SINKING NEUTRAL SHIPS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 2, 27 September 1939, Page 10

SINKING NEUTRAL SHIPS

Swedish Indignation

WIDENING OF U-BOAT CAMPAIGN

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received September 26, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON, September 25. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” states that the Swedish Press and public are indignant at the German sinkings of Swedish vessels. The “Dagens Nyheter” says that assurances of loyal regard for friendly neighbours appear to be void against such a background, and urges that shipments to Britain shall be continued, as interruption might be cited as weakness. The Swedish Government has ordered the suspension of all shipments of pulp, cellulose and timber till the situation is clarified. Ships en route to England have been ordered by wireless to proceed to the nearest neutral port.

Stockholm reports that the Swedish steamer Silesia (1839 tons), en route to England with a cargo of lumber, was torpedoed and sunk off Stavanger. The Swedish steamer Suecia rescued the crew.

The correspondent of “The Times” points out that the sinking of neutral ships indicates that Germany has widened the U-boat campaign in the hope of cutting off all British supplies. Captain’s Protest.

The captain of the Finnish steamer Walma, which was sunk off Smorgon, protested on the ground that cellulose has not been proclaimed contraband. The commander of the U-boat replied : “The British make gunpowder with it,” and proceeded to sink the ship witli dynamite, explaining that torpedoes were too valuable to waste on small vessels.

This, taken in conjunction with the sinking of the Swedish vessel Gertrud Bratt, leads to the belief that Germany is bent on stopping all trade with Britain, despite the assurances that she would respect the rights of neutrals. German comment on the sinking of Swedish and Finnish ships is that if neutrals want, to complain they can do so before the courts at Hamburg. It is added that if the commanders of the U-boats had not sunk the ships they would have been court-ma-rtialled, as cellulose might have killed thousands of Germans. Swedish Reaction. The Bergen correspondent of the ‘‘New York Times” says the sinking of the Swedish ship Gertrud Bratt caused a very strong reaction throughout Sweden. Sweden is expected to retaliate by withdrawing iron ore supplies to Germany, which before the war she promised to continue. The full supplies of 10,000,000 tons a year cannot be exported because the maximum capacity of the harbour of Oxeloesund is 2,000,000 tons and of Luleaa 4,000,000 tons. Narvik, through which 4,000,000 tons can be exported, has been closed by the British blockade. The Swedish maximum exportis thus 6,000,000 tons, which is imperative for German armaments.

THE ROYAL SCEPTRE

Sinking Described As Foul Act Of Piracy

i British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, September 24.

The Ministry of Information confirms the fears expressed on Saturday that all hope must be given up for the officers and crew of the Royal Sceptre, the steamship which was sunk on September 6. She carried a crew of 32, who were cast adrift in their boats without possible hope of reaching land.

After giving the names of those on board, the Ministry states: “The sinking was a foul act of piracy, in direct contravention of the submarine protocol signed by Germany in 1936, which is binding for all time. The protocol made it abundantly clear that no warship, submarine or otherwise, is justified in sinking a merchantman unless the crew are placed in safety.” Twenty-three survivors of the Hazelside, which was sunk by a U-boat, were lauded by a coastal steamer. A member of the crew described how t'.ie captain decided to run for it, and finally ordered the engines to be stopped, which was done by the engineer, who had one arm blown off during the attack. Two British aircraft arrived, and the submarine disappeared. The survivors were four hours in a boat. Tiie dead include the first officer, whose father was drowned when his vessel was torpedoed in the last war.

A Daventry broadcast states that additional details about the sinking of the Hazelside showed that aircraft dropped a metal container by the ship’s lifeboat, telling them where the other survivors were on a raft or wreckage. The U-boat was seen a few minutes later and made a good target for bombs as she tried to submerge hurriedly. She was not seen, though observation was maintained for some time.

A submarine attacked without warning the French collier Phyrne (2660 tons) off the English coast on Septem-, ber 24. Longshoremen heard an explosion and saw a column of smoke. The crew of 24 put off in two boats, from which a lifeboat from the shore rescued them. Two were injured. Two destroyers which raced to the scene departed after the Phrync sank.

The. Royal Sceptre was commanded by Captain .1. W. Gair, whose brother, Mr. C. It. Gair, resides in Wellington and is a member of the staff of the Te Aro branch of the Bank of New Zealand. Captain Gair served bis time in the sailing ship Olivebank, which recently struck a mine with the loss of 14 lives. After completing his apprenticeship he joined the Gujarat, and spent five years in the Durban-Calcutta trade. Subsequently he took up appointments as an officer of various ships and was an oliicer aboard the Tymeric when she was torpedoed in the last war. A few years ago Captain Gair at the age of 35 was appointed to the command of the White Crest, which belongs to Hall Bros. Steam Ship Co., Ltd., Newcastle. He was given the command of the company’s Royal Sceptre when she was commissioned about IS months ago. The Royal Sceptre was a general freighter of 4853 tons and was engaged in a service between the Argentine, the United Kingdom and Continental ports.