Evening star., 1943-05-07
5 Allied Freighters
Sunk by Jap Subs
East Of Australia
All of 81 Aboard Only
American Ship in
Group Rescued
BY the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, May T. Japanese
submarines torpedoed and sank five
Allied freighters. one an American,
recently in the life line" waters east
of Australia, but the huge flow OF
men and supplies for future Allied
offensive continues virtually undi-
minished," headquarters announced
today.
Every member of the 81 aboard
the American ship, commanded by
Capt C. C. c. Endstrom, Alameda,
Calf, was rescued by Australian
naval craft after one of two tor
pedoes found it's mark in a night at
tack. The captain, last to leave the
ship, stayed aboard until the main
deck was awash.
The biggest ship lost was an Aus
tralian freighter Only two of her
crew perished. Two others, includ-
ing the captain who stayed aboard
until his ship sank, clung to RATS
and wreckage until picked up.
A small Australian freigher was
sent to the bottom by a submarine
which later surfaced. Survivors bent
low in the lifeboats fearing they
would be machine gunned, but it was
dark and the submarine failed to
sight them.
Most of Crews Saved.
Another small Australian freight
er's hull was ripped in midmorning
by two torpedoes and she sank with
in an hour. The other ship lost was
a small Norwegian freighter. Most
of the crews were saved by alert
patrol craft.
1t was first disclosed on May l
that the enemy had sent submarines
In some force" against the supply
lanes east of Australia. but nothing
in the accounts of survivors indl-
Gated the japanese were operating
in wolf packs of the size used by the
Nazis in the Atlantic. A spokesman
for Gen. Douglas Macarthur has
estimated that per cent of 1,000,-
900 tons of Allied shipping had
fallen prey to Japanese subs IN the
Southwest Pacific area during the
period in which the Allies lost 2l2
per cent of approximately 1o,500,000
tons used in support of the North
African campaign.
The American freighter was the
first incoming transocean ship to be
sunk out of the great volume of
shipping sent across the Pacific from
America since the war opened.
Our shipping continues to op-
crate in virtually undiminished vol
ume under protection by our naval
and aircraft units" today's COM
munique reported
New Ground Triumph.
1t also announced new ground
triumph for the Allies moving on
the japanese bases of Salamaua and
Lac on New Guinea's Huon Gulf.
Surprising a japanese outpost and
dispensing it. the Allies seized the
village of Bobdubi only miles
southwest of Salamaua. This move
threatened to cut the line of supply
to Japanese forces entrenched at
Mubo, II miles south of Salamaua,
in an area over which Allied attack
planes roared 20 times yesterday,
pouring cannon and machinegun
fire Mubo has a good airport, one
of many built originally to link up
mountainous New Guinea's gold
mining operations. hsa -
In the air, 1t. Gen. George c..
Kenney's forces stepped up opera
tions which for some time had been
hampered by bad weather. Liberia
tors blew up storehouse and start
ed such intense fires that smoke
rose 5000 feet in a raid yesterday
on Manokwari, above Geelvink Bay,
Dutch New Guinea.
At Taberfane on the Aroe Island,
below Dutch New Guinea, Austria
liam Beauhghters destroyed nine
Japanese f1oatplanes on the beach
and sank small boat loaded with
enemy troops.