Evening star., 1941-09-21
British War Craft,
Repaired in u. s.,
Shown 10 Newsmen
Coptoins Of Liverpool
And Worspite Describe
SEQ Battles OFF Crete
BY the Associated Press.

VALLEJO, Calf, Sept. 20.-Brit-
ish naval officers, speaking from
their battered ships, told calmly
and dispassionately of England's
battles at sea during an unexpected
break today in the secrecy which
has guarded the presence of British
war craft in American harbors.
At Mare Island, Navy Yard news
men were conducted on tours of the
9,l00-ton Cruiser Liverpool and the
7,215-ton Cruiser Orion. At the
Bremerton tWash) Navy Yard. re-
porters boarded the huge British
dreadnaught Warspite.
Comdr. T. C. T. Wynne, skipper
of the Orion, said his vessel was
damaged by German bomb during
the evacuation from Crete He de-
Scrlbed the battle of Calabria, in
which three Italian destroyers were
sunk, as "brush-just late eve
ming chase" and prosaically told of
the battle of Matapan, southwest
of Crete:
Three Cruisers DESTROYED
THE battle started with contact
about am. during the early stages
there were maneuvers by cruisers
on either side. Then one of the
new vast Italian battleships ap-
peared on the scene. Heavy ships
came up to the battle area. Dur
ing the night three eight-inch cruis-
ers were destroyed and probably
some destroyers, too
Comdr. R. S. Dawson. chief en-
glneer of the Liverpool, said an en-
gagement lin the neighborhood of
Crete" brought damage to his ship
from an aerial torpedo.
Il was in the after part of the
ship and I knew we had been hit by
a torpedo from the way the ship
shook. After we were hit, all the
organization we had been working
on so long to deal with this sort of
thing went into operation. I found
myself doing all the things I had
trained so long to do.
Plane Believed Hit.
When we found out how much
damage was done we worked out the
best plan of action and within a
short time had everything under
control"
AS to the pilot of the plane
launching the torpedo, the COM
mander said "he was observed to be
flying rather shakily afterward. I
think We hit him"
The press was allowed to inspect
each ship from bow to stern on
topslde, but no one was allowed be.
low. Photographers took press
pictures.
Tells of Action.
AT Bremerton. the Warspite's
commanding officer. Capt. Douglas
Blake Fisher. told dramatically how
his ship disabled two Italian cruisers
and blew a destroyer to bits in the
brief span of 4 minutes last March
28 in the battle of Cape Matapan.
Our light forces had been en-
gagged during the day with an enemy
force that included at least one
battleship," he said. "Our forces had
caused damage to the battleship and
at least one cruiser with gunf1re and
torpedo aircraft attacks,
The Italians, as usual, were
running for home and our battle
fleet was painting after them. We
were miles behind at first, of course.
clear out of sight.
Then about 1890 at night we
came across three italian cruisers
and at least one destroyer.
Fired Broadside.
One of the destroyers Illuminated
one of the cruisers with her own
searchlights. We turned slightly
away to get all our guns to bear
and fired broadside of eight 15-inch
guns.
THE first broadside hit her right
along-I mean every shot went
through her-and the result was
really astonishing. Her stacks and
all her upper works went off her
like the lid off a burning box.
Then we put two more broad
sides into her, just to make sure,
and Illuminated the next cruiser
with our searchlight. We gave her
just one broadside with the same
result.
Destroyer Disappears.
BY this time the battleships be-
hind us, the Berham and the
Valiant, were firing on the third
cruiser, so we looked around for
other ships and found a destroyer
which had been following the
cruisers. We put a broadside into
her and she simply disappeared.
THE whole thing took just four
course, we didn't time
it carefully, but it was right about
that time"
Capt. Fisher was proud of his
ships part in the battle of Crete,
in which the vessel was damaged.
He said the action was continu-
Gus and furious from May 20 to %.
The final outcome was that we
had to evacuate Crete. We found
it quite impossible to contend
against the enemy's overwhelming
air superiority I don't know how
many planes there were in action
against us, but I've never seen so