CITY OF FLINT

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1939, Page 7

CITY OF FLINT

CAPTURED BY DEUTSCHLAND EYE-WITNESS TELLS STORY [BY CABLE —PRkSS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT-] LONDON, October 27. The “Daily Mail” publishes a world copyright story of the capture of the City of Flint by the German pocket battleship Deutschland. The story was given by an eye-witness, Mr. James G. McCannochie, of Glasgow, radio operator on board the vessel, who escaped from his captors and arrived at Bergen, Norway. He said: “Six days out from New York we fell in with the Deutschland. At first we thought she was a British warship. Then we saw the German flag and all her guns trained on us. She signalled up ‘Stop’ and ordered us to shut down our radio. A number of German officers and sailors, armed with revolvers and hand-grenades, came on board and discovered we carried large quantities of oil.

“The crew’ were lined up and told that a prize crew w r as coming on board to take us to Germany. The officers said the Deutschland had already sunk the Stonegate and intended to put 36 of her crew on board us. Thereupon the Deutschland departed, leaving the prize crew in command. “The City .of Flint’s funnels were repainted and the ship’s name and the United States flag were painted out and a false name substitutted. We arrived at Tromso at. 5 p.m. on Oct. 20. Customs officers came on board and discovered her true nationality. The Norwegians would not permit us to depart until the American flag had been repainted. Norwegian destroyers stood by. “The Germans landed the Stonegate's crew’. The Stonegate’s men said their officers had forced them to sign a declaration that they would not fight before going on board the City of Flint.”

LACK. OF INFORMATION. (Received October 28, 9.45 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 27. Mr. Roosevelt, at a Press conference, said he lacked sufficient new information to comment on the City of Flint. He added that Murmansk was a long way from Moscow, and details were hard to get. “VERITABLE MYSTERY SHIP.” (Recd. October 28, 12.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, October 27. Mr Cordell Hull, at a Press Conference, with a note of bitterness in his voice, said he had been completely baffled in his efforts to get adequate information from the Russian Government regarding the City of Flint, which to the State Department had become a vertiable mystery ship. Apparently, he was also piqued that the Soviet should release news of the vessel through the ’Pass Agency hours before similarly informing the United States Government. Mr Hull intimated that the German Prize Court, at which the United States will be represented, is apparently the only place where the United States can expect to obtain all the facts.

BOUND FOR HAMBURG. LONDON, October 37. It is reported from Berlin that the City of Flint is going to Hamburg.