OVER 3000 ON BOARD

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21224, 21 September 1940, Page 9

OVER 3000 ON BOARD

SUCCESS OF SUBMARINE HEAVY GERMAN LOSS (Official Wireless) Received Sept. 21, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 20 An Admiralty communique issued at 1.45 p.m., states: It can now be stated that His Majesty’s submarine Sturgeon successfully attacked a heavily-laden enemy transport off the northern point of Denmark on the evening of September 2. The enemy transport was a ship of about 10,000 tons. She was escorted by small naval vessels and aircraft. The Sturgeon carried out a successful attack in spite of difficult conditions of light and heavy weather. Torpedoes hit the enemy transport, from which came brilliant flashes of flame and a dense column of smoke. A few minutes later the whole ship burst into flames, and when the Sturgeon came to the surface some time later the transport had sunk and the German escort vessels were sweeping the water with searchlights in search of survivors. It will be remembered that reports from Stockholm stated that a German transport was sunk by a British submarine off Skaw on the evening of September 2, and a very large number of German troops were killed. This was denied by the German wireless and official news agencies. The transport, which was due north of Oslo Fjord, was stated by Swedish sources to have carried from 3000 to 4000 men.