Evening star., 1949-04-21
Worship's 8-Inch
Guns Trade Fire
With Attackers
DAMAGED DESTROYER Clearly
Identified Self, Officer Declares.
Page A-3.
BY the Assoeio,sd Press

SHANGHAI. April 21.-T The
powerful British cruiser London
Joined the battle of the Yangtze
today, opening up on Chinese
Communist shore guns after be-
ing hit by Red artillery.
The 10,000-ton London, fourth
British naval vessel to be hit in
two days Of fighting between Brit
ish naval forces and the Reds,
had gone to the aid Of the she'll
damaged sloop Amethyst.
Others hit by Red shellfire from
the Yangtze north shore north
east of Nanking were the sloop
Black Swan and the destroyer
Consort.
Known Dead Toll AZ.
The known dead from attacks
on the four warships reached ~
tonight. British naval authorities
said the London had IS dead and
20 wounded and the Black Swan
had five wounded.
These two latest vessels to be
hit by Communist artillery on the
Yangtze near Marking arrived
back in Shanghai late tonight.
Behind them they left the
Amethyst, first British ship shelled
by the Reds about go miles east of
Nanking Wednesday morning.
Neither the London nor the
Black Swan was able to reach the
Amethyst, which was driven
aground on an island, but later
was ref1oated.
The known dead included II Of
the Amethyst crew, 10 from the
Consort, which as<shelled when
it vainly sought to aid the Ame-
thyst, and Is aboard the London.
The exact number of wounded
could not be determined, but
added up to about 100 in reports
from the four ships, with possibly
some Implications.
Wounded Put in Hospital.
The London and Black Swan
wounded were placed in the Unit
ed States Naval Hospital in
Shanghai.
An official British statement
said Royal Air Force flying boat
managed to make contact with the
Amethyst during Thursday and
put aboard one medical officer
with supplies. The plane then re-
turned to Shanghai. /
A British spokesman said the
Amethyst still was being fired on
occasionally.
A British Embassy spokesman in
Nanking said a United States Navy
doctor, 1t. Comdr. James w. Pack
ard; the British assistant naval
attache, 1t. Comdr. j. s. Kerans.
and the British assistant military
Attache, K. v. Dewar-Durie. were
attempting to reach the Amethyst
wounded.
The spokesman said the three
officers were leaving with jeep-
load of medical supplies for
wounded believed to have been put
ashore near Rose Island, where
the ship was grounded.
=. He said the Amethyst might try
to reach Nanking because Com
munist shore guns were blocking
the route downstream to Shanghai
Reds Fire Answered.
The London's captain ordered
withdrawal of the cruiser and the
Black Swan from the vicinity of
the damaged Amethyst. He said,
"All signs of peaceful intent have
been disregarded and heavy fire
opened from batteries near Bates
Point and on the southern end
of Beaver Island tboth in the
vicinity of the Amethyst. This
fire was effectively replied to, but
under such conditions dt is) |
clearly impossible to bring the
Amethyst downriver."
The British consulate said it
had received messages from both
ships saying they had been dam
aged.
Funeral services were held late
today for the men who died on
the ConSort.
Early in the evening SO sur
vivors of the Amethyst arrived
here by train from the north.
Survivors said 80 officers and
(See YANGTZE, Page A-30