Evening star., 1941-10-01
Ark Royal Observer
Describes Bottle

LONDON, Oct. ! [P).-How Brit
ish warships. including the damaged
battleship Nelson, beat off wave
after wave of Italian torpedo planes
in furious battle lasting just an
hour was related early today by a
special correspondent of Reuters
news agency who was aboard the
aircraft carrier Ark Royal.
ut was hard to believe it all hap
pened in so brief minutes" the cor
respondent wirelessed.
"A sudden distant rumble of gun
fire was the first sign of the ap-
preaching battle.
Far away TO port, We could see
the gun flashes of cruisers and de-
stroyers.
THE whole length of one of our
battleships seemed ablaze as her tre-
mendous anti-aircraft armament
roared into action.
Steamed Through Squalls.
Throughout the morning the Vi
tai convoy of large merchantmen
carrying stores. munitions and.
troops with their majestic escort of
battleships. cruisers and destroyers
had steamed through binding rain
squalls and under heavy clouds.
IN such weather shadowing air.
craft could get but hasty look at
the miles of ships before fighters
roared after them.
Then the sky cleared, and we
were bathed in brilliant sunshine.
"As guns of the escorting war
ships opened up in the distance an
officer spotter aboard shouted:
There are five torpedo bombers.'
"One attacked a destroyer and
was blown to pieces. Fighters from
enemy and not one bomber got
through the line of warships to the
merchantmen.
There was brief spell of quiet.
Then with bewildering rapidity a
second attack developed-thist time
from starboard.
Plane Dives Into Sea. \
-Four of five dark shapes shot
low over the water toward us
through murderous barrage.
Ahead of the aircraft carrier a
big two-engined plane staggered,
tried desperately to rise and dived
into the sea amid a lurid glow of
flames.
I'VE felt there could be no sur
vivors.
Smoke from our guns cleared
and we saw plane gliding on a
slanting course toward the Nelson.
"A torpedo Topped into the sea.
The plane turned and a column
of water rose near the bows of the
battleship.
The plane was hit almost imme-
diately by fire of other ships and
plunged into the sea.
The next phase of the attack
opened when We sighted five torpedo
bombers only 100 feet above the
water speeding along course par
allel to that of the ships. Fighters
roared to the attack and the planes
disappeared.
Plane Seen to StarbOard.
"Ten minutes later the roar of
battle broke out again. We saw
plane to the starboard a bare 300
yards from us.
I'VE could not see whether it
still carried its torpedo, but it swung
around as if coming in to attack
IF that was the pilots intention,
he met fate that matched in its
horrible swiftness the audacity of
the attack.
Our pom-pomS pumped out a
stream of two-pounders. There was
sudden explosion midway down
the fuselage and the rear half of
the plane Topped completely off and
Topped into the sea.
"A split second later the other
half of the plane crashed in
cloud of spray. A black smudge
marked the grave of the crew of
five.
"An Italian fighter was seen per-
forming weirdly. Aimlessly it looped
the loop getting nearer to the sea
each time it looped until it finally
plunged into the water.
aTnen tho attark eoGedn