Savagery of U-Boat Commander

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 7010, 17 July 1918, Page 3

Savagery of U-Boat Commander

Australian and N Z. Cable Assoc. Kec July 15, 11.45 a.m.

London, July 14 Staff-Paymaster Hughes, in a speech in London, said that the plans for attacking Zeebrugge were thought of fix months ago. The expedition started twice previously, but had to return. German submarines to the end of 1916 sank a million British tons, while they sank six millions in 1917, and during those months of sorrow ships were going down like autumn leaves ; that was why the Zaebrugge nest was attacked.

There were three hundred warships in the Navy proper at the outbreak of the war; now there were 3,500. A Clyde shipyard recently launched its forty-second warship in the war period. Paymaster Hughes narrated an example of German brutality. A British patrol boat in the Atlantic discovered a derelict U boat, and rescued the crew. Before blowing up the vessel the palrol commander asked if all weie safo. The submarine commander replied '; Yes," and called the roll, all answering. When he pushed off, preparatory to dropping a depth charge, the commander of the patrol boat heard a tapping, whichcontinued. Despite repeated assurances that all were saved, the British commander did not believe the German, but searched the U-boat, and found four British seamen tied up in one of the compartments.