| Show 7 Nip Warships Sunk By U. U S. S Navy in Clash On Pacific Supply Lane y Only Three Planes Planes' Lost Last in Battle i Washington Says T American Subs Sink 3 Jap Vessels r rIn In Oriental Waters as Fleet Smashes Foe Off Solomon Islands WASHINGTON May 7 UP The uP-The The W-The The navy announced Thursday that eight Japanese ships including seven warships warships warships war war- war war- i ships had been sunk in a naval engagement in the vicinity of the Solomon islands in the Pacific and that four other enemy vessels were badly damaged The action was carried out with the loss of but three American planes a said while six enemy planes planes' were were destroyed At the same time it was announced that United States submarines r on patrol in the western Pacific had sunk three enemy ships These various and da raised to more than the the number of Japanese vessels destroyed destroy d 9 or ort t damaged by the United States States forces forces to date ti No details of what apparently was a t gr great at naval engagement ell en- 4 involving Japanese forces striking at the flank of the American supply line to Australia were given in the navy report except as to results and the fact that it t occurred on May 4 r Very Excellent News Has Been Received j JJ The began by saying simply that very I excellent excellent ex- ex jl ex-jl news has been received f 4 Naval authorities declared that employment of the thee term naval engagement left no doubt that this was an action involving American and Japanese surface units as aswell aswell aswell well as airplanes the first on any considerable scale since the battle of Java sea in which the Japanese emerged victorious The enemy ships sunk were listed by the navy as a alight alight alight light cruiser two destroyers four gunboats and a supply vessel Those damaged were a ton seaplane tender a J x light cruiser a cargo vessel and a transport 3 The Japanese ships sunk by United States submarines in inactions inactions actions apparently having no connection with the engagement engagement engagement engage engage- ment in the Solomon islands were described as one medium- medium sized cargo ship one sized medium-sized tanker and one small cargo ship Battle Scene Lies North of New Caledonia The scene of the naval battle is an studded island-studded area lying be between New Hebrides and the Bismarck archipelago and covering an area about miles long and miles wid lying northwest and southeast These islands are north of the Free French island of New Caledonia on which American troops recently landed to safeguard safeguard safeguard safe safe- guard the southwestern end of the U U. S Australian S.-Australian life line and it was considered logical that the Japanese probably were moving to strike at that allied bastion Reports have been current for more than a week that the Japanese were massing ships both war of and transports transports transports trans trans- ports in their strongly fortified mandated islands section and the fact that at least one transport was in the armada attacked by U. U S S. S forces was seen here as evidence that the 3 Japanese force was probably preparing to move on some of the guardian guardia islands of the supply line |
