U.S. COASTGUARDS BOARD AXIS VESSELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 76, 31 March 1941, Page 7

U.S. COASTGUARDS BOARD AXIS VESSELS.

CREWS IN CUSTODY. Action Follows Sabotage On Ships. L'nitod Press Association.- Copyright. (Reed. 11 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Mar. 30. On Sunday the Coastguard announced that Mr. Henry Morgenthau, United States Secretary of the Treasury, had ordered coastguardsmen to board all Italian ships tied up in United States territorial waters to prevent further damage to the vessels at the hands of Italian seamen. He stressed the fact that the action did not constitute confiscation but was a preventive measure to halt what he described as a widespread campaign for the destruction of Italian ships tied up in United States ports since the outbreak of the European war. Twenty-seven ships in 14 ports arc involved.

A coastguard official in Washington said Italian crews had been smashing machinery and starting lircs under dry boilers in an effort to render the ships useless, many of which were near sinking point. A message from Balboa. Panama Canal zone, says four lorry loads of American soldiers and sailors boarded the Italian ship Conte Biancamano while a United States destroyer stood l>\ alongside. Ship In Canal Zone Seized. The Conte Biancamona's crew were taken ashore and will probably be placed in a concentration camp in the Canal zone, The ship's officers conferred with American Army and Navy officials on the bridge, after which the Canal Zone authorities issued a statement: "On instructions from Washington, the Conte Biancainoiia has been taken over by military and naval guards."'

A later message says the crew has returned to the ship apparently after a search and is now under a heavy guard.

The police state that sabotage was discovered aboard rive Italian ships which the. coastguard boarded at Newark, New Jersey, early to-day. The engines of all five were severely damaged, apparently by acc.tylene torches, and combustible materials strategically located to enable the shijis to be set on tire at a moment's notice.

A dispatch from Portland, Oregon, says 55 coastguards armed wijth sub-machine-guns boarded the Italian motor ship Leme. They found the engines, generators and gears smashed by sledge hammers. The engine room was turned into a shambles, and wiring was cut on the bridge.

The crews of five Italian ships in Xew York have been sent to Ellis Island. The Treasury's instructions were issued after receiving reports that Italian crews in Baltimore and Wilmington were destroying machinery as part of a general movement to sabotage all Italian ships in the United States. Except for the Conte Biancamano (24,416 tons) all ships are in the 5000ton class. It is pointed out that there are 56 Italian, 50 neutral and 40 German ships tied up in South American ports. German Freighters Guarded. Coastguards at Boston were ordered to place guards aboard two German freighters there. It was stated that this does not constitute seizure. There are only three (German ships in American waters. The Treasury's seizure order was issued under the Merchant Ship Control Act, which is designed to protect American ports. Italian crews will be removed and temporarily placed in custody by the coastguard, after which their fates are uncertain. Some may be charged with sabotage, upon which they would face a trial in the Federal Courts, on the theory that sabotage on one ship in port endangers the whole port. There are 26 Italian freighters in United States continental ports, one at Puerto Rico and one in the Canal Zone. /