HMS Courageous, one of the navy's oldest aircraft carriers, was torpedoed by a U-boat west of here today. It is the navy's first serious loss of the war. Courageous was leading a submarine hunt when U29, which had sunk three British tankers scored two direct hits. Although the Courageous sank in 15 minutes, just over half of the 1,000-strong crew were rescued. Marine M Reidy, a printer in civilian life, said: "The only boat they could get out was the cutter, and directly they got down to the water, she sank" The survivors jumped overboard, and many were in the water for over an hour, keeping up their spirits by singing "Roll out the Barrel" and "Show Me the Way To Go Home". Another survivor said the sea "was so thick with oil we might have been swimming in treacle". Three days ago U39 got near enough to fire several torpedoes at Ark Royal, the navy's most modern carrier. She was not hit, and her destroyers sank U39. Today although destroyers escorting the sinking Courageous dropped depth charges, U29 got away. View from enemy Sub that sank aircraft carrier HMS Courageous. 17th September 1939
