HMS . Edinburgh Hit .

by Hun Torpedoes, Sunk by Owrt Farces

London, May 7 (CP) .-The 10,00 ton cruiser Edinburgh was lost last 'week in German submarine, surface and air attacks on two British convoys plying the vital ~ Arctic supply ' route to Russia, the ;Admiralty a_nnounced tonight, but despite the severity of the assaults, spread over several days, the British seamen accomplished their mission with relatively small loss among the other naval and merchant vessels . One attacking German destroyer was sunk, another was hit and severely damaged, and At least three Nazi bombers were destroyed . The Edinburgh was crippled by enemy torpedoes and had to be abandoned in tow and sunk, by the British themselves vghile she was homeward bound with a convoy which had already' delivered its goods. One convoyed vessel also was sunk . The second convoy attacked was a', large string of ships ;.carrying "important war supplies" to the bit terly=contested Russian front. Although it was attacked by repeated waves of dive-bombers and torpedo-' carrying planes which sank three : ships, the British sailors never less succeeded in delivering 89 per cent of their cargo, the Admiralty "' stated . Assuming all of the convoy ships . were of approximately the %ame size, this wgutil indicate that the convoy originally wa~ , composed ef . aboutAhirty ships. Cagnaities Small . . Casualties apparent ly were 'rela-1i tively' small, although ,it was not specifically-so' stated : Casualties aboard the EdinbW "4v~t2' ' eah l~Y~ cx:'+' The attacks on'-the two-Convoys began April 30, and lasted through May 3. The homeward-bound convoy was struck first, A submarine's torpedo , disabling the ; Edinburgh's steering gear on the afternoon of April 30. The Edinburgh was able to proceed under her own power, but at a speed . reduced below her normal 32?f, knots. Thus slowed, she and the convoy were . attacked the following afternoon .in stormy weather by1;

three destroyers which made five separate attempts to break through the escort and destroy the convoy, each one being beaten off. It was in this fighting that the one convoyed ship, which was in ballast, went down : Seven men were killed on two'other ships . On the morning of May 2 the crlp-' pled Edinburgh again was accosted by three German destroyers, Apparently the same ones, in heavy weather and low visibility. The Edinburgh now was in tow, but she and British destroyers engaged the enemy, and this time sank one of the. Nazi destroyers and severely damaged. a second. Sunk by Our Forces : During the fight another torpedo hit the Edinburgh. "She was abandoned," said the Admiralty "and later had to be sunk by our own . ' forces, as towing was no longer practicable in . the weather conditions prevailing." This convoy was not bothered again. The attack on the outward-bound convoy was begun on the afternoon of May 1, by six . Junkers 88 divebombers striking suddenly from the" stormy' sky. One of them was "shot down, while the convoy and its escort went unscathed. On. the evening of the following day, six torpedo-carrying planes at-, tacked, and three of the convoyed

ships were -struck-by-torpedoes and sank. In this assault one of the atlockers was shot - down . Aifinal attack came on the evening . May of 3. This last thrust was unsuccessful, causing only minor dam-, age to one ship . One Junkers 88 was shot down . This Arctic action presumably was ; the same in which the German High Command three days ago, claimed a 10,000-ton -British cruiser' hadibeen sunk . The Germans then clamed that six convoyed ships totalling 37,500 tons also were sunk. CanAdian Aboard. Edmonton, May 7 iCP) :A, B . Doyje of Edmonton said today ; he believes his son, James, 18, a gunner,! was 'aboard the cruiser Edinburgh, sunk in Arctic waters . "He has been aboard the Edin-' burgh for the- past two years," Mrs. Doyle said . "There is some chance that he had gone on leave, but I do not 'think so, because it was just recently that he had a leave in London. "He was hoping to get away this summer for a five weeks' leave so, he could get home for a visit, but I think that he probably had not, started that leave yet ." James, a naval "veteran" despite' his age, left Edmonton in 1939 with,! the intention of joining the Royal' Navy. He landed in England on the' day war was declared and was in the pavy within a short time . He went to a naval school for a time , and ~then was posted to the. Edinburgn . He has never been on any other ship,

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1.49 WAR 3W) 9 NAVY CRUISER

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