Evening star., 1941-11-10
Sinkinqs
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stroyer were struck by air Launched
torpedoes.
The Admiraltys communique on
the convoy raid contained Prime
Minister Churchill's "congratula-
tions upon this most important and
timely action, which gravely inter-
rupts the enemy's supply lines to
Africa and impedes his long-boasted
offensive against the Nile Valley"
Details Are Not Given.
The brief Admiralty communique
did not tell when, where or how or
how many OF the Cossack's crew
were lost.
(The German high command
announced Saturday that Nazi
bombers had sunk a British de-
stroyer off Aberdeen, Scotland)
The Cossack had hand in the
boarding of the German prison ship
Altmark, the battle Of Narvik Fjord
and the destruction of the German
battleship Bismarck.
(The CossacK normally carried
a crew of 100 officers and men.
but under war conditions her
complement may have been even
larger)-
First of the big exploits in the
doughty little war vessels life of
only three years and four months
in the British Navy was the chase,
February is, 1910, in which she ran
the Altmark into a Norwegian fjord
and rescued 300 imprisoned British
merchant seamen..
Helped Sink Seven Destroyers.
Less than two months later, on
April 13, 1940,, the Cossack was in
the British flotilla which pene-
trated Narvik Fjord and sank seven
German destroyers. In that raid,
the second by the British fleet on
the Norwegian ore port, the Ad-
miralty said the Cossack knocked
out field howitzer which had been
mounted by the Germans ashore.
The Germans said then that the
Cossack we.s set afire and stranded.
In the sinking of the 35,000-ton
Bismarck last May q, the Cossack
was one of the first of the search
ing British warships to make con-
tact with the battleship, and one
of her torpedoes hit her.
The Cossack also was in the news
In October, 1910, when she and
other destroyers sank q convoy of
three merchant ships and two eS-
cort vessels of the Norwegian coast.
The Cossack, one of the tribal
class, was commissioned In 1888.
She was of 1870 tons.
The brief announcement Of her
loss said:
"The Board of Admiralty regrets
to announce that his majesty's de-
troyer Cossack Capt. E. L. Ber-
thon, D. S. c., r. NJ has been sunk.
Next Of kin Of casualties have
been informed"
Every Ship Declared Fired.
The official version Of the convoy
attack emphasized the totality Of
the victory for sea forces which the
British say hold mastery of the
Mediterranean. The communique
told this story:
Two conveys, at the moment OF
merging. were demolished in waters
just off the boot of the Italian home
land, by two British destroyers and
two 5,0O0-ton cruisers, which out
fought an escort OF two Italian
destroyers and two powerful 10000
ton cruisers.
Every merchant ship in the con-
voys was hit and set afire, one Ital-
Ian destroyer was sunk and at least
one other seriously damaged.
The British suffered neither cas-
ualties nor damage, although tor
pero-firing Axis planes attacked
them before the ships reached har-
Dor.
The cargoes of all the supply
ships were not specified but the
Admiralty said one was an ammu-
milton ship which exploded and one
was q laden tanker of about 10000
tons. which was left burning furi-
ously.
No Estimate of Total Tonnage.
There was no estimate Of the total
tonnage lost by the Axis nor Of the
part played in the battle by the two
italian cruisers.
That the 10 supply ships were
given such a heavy escort, these
sources said, was evidence that the
Axis had been compelled to take des-
perate measures in attempting to
maintain its Libyan armies against
constant pounding of its supply lines.
The Admiralty said the British
forces participating in the action in
cludde the cruisers Aurora and
Penelope, and the new 1,920-ton de-
stroyers Lively and Lance.