ELUSIVE GERMAN RAIDERS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 80, 28 December 1940, Page 11

ELUSIVE GERMAN RAIDERS

Many Recent Victims MERCHANT SHIPPING ATTACKED

Elusive German sea - raiders equipped both for sudden attacks on merchantmen and for mine-laying, have been increasingly active in recent months and the toll taken of British and Allied shipping is steadily mounting. Raiders have been at work in the Indian Ocean, off the West Indies, in the Pacific, in the Tasman, off the Australian coast, in the Atlantic, and in coastal waters off Cape Colony.

The present period of activity began in May this year, when a minefield was located off Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Cape Colony. It was authoritatively stated that a surface raider was believed responsible. Next came the loss of the Niagara (13,451 tons) off the north New Zealand coast, on June 19, and the subsequent discovery of a minefield in the vicinity. Again a surface raider was believed responsible for the minefield which was swept up. A month later came the official announcement of the sinking of two British merchant vessels, the King John and Davisian. in the region of the West Indies, by a raider believed to be a converted mercantman. Both sinkings were believed to have taken place near Cuba. Engagement off Trinidada. A German raider had u' narrow escape at the end of July, when she was engaged by the British armed merchant cruiser, 11.M.5. Alcantara, off the uninhabited island of Trinidada, 700 miles east of the coast of Brazil. The enemy ship was hit and turned away, but a lucky shot slowed up the Alcantara and allowed the enemy to escape. The war was brought near New Zealand again when, on August 20. the steamer Turakina (8706 tons) reported that she was being shelled in rite Tasman Sea by a raider. The Turakina gave her position, and naval and air forces began a search for the raider, but again she escaped and no trace was found of the victim. The German High Command announced a few days later that the Turakina had been sunk in Australian waters, but no information as to the fate of the crew has been obtained. The first ship to disappear in the Indian Ocean was the Norwegian liner Tirranna (7230 tons), bound from Melbourne to Mombasa, in August. A few days later, ou August 29. the tanker British Commander (6901 tons) was sunk by an armed raider iu the same ocean. On September 3 Noumea reported that the French steamer Notou (2459 tons) was long overdue, and believed to be a victim of the raider which sank the Turakina. Shipping experts thought that the raider surprised the Notou after exploiting the French master’s probable uncertainty of the German attitude to the flag of France, which had then capitulated. No trace of the Notou or the raider has been found. The Tropic Sea. It was not till September that the capture of the Norwegian motor-ship Tropic Sea. two days' sail north of Norfolk Island on June 18 was confirmed. A German prize crew from what was reported to be a 12,000-ton raider, and prisoners of war from two other captured steamers were put on board and the Tropic Sea was headed for Bordeaux, but a British submarine, the Truant, intercepted her off Cape Finisterre in September. The Germans blew up the Tropic Sea after the prize crew and the British and Norwegian prisoners had taken to the boats. Among the survivors were men from the British ship Ilaxby, also sunk by the raider; the Haxby’s log now reports that the Germans laid mines off the New Zealand coast. On November 8, the United States freighter City of Rayville (5883 tons) sank off Cape Otway, Victoria, after an explosion, and about the same time a British freighter went down in the same area in similar circumstances. In each ease all but one of the crew was saved.

Bass Strait was closed to shipping, and the Navy and Air Force scoured the sea. No raider was found, but minesweepers swept up several German mines. It was then stated unofficially that some of the sinkings might be the work of a raider known to the Admiralty as the "Narvik.” She was said to have disguised herself by flying the Swedish flag and to carry at least four guns. Tire most recent report before the discovery of the minefield near Melbourne was one from survivors of a British freighter, who. on landing at Venezuela, reported that a German raider had sunk their ship off Trinidad on September 3, and had machinegunned Hie lifeboats. Survivors of the British cargo steamer Anglo-Saxon, which was sunk by a raider 500 miles south-west of the Azores on August 21, also reported having 'been machinegunned in the boats.

Recent surface raids on British, seaborne commerce have included that on a convoy in the North Atlantic on November 5, thought to have been carried out by a German warship. Four ships were lost. On November 25 the cargo liner Port Hobart, wirelessed that she was being shelled in the North Atlantic, 600 miles north-east of Puerto Rico, West Indies. On Novemfber 21. ‘ an Australian cruiser was detailed for action off the coast of Western Australia, where an enemy raider was reported to have appeared. Two days later, the British freighter. Port Brisbane (5739 tons) was sunk in the Indian Ocean. Twentyseven survivors escaped by lifeboat in the darkness and were picked up by an Australian warship and. landed at an Australian port. 'The other passengers, including a woman, were 'believed to have been taken aboard the raider. Fate of the Maiinoa.

