SUPREME AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 158, 1 April 1937, Page 11

SUPREME AT SEA

Claim For Loyalists’ Fleet OFFENSIVE RESUMED Bombardment of Several Ports ACTION IN BALEARICS By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Valencia, March 30. After many months of idleness in which it lues been overhauled and reconstructed, the Republican fleet has assumed the offensive. Besides shelling Malaga, Motril and Melilla on March 27, the fleet bombarded the port and military buildings at Iviza, the most westerly of the Balearic Islands, where great damage was observed, while another section shelled the fortifications, the seaplane base and the radio station at Puerto de Seller, in the Balearic Islands.

The Admiralty states: “We now have the supremacy at sea as well as in the air. and the crews are all Spanish, including the officers.” The Government has the battleship Jaime Primero, the cruisers Libertad and Cervantes (each of 9385 tons), and Mendez Nunez (6140 tons), an ( ] 17 destroyers.

A Gibraltar message states that rebel aircraft supporting the cruisers Baleares, Canarias and Almirante Cervera intensely bombarded Castellon and Valencia and blew up barracks, inflicting heavy losses on troops, and destroyed two munition factories. Later they made contact with a portion of the loyalist fleet, which avoided engagement.

PROTEST BY BRITAIN

Ships Stopped by Rebels

(British Official Wireless.) Rugby, March 30. A protest has been addressed by the British naval authorities to the Spanish insurgent naval command regarding three cases of interference with British shipping contrary to international law or to assurances given by General Franco’s naval representative in reply to former British representations. The ships concerned are, first, the Menin Ridge, which a week ago was ordered to heave to and had a shot fired across her bows by a Spanish trawler live miles from Almina Point, while on a voyage from Barry to Oran; second, the Stanholm, which on the same day, when outside territorial waters, was ordered to heave to and later was escorted to Gibraltar by a Spanish warship; and third, the Springwear, which early in March, on representations from insurgent quarters that she was carrying war material, was diverted into Gibraltar and suffered 12 days’ delay while her hold was cleared, with the result that the allegations were proved unfounded. The case of the Stanholm called particularly for protest, because, as a result of charges by the Algeciras authorities that she was intending to load war material at Casablanca,. her loading was supervised by the British Consul, the Inspector of Customs, and a Lloyd’s agent, and it was established that only general cargo was taken on board. The findings of these investigations were communicated to the Algeciras naval authorities, but despite this the Stanholm was brought into Gibraltar, where on further examination her papers and cargo proved to be in order and she suffered a delay or 24 hours in consequence.

The British protest, which requires an explanation to be furnished in the cases of the Menin Ridge and the Stanholm, recalls the scrupulous execution of the agreement respecting the prohibition of the carriage of war material in British ships, and claims that, apart from legal considerations, this leaves no practical grounds to justify the action of the insurgent authorities in the cases cited.

NURSES FROM DOMINIONS

Great Gallantry in Spain

London, March 30.

The commander of the Anglo-Irish battalion, which is fighting on the loyalist front in Spain, informed the Australian Associated Press agency that the Australian nursing unit, after arduous activities in recent battles near Madrid, has moved to attend to casualties on the Guadalajara front. Sister Una Wilson, who was formerly in the Auckland General Hospital and the Sydney Women’s Hospital, treated one of the officers when he was shot through the cheek. All the Australian nurses are unanimously credited with gallanty withstanding trying conditions, including aerial bombardments.

It is stated that two New Zealand anti-Fascist seamen deserted their ship at Marseilles and joined the International Brigade, They were killed together. and the whole English-speaking battalion mourned them as loyal comrades and daring fighters.

VISAS GRANTED CHURCH DELEGATION Paris, March 30. The British Embassy has issued visas for Spain, but not for Spanish Morocco, to every member of the British church delegation, which was refused visas by the Foreign Office, London.