Evening star., 1941-10-30
Kearny Torpedoed
On Way 10 Aid Of
Convoy, Navy Says
Destroyer Answered Coll
To Assist Ships Attacked
By Pack of U-Boats
ny the Associated Press.

The U. S, S. Kearny had rushed
10 the rescue of an embattled con-
voy and was helping to beat off a
mass U-boat attack when she was
torpedoed, the Navy reveals.
The department added the few
new details to the Kearny's yet un-
finished story last night. 1t also
released official pictures OF the
wounded ship as she made an un-
named port, her beams bent and
twisted, her plates torn by the force
Of the torpedo's explosion.
The Kearny, so the Navy reported,
was escorting one convoy of mer-
chant ships on the night OF october
l6 when she received distress sig
mails from another convoy nearby
that was being attacked by several
submarines.
Speeding to the scene, $50 miles
southwest of Iceland, the Kearny
began dumping depth bombs as the
attack on the convoy continued.
One torpedo missed her, passing
ahead. A second miss went astern,
but the third struck her amidships
on the starboard side, well below
the water line.
Blows Up Deck.
The explosion tore a gaping hole
In the side of the destroyer at a
boiler compartment and ripped up
ward through the steel deck above,
showering the bridge with wreckage.
Eleven men were killed and ten in
iured, two seriously.
Almost cut in two, the Kearny was
forced out of the engagement, but
the prompt action of her skipper,
1t. Comdr. A. L. DaniS, was credited
with keeping her from going to the
bottom.
The account led to the belief that
the ships the Kearny was originally
escorting either were empties headed
for North American ports, or were
considered reasonably safe from at
tack at the time,
Text of the Nsvy's announcement
today follows:
"On the night Of October 1917,
the U. s. S. Kearny, while escorting
q convoy of merchant ships, re-
ceived distress signals from another
convoy which was under attack from
several German submarines. The
U. S. S. Kearny proceeded to the aid
of the attacked convoy.
''On arriving at the scene of the
attack, the U. S. S. Kearny dropped
depth bombs when she sighted a
merchant ship under attack by a
submarine. Some time afterWard
three torpedo tracks were observed
approaching the U. S. S. Kerny.
One passed ahead of the ship, one
sstern and the third struck the U. S.
s. Kearny on the Starboard side in
the vicinity of the forward fireroom.
Men in Boiler Room Die.
THE force of the explosion
preached the side Of the ship well
under the water line, flooding the
boiler compartment and killing the
men stationed in the boiler room on
the steaming watch. The force of
the explosion was forward and up
ward. The deck above the fireroom
was ruptured with such force that
wreckage was thrown onto the
bridge.
Eleven men were killed as result
of the attack. In addition two men
were seriously injured and eight men
received minor wounds. (Here the
Navy report gave the names of the
II men, which previously had been
announced.
THE U. S. S. Kearny was forced
out of action by the explosion, her
commanding officer, 1t. Comdr. A.
l.. DAMS, United States Navy, i'm
rnediately invoked casualty and ship
damage routine and by prompt ac-
tion prevented the ship from sink
ing. The United States Kearny was
escorted to port by other destroyers
Of the United States fleet.
"On arrival in port the men seri-
ously injured were removed to the
Army hospital for treatment. Those
receiving minor injuries were given
out-patient treatment and returned
to the ship.
Comes in Under Own Power.
''In the report made by Rear Ad-
miral S. M Robinson, United States
Navy, chief of the Bureau of Ships
to Undersecretary of the Navy
James v. Forrestal, it was pointed
out due to the arrangement of the
ships boiler and engine rooms the
commanding officer was able to shift
from the damaged fire room to an
other fire room and able to take the
ship into port under her own power
"Other features OF the report
we're:
THE force Of the explosion not