IN NEUTRAL WATERS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXI, Issue 16, 27 February 1940, Page 5

IN NEUTRAL WATERS

STRANDED BRITISH SUBMARINE

GERMANS SHELL BOAT AND CREW

EPISODE OF LAST WAR

"On of the most swinish and most dastardly actions in all history" is typical of the storm of German abuse that is being poured out against the British Navy for entering Norwegian territorial waters to rescue British seamen on board the Altmarck. Britain is be-" ing represented as the piratical breaker of international law. The world knows the justice of Britain's action, and need not fear the verdict of history.

Here, in contrast, is the story of ah episode of the last war, related by Lieutenant William Guy Carr in "By GueSs and by God." "Feeling her way through the narrow channels that divide Norway ahd the coast of Denmark, the British submarine E-13 ran aground off Scltholm on the south shore. Owing to the state of the tide she could not be floated, and stayed high and dry oh a sand bar separated from the mainland by a channel some 400 yards wide.

Stranded on Danish Territory

"She was ashore oh Danish territory. She was helpless to do any harm, even had the crew wanted to. According to all the rules of civilised warfare, she was out of the game. According to international law she had to be interned, together with her crew, until the end of hostilities if she failed to float herself in 24 hours.

"All night the crew worked trying to get her off. When dawn came they were sitting around, silent and morose, disgusted at their luck. Lieutenant-Commander G. Layton, E-13's captain, found it hard to speak to the men who had served with him so faithfully, and whom fate had rendered inactive till the end of the war.

"At 5 a.m. a Danish destroyer arrived. Her officers were very polite. They were profuse in their regrets that E-13 should have been so unfortunate. They hoped that the British sailors would be more fortunate in their efforts at the next high tide. But if they were not, the Danes pointed out, the Danish commander would be forced to ask for their, surrender and internment as soon as the 24 hours allowed by

international law had expired. The Danish boat stationed an armed guard to watch proceedings.

German Destroyer's Crime

The first lieutenant of E-13 went 'over to the guard Ship to discuss

the situation with the senior officer. Almost immediately a German destroyer came on the scene. She stood by and watched. The next visitors were two Danish torpedo boats, and at 9 a.m. a third one arrived. From the exposed decks of their boat the crew of the E-13 sourly watched the marine conference gather.

"On the heels of the last Dane, two German destroyers were seen coming up from the south. The leading German steamed to within 1000 yards of the stranded Eboat and hoisted some commercial flag signal. Before there was time to decode the signal, the destroyer let loose a torpedo. It struck the bottom below E-13 and N fortunately did no damage. "Completely ignoring the Danish ships, the German then closed to 300 yards and opened a heavy fire, using all guns that could be brought to bear on the target. In a moment E-13 was in flames, both fore and aft. Wounded men lay writhing in agony on steel decks rapidly heating from the conflagration * that raged inside. Swimming Men Fired On "His. face livid with anger, Lieu-tenant-Commander Lay-ton issued his last order from the decks of E--13. 'To the water, men . . swim for it .. . head for the shore or the Danish ship . . . get away from those damned swine.' "And as the men who were unwounded did as they were ordered, th enemy changed the type of shells being used to destroy the submarine and used instead shrapnel and machine-gun fire on the men swimming for their lives.

"The Danes proved themselves men of big hearts and great courage. The insignificant little torpedo boats steamed boldly between the maniacal destroyer and her helpless victims. The challenge of the Danes was not accepted. Fire ceased and th German ships withdrew. The Danish crews did everything in their power for our men, but of the 31 officers and men who made up the E-13's complement 15 were either killed or wounded." This murderous invasion of neutral territorial waters took place in 1915. Twenty-five years later Germany bellows because a British destroyer boarded her prison-ship to rescue men who, through being taken into neutral territorial waters, became free men. And not a shot would have been fired had the Germans not done so. Indeed, officers of the destroyer jumped into the sea to save Germans who had gone overboard.