"Good Lord, there seemed to be hundreds of dive bombers and as soon as one formation came away another went in," said Seaman Binnie Barnes, a bearded Queenslander rescued from the sunken Australian cruiser Canberra.

"They dive-bombed one point incessantly for two hours and then in the distance I could see scores of invasion barges making for their shores.'' Barnes said.''It sounded like they got some opposition from the Japs on shore but they had the Japs on the run from the start."

The Canberra was on patrol duty from Friday night of Aug. 7 until the naval battle began. She was sunk and her commander, Capt. Frank Edmund Getting was wounded fatally. Barnes said the cruiser was part of a mixed Australian and American force which escorted the invasion transports

Survivors said strong forces of Japanese torpedo bombers of about 50 planes each twice attacked the Allied warship Saturday. From one group of 22 planes 21 were shot down, they said.

A United Nations communique Thursday announced that Allied heavy bombers-- presumably American Flying Fortreses-- bombed Japanese warships in the Solomon Islands Wednesday, but at the same time acknowledged the sinking of the 10,000-ton Australian cruiser Canberra was sunk while temporarily under the command of American Vice Admr. Robert I. Ghormley, who is directing the Allied forces in the Battle of the Solomons.

GENERAL MacARTHUR'S, HEADQUARTERS. Australia. Aug. 20.

Allied bombers struck a new blow in support of United States Marines fighting to dislodge the Japanese from the Solomon Islands by blasting at enemy warships almost 400 miles north of the battle area yesterday, General MacArthur's headquarters announced today.

The communique disclosing the attack also announced the loss of His Majesty's Australian ship Canberra, 10.000-ton cruiser, in the first stages of the Solomon Islands battle while serving with United States naval forces under the command of Vice Admiral Robert Lee Ghormley.

Australian authorities listed casualties aboard the Canberra -- which carried 816 men -- as 84 dead and 109 wounded. Among the fatalities were the commander, Capt. Frank Getting of Sydney, and Lt. Joe W. Vance Jr. of Memphis.

The announcement concerning the aerial assault on Japanese naval units yesterday said merely that Allied heavy bombers had attacked enemy warships near Faisi -- a small island near Bougainville at the northern tip of the Solomons - with unknown results, and that all the raiders had returned safely despite heavy anti-aircraft fire.

Brisbane, capital of Queensland and one of the largest cities on Australia's east coast, had a short air raid alarm early today, but there were no reports of bombs being dropped.

General MacArthur's headquarters in Australia today said that Lt. Joe W. Vance Jr. son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Vance, 1976 Higbee, was one of those gallant Navy men listed as casualties aboard the Australian ship, Canberra, lost in the early stages of the Solomons Islands battle.

Lt. Vance, a liaison officer, was commissioned Feb. 25. 1941. He was employed at the First National Bank until his entry into the Navy.

The 33-year-old Memphian, a graduate of Tech High, attended Southwestern two years and the University of Florida one year. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Lt. Vance received training on the USS Arkansas in a cruise from New York to Panama. He was in the Phillipines just before the war broke out.

His father is associated with Memphis Reality Co, He has a sister, Miss Willa Vance, also of Memphis.