasting ten minutes. The enemy craft were repeatedly hit, and the last ship of their line was seen to be on fire. “This action was broken off as one of our boats was hit and disabled. She was taken in tow and has now reached her base. There were some casualties on this boat. “About fifty minutes later the same enemy force was met and attacked by another of our patrols. A brief action followed, in which further casualties and damage certainly were inflicted upon the enemy. The last ship of the enemy line which had been hit and set on fire in the first action, was again hit. The fire increased to very large proportions. This ship is thought to be a total loss. This action had to be broken off owing to daylight. Our patrols suffered neither casualties nor damage. “While engaged with enemy armed trawlers, both of our patrols were heavily but ineffectively attacked by aircraft, and also engaged by enemy shore batteries. “In the English Channel three enemy torpedo-boats or mine-sweepers, escorted by E-boats, were encountered and attacked off the French coast by a patrol of light coastal craft. The enemy were certainly hit during the brief action, but it is not possible to assess the damage inflicted. Our patrol suffered neither casualties nor damage.