Evening star., 1942-02-16
Standard Oil Go.
Refinery at
.Aruba She||ed
Axis Attack Is First
Of War on Lund of
Western Hemisphere
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, Meth
erlands West Indies. Feb. 16.-In
the first attack of the war on
land of the Western Hemisphere,
an enemy submarine shelled oil
installations today on the United
States garrisoned Netherlands
West Indies island of Aruba,
about TOO miles from the Panama
Canal, and torpedoed three tank
ers off its coast.
A fourth tanker was badly dam
aged near the harbor of Willem-
stad, Curacao, rs miles east, but
did not sink, Aneta news agency
reported.
(The dispatch did not spe-
cifically say that the first three
tankers were sunk, but the word
ing indicated that they were.)
Both Aruba and Curacao are
guarded by American troops CO.
operating with the Dutch in their
defense.
Slight Damage to Rehnery.
Aneta said only slight damage
was done to the refinery of the
Standard Oil Co of New Jersey,
target of the submarines shells on
Aruba, and there were no casual
ties on the island.
cat New York Standard Oil
officials said the manager of the
refinery in Aruba had reported
that no damage was done to the
plant and no shore employees were
injured in the shelling)
The number of casualties in the
torpedoing of the tankers at Aruba
was not learned Immediately, but
one person was slightly injured in
the attack near Wlilemstad Harbor.
Both Aruba and Curacao refine
high -octane (aviation) gasoline
taken from the big wells in Venezu-
ella and Colombia in vast quantities
for American defense and Allied war
machine.
Recently the Lago Co., the Stand
ard Oil subsidiary in Aruba, an
nounced plans for expansion of its
aviation gasoline facilities and the
building of new $4,000, 900 proc
essing plant there.
The Royal Dutch Shell Oil Co.
has some of its largest refineries on
Curacao, supplying more than one
third of the oil for the British
Navy.
Aruba is the site of the worlds
largest oil refinery, and Curaco has
the second largest. For that reason
British marines landed there in May,
1910. to aid Dutch authorities in pro-
viding protection.
Troops Sent by United States.
The United States State Depart
ment announced on February II that
United States troops of unstated
number had been sent to Aruba and
| Curacao at the request of the Meth
erlands government to operate un-
der the direction of the Governor Of
Curacao.
Aruba's area is about 70 square
miles. Curacao's harbor nearby has
long been an important shipping
center, with many tankers calling
to load Venezuelan oil refined there
for the eastern United States sea-
board and other markets
! United States troops were sent to
the islands because the Netherlands
government feared that Germany
might attempt to synchroniZe a stab
at the West Indies with a japanese
offensive in the East Indies.
The step was approved by Vene-
zuela.
Previously, in November, the
United States sent troops to Dutch
Guiana, the South American main
land possession of the Netherlands,
southeast of Aruba.
Curacao and Aruba produce no
crude oil themselves. according to
the National Geographic Society, yet
they pour forth steady stream of
fuel, lubricating, Diesel and other
oils of high octane and lesser gaso-
lines which feed the machines Of
war or peace The answer to the
apparent parodox is found in the
islands three refineries, built to take
advantage of the proximity of Vene-
| zuelas rich sources of Oil in the
Maracaibo region.
An endless chain" of tankers
normally carries some hree-fourths
of Venezuela's crude oil supply to
Aruba and Curacao. Additional
sources come from Colombia and
the island of Trinidad. Outgoing
petroleum products account for 95
per cent or more of the islands ex-
port trade and are reported to be
providing large share of Britain's s
power and fabrication for bombers
and submarines, warships and fight
ing planes.
The spectacular growth Of the
Curacao oil industry, within the
(See CURACAO, Page 2-XO