AN INHUMAN DEED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 23, 22 October 1917, Page 5

AN INHUMAN DEED

GERMAN NAVY ADDS TO ITS LIST OF CRIMES ARMED RAIDERS ATTACK A CONVOY CREWS AND PASSENGERS LEFT TO . DROWN TWO BRITISH DESTROYERS SUNK (liee. October 21, 11.5 p.m.) London. October 20. The Admiralty reports: "Two fast, heavily-armed German raiders attacked on Wednesday a convoy in the North Sea, between tho Shetland Islands and the Norwegian coast. Two British destroyers, the Maryrose and the Strongbow, who formed the escort, engaged the raiders, and fought until sunk alter an unequal engagement. Their gallant action delayed the raiders, enabling three of the merchant vessels to escape. Five Norwegian, one Danish, and three Swedish vessels, all unarmed, were sunk without examination or warning, ond regardlesH af the lives of the crews and passengers. Lengthy comment on. tho action of tho Germans is unnecessary, it only adds another example to a long list of criminally inhuman deeds of the German Navy." The Admiralty adds: "The German vessels wero anxious to escape before British forces could intercept them, and made no effort to rescue tho crews of the British destroyers. They also left the doomed merchant ships, leaving British patrol vessels to rescue thirty Norwegians and others, of whom details are as yet unknown. The German Navy by this act has once more and further ('esrraded itself by its disregard of the historic chivalry of the sea."

An enemy official message states that tho attack was made within territorial waters in the neighbourhood of the Shetland Islands, and that all the escort vessels, including the destroyers, were sunk, excepting one of the escorts and a fishing eteamor. The Admiralty declares that the) German statement of tho locality of the attack and the destruction, of the escort vessels is untrue. Enemy raiders succeeded in evading tho British watching squadrons during the loner, dark nights, both in a hurried outward dash and the homeward flight. It is regretted that 88 officers and men of the Maryrose and 47 officers and men of the Strongbow were lost.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

TEN SURVIVORS LAND AT BERGEN. (Rec, October 21, 11.15 p.m.) Bergen, October SO. Ten men, including two officers of the Maryrose, have been landed here. They were rescued by a- lifeboat of a. Norwegian steamer from two buoys to which they had clung.—Reuter.