About the same time, another British freighter, the Maimoa (8011 tons) wirelessed that she was being attacked. No news of her has been received since the same warship found an empty lifeboat from her, and it is thought that her crew are prteon-ers ,on the raider.

A description of, the raider issued after the Port Brisbane sinking tallied with earlier reports by Hie Admiralty of tlie Narvik. She is described as a motor-ship with light-coloured hull, squat funnel, goal-post masts, equipped with searchlights and armed witli torpedo tubes amt 'broadside believed to be of four-inch guns. Then ou November 28. the same day as the sinkings off the Australian coast, were ynnouneed. Hie Primo Minister. Mr. Fraser announced that -a distress signal had been received the previous day from a British vessel some 400 miles east of the New Zealand coast, indicating- that she was being attacked by an enemy raider. “Searches made since in the vicinity.” Mr. Fraser said, “have been without, result, and the probabilities are that the vessel has been lost and those on board captured." The Prime Minister announced ou November 30 that the Holmwood, formerly the Tees, en route from the

Charham Islands to Lyttelton, was considerably overdue. Later it was announced that the constable stationed at Waitangi (Chatham Islands) had reported that pieces of timber containing shrapnel had been found near Kaingaroa. In the constable's opinion there was little doubt that these pieces of timber originally formed parts of the upper structure near the bridge of the Holmwood. South Atlantic Action. It was reported from London on December 6 that the British- armed merchant cruiser Carnarvon Castle (20,122 tons) was in action the previous day in the South Atlantic with a fast German raider, which was in the guise of a merchant ship. The engagement was fought at long range. There was heavy firing- on bottv sides. The Carnarvon Castle received slight damage. It is not known what damage was done io the raider, which was last seen making off at high speed to the north. The Carnarvon Castle docked at Montevideo 48 hours after the engagement. The raider was pursued by HALS. Enterprise. On December 8 a New York message said: “According to the Mackay Radio, the Norwegian ship Hidlefjord (7639 tons) has reported that a mysterious ship was tiring on it in the Atlantic off the eoast of Ireland at 7.10 p.m. The steamer Empire Jaguar was torpedoed near the Cape Yerde Islands at 6.40 p.m.” On December 12 a message from London said: “The Tokio correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that a German raider is reported to have captured the Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob (5306 tons)

! in the Indian Ocean and brought her to Kobe with a prize crew aboard. Later the vessel sailed for an unknown destination. The whereabouts of tlie Norwegian crew are unknown.” On December 14 the Prime Minister announced that reports received from Nauru Island indicated Hint a British ship was on fire off the island Hie previous Sunday morning. The weather was bad and poor visibility hindered observation. In the afternoon, the ship was seen to be on fire and was apparently being shelled by another vessel and both shortly disappeared. Unfortunately, there appeared to be substantial indications that at least one other vessel—-the only one on New Zealand articles—had been intercepted by a raider. Navy Minister’s Statement. Recent attacks by enemy raiders, said Mr. W. M. Hughes, the Australian Navy Minister, when Hie last attack off the New Zealand coast was reported, indicated that several of them were operating. Tlie Royal Navy was combing the seas to find Hie vessels, and, if possible, their supply ships. “While I am unable to give further I details,” Mr. Hughes said, "relatives and friends of those aboard the ship reported to have been attacked, and now presumed to have been captured, naturally feel somewhat anxious about their fate and what lias happened to them, [ point out that live experience of the last war and of this, for instance with Hie Altmarck, shows up that we must assume that both the ship's complement ami Hie passengers are taken aboard the raider, and though Hi-ey may be exposed to some privations, still there is no reason to" believe that they will not be returned safely to port and eventually be restored to their friends and relatives. “It is evident that there is ;> number of raiders. We have Hie attack on the convoy in Hie Atlantic, our own expei-ienc-e with Hie Port Brisbane and Hie Maiinoa, ami now this ship. This indicates that there is a number of these raiders, but how many we do not know. "Reports from the Admiralty indicate that the whole ocean is being carefully combed to destroy them, and/or Hie supply ships on which their very continuance at sea depends. It will be appreciated that the difficulty of the task to which the Royal Navy is devoting itself at this moment is immense. but Hie ocean is vast, and Hie difficulty of detecting a ship is uot. less i ' than that of finding a needle in a ■ bundle of hay. 11