Evening star., 1942-01-19
Troops rs Miles From Singapore
Trap 10000 British Japs Claim;
U.S.. Tanker Sunk by Sub; % Lost
Rescue Ship Lands
Is Survivors
At Norfolk

BY the Associated Press.
The battle of the Atlantic, a
phase of the European war
which has reached out toward
the shores Of the United States,
brought over the week end the
U-boat sinking of the Standard
Oil tanker Allan Jackson, the
third such victim in less than a
week.
Thirteen survivors of the $685.
ton tanker's 35-man crew were
landed at Norfolk, Va. yesterday
afternoon; six of them were hospital
cases, The others uninjured. The
rescue vessel also brought in four
bodies. The other % crew members
are presumably lost.
The Public Relations Once OF the
Fifth Naval District at Norfolk an
nounced that the Allan Jackson was
en- route to New York and was un-
armed when she was torpedoed,
but further details were withheld
for reasons Of security. The attack
occurred yesterday OF the North
Carolina coast.
The first two ships in the cur
rent wave Of U-boat activity along
the American coast also we're tank
ers. the first sunk last Wednesday,
the second on Thursday.
Great Search by Sea and Sky.
The Axis raiders appeared to have
reached coastal waters in consider
able force and their scattered as
saults have touched of a great
search by sea and sky. but Ameri-
can authorities are not likely to
announce the results Of the U-boat
hunt until well after any successes
That IS part Of the technique OF
striking at the morale of other
Axis U-boat men.
The uninjured survivors, who were
questioned by naval intelligence Of
f1cers at the naval operating base
are Rolf Clausen, boatswain; Ross
F. Terrell. able seaman: Onis M
May. able seaman; league F. Burke
storekeeper: Aracelio Lopez, mess
man; Elmo E. Burden, oiler, and
jeremiah A. Donovan.
5i The injured at the Marine Hos
pital in Norfolk are Capt. F. w,
krltchmer. master OF the jackson ::
Melvin A. Rand, second mate; Boris
"A. Varneoff. third mate; Thomas B.
Hutchins. chief engineer; Steaphen
Verbonich, radio operator, and Ran
dolph H. Larso, able seaman.
Dead Identified.
The dead were identified as w. A.
Hoerle, third engineer; Hamon
Brown, seaman; Dimingo Pinerio
fireman, and Carl z. Webb, oiler.
No home addresses of any of the
survivors were given.
Every licensed officer on the shin
was either injured or lost. The
tanker was not armed and no at
tempt was made by the submarine
crew to board the craft or take pris-
Oners
According to the stories told by
survivors, an officer on the bridge
sighted the first torpedo when it
broke water about $50 yards from
the tanker. A desperate effort was
made to avoid the torpedo but it
crashed into the vessel about amid
ship. No one saw the second tor
pedo but q second terrific explosion
was heard within a couple OF
minutes after the first crash.
The tanker apparently gave way
In the center. with the bow listing
to starboard and the stern to port
Only one lifeboat managed to gel
away as the ship caught fire i'm
mediately and the flames enveloped
the entire deck and rapidly spread
into the oil slick on the water.
Several Narrow Escapes.
The seven uninjured survivor.
were in the lifeboat and they hae
several narrow escapes before get.
ting clear Of the ship. The pro.
peller was still turning as tn.
tanker settled and it set up a sue.
WILL tAAot tAn CdtCIlCO W pull CIlS
boat to destruction despite thu
efforts Of the occupants.
After a struggle of minutes which
seemed like hours. the lifeboat got
clear and a short time later il
picked up the radio operator.
Once clear Of the tanker, thu
boat crew faced another peril ir
the burning oil slick which ap.
peared to be closing in ON them
Some of the survivors reported
hearing cries from within the sheet
of flame on the water, but they
could not take the boat in fol
fear it would catch fire. They als<
reported seeing a light, presumably
on the submarine, OIL in the dis.
tance, but they could not see any
thing of her superstructure.
After about an hour in the boat
they were all clear Of the fire anc
rigged their sail. Some three hour!
(See SINKINGS. Page A-3)