The Admiralty today exploded a story broadcast by Germany on March 8 claiming that in raids on the nights of March 6 and March 7 "eleven merchant ships sailing in a British convoy or with dimmed lights, With a total tonnage of about 30,000, were sunk or heavily damaged." The focis are, the Admiralty stated, that fifteen small ships—mostly fishing boats—were attacked and the only one seriously damaged was the Italian ship Amelia Laura, This neutral ships was proceeding independently on lawful. business, brilliantly illuminated, with her name and an Italian fag painted on her sides, when she was bombed from an altitude of about 30 feet above her masts, the Admiralty stated.
Attacks were made also on three convoys, but all the planes were driven off and not one of the ships was even damaged, according to the Admiralty statement,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.