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AU 6 19 1941

Churchill Aboard Baff leshi p \ Cr asked'f Big Aflanfic Convoy


Big Battleship

Through Group of Ships


(By a Special Correspondent of Reuters News Agency.) With- the Royal Navy' Aboard a British Destroyer, Aug . 18 .-The battleship prin ce of Wales bear1119 Prime Minister Winston Churchill has reached a home port, ending the war leader's remarkable round-trip journey across the Atlantic to meet PresidentRoosevelt . Escorted by destroyers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, the battleship broke her homeward voyage to allow Mr. Churchill to pay a day's visit to Iceland, where he took the salute at a march-past of British and American troops stationed there. He made a short speech to the troops . I was on board one of the British destroyers which formed the escort on the homeward trip. Never once did we sight any hostile craft in the air, on the sea, or beneath the sea. It was a glorious afternoon as we sailed out of the naval base to keep our rendezvous with the Prince of Wales somewhere in the

Steams

North Atlantic and at that time no one except the captain of the ship knew the importance of the task which lay ahead of us . Early one morning some days after leaving the naval base we sighted a smudge on the horizon and as we approached we could see through our glasses the outline of a giant battleship flanked on both sides by Canadian destroyers . The great ship truly was a noble sight plunging through the Atlantic swell and throwing . up great clouds of white spray as she dipped her bow into the waves . We approached from head on, and as we swooped in to take our position there was a sudden flurry of destroyers all around the battleship . In a very few minutes, however, we had turned around and with a slight increase of speed we - had taken our positions and . were zigzagging with . the other warships . During the afternoon Catalina flying boats patrolled the air over us and one of them reported there was a large convoy some fifty -or sixty miles ahead bound for Britain. The . Prime Minister. had never seen a large convoy at sea,, so withslight alteration of .coursewe made toward them . After two or three hours we could see the convoy on- the horizon .- It was an incredible-sight . As far as the eye could see there were _ ships, tankers, freighters, supply ships, big ships, little ships, ships of every conceivable size and sort. Stretched Eight Miles . They were ranged in lines-in all over eight miles of ships . Around them scurried their escort of corvettes and former American destroyers keeping stragglers in' line and always ready for the possible approach of danger. We steamed straight toward them and then -passed right through the middle of the convoy. Each of the Prince of_ Wales' escorts chose its opening among the ships and as we dashed through the lines of merchantmen -we could see that they realized _who was paying, them this novel visit . We saw men running to hoist the "V"signals in flags while others stood on deck cheering and

._. . , . waving .- -, The Prince of Wales was a proud sight. She had cocked up all her great 14-inch guns to their highest levels and if Mr . Churchill was thrilled it was nothing to the excitement that it caused , among the vessels of the convoy. We steamed on to perhaps two miles ahead of the convoy and then the ; Prince of Wales and her escort turned around and once more we went through the lines of wallowing ships. If there had 1 been enthusiasm before . it was nothing to what - greeted us the second time . Every merchantman had had time to hoist flags and the crews lined the rails' waving caps and shouting. We wished .them godspeed and then resumed our .original course, which was to bring us to Iceland. Here we made a day's stay and in the evening sailed again for England . Earlier in. the day in which we met the convoy the Prince. of Wales carried out a practice shoot with her anti-aircraft guns, watched by the Prime Minister and .his party. She first fired a smoke shell which exploded into a compact ball of smoke high up in the sky. Using this as a target she let loose with her A -A guns, plastering the area around the ball of smoke with exploding shells . This was followed -up by an exhibition of barrage fire, using i every anti-aircraft gun on board. l The battleship's sides seemed constantly flaming, so great was the rate of fire, while the air all around her was black with exploding projectiles . It seemed unbelievable that one ship could put up so devastating a barrage . The journey from Iceland to Britain was quite uneventful . With her escorts screening her, the prince of Wales reached home safely after the most remarkable transatlantic voyage of the ivar .

GLOBE AND MAIL

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EUROPE 913 1939 U .S . BRITkIN GHUxc$ ILL ROOS~vELT MEETING 1941

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