London, Nov. 28.
FORTY-MINUTE battle was fought between the 16,697-ton armed British merchant emi isser Rawalpindi and the German pocket-battleship Deutschland before the Rawalpindi was sunk with over 250 officers and men on board on Thursday, the Admiralty announced yesterday. The Rawalpindi was sunk off the south-east coast of Iceland, the Admiralty said. At 3.40 p.m. the announcement continued, the Rawalpindi sighted the Deutschland and a second German' ship to starboard. The Deutschland signalled the Rawalpindi to halt, it said, and fired a warning shot across her bows.
When the warning was rejected, the Deutschland fired a salvo of 11-inch guns from a 10,000-yard range at the Rawalpindi, which replied with all four starboard 6-inch guns. The Deutschland's third salvo destroyed the Rawalpindi's lighting system and ammunition supply, the announcement said, and the fo th salvo demolished the wireless room. rapidly" by this time," the. announce "Bath German ships, were losing tment declared. "Phe second had gone ound the Rawalpind's stern and. was ring from the pert side, The Rawalinal fought wml every. gun was put Sut of action and the whole ship. was blase except the forecastle and the "Afier Aghting an "unequal combat" for 4 minutes, at 423, the German vessels ceased firing and three Rawal indi lifeboats. were lowered, the Admiralty reported. Two of the life boats. containing thirly persons was believed to have been picked up by the German vessels. Eleven others swam toa waterlogged lifeboat, the Admiralty continued, and they "would probably have been picked up but the Approach of a British cruiser at 0.25 used the enemy immediately to withdraw."
'The Rawalpindi continued burning amidships until 8 o'clock, the Ad= miralty announcement said, when she turned turtle toward the' starboard and foundered with all remaining hands aboard.
"The British cruiser attempted to shadow the Germans the announcement said, "but they escaped in the saw rainstorm and the darkness of the night 'The search for the two. enemy Warships Is continuing in tem= pestuous weather by night and during the brief hours of daylights," the announcement concluded. 'The Raw pind} was participating' in the search,
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