CITY OF FLINT

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 November 1939, Page 8

CITY OF FLINT

RADIO OPERATOR’S STORY

(BY CABLE —PBESB ASSN. —COPYEIGHT.]

WASHINGTON, November 2. A description of the capture ot the City of Flint by the German pocket battleship, Deutschland, on October 9. was given by the radio operator, Mr J. S. McConochie, who managed to get ashore at Tromso, Norway. Bound for Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow, the City of Flint was proceeding on its course at about 10 knots when the Deutschland came up very quickly, said Mr. McConochie. The crew at first had no idea that, it was not an Allied or a United States warship, but all guns were trained on the City of Flint, which was ordered to stop and not to use its radio. The Deutschland then hoisted the German flag. A party was sent on board. “We naturally thought that we would be sent back to the States,” said Mr. McConochie. The chief officer said, however, that he was very sorry, but that the vessel would have to proceed to Germany. • There were 18 men in the prize crew. They brought with them a machine-gun, hand grenades, and they were also armed with revolvers. “They warnetl us that if there was any trouble they would throw the hand-grenades among us; in fact they threw one into the sea to show us what sort of an explosion it would make.” „ .. The details of the capture of the vessel took about an hour and a-hal . Most of the boarding party consisted of young men. The senior officer spoke very fluent English. “We weie told that the Deutschland was overcrowded, as she had several crews of sunken vessels aboard.” Mr. McConochie said he understood from conversation with the German ■ sailors that the Deutschland had come from Spanish waters, where she had been stationed before the outbreak of the war. One of the first questions asked by the Germans was whether the City of Flint had a radio direction finder, but during the whole trip to Norway it was not used. There were 41 on board the City of Flint. In addition to the 18 members of the prize crew, a further 59 from the British ship Stonegate, which had been sunk by the Deutschland, were brought aboard.

Mr. McConochie then described the taking of the vessel to Norwegian waters. The only incident of note was in picking up a Norwegian pilot in Norwegian waters, who was so astounded when he found a German prize crew aboard that he nearly fell into the sea. At Tromso the United States and German Consuls came on board the vessel. The Deutschland did not accompany the City of Flint, but made off in another direction, said Mr. McConochie, made no reference to how he got ashore at Tromso. LEGAL ASPECT STUDIED WASHINGTON, November 2.

The Attorney-General (Mr. Murphy) said the Justice Department was studying the legal aspect of the seizure of the City of Flint, to enable a -vigorous presentation of American rights to be made if necessary. The City, of Flint is still off the coast of Norway, and to-night it should be about 200 miles from the southernmost tip of Norway. The German Government is still withholding information about the American crew on board.

BRITISH WARSHIPS WATCHING

BERGEN Nov 3

The City of Flint passed outside the Bergen naval district at 9. 30. a.m. Several British warships were observed offshore, watching the City of Flint’s progress.

SAFETY OF CREW.

WASHINGTON, November 3.

The German Government has notified the United States naval 'authorities that they have given instructions to assure the safety of the City of Flint crew.

AMERICAN SEAMAN ILL.

LONDON, November 3. Three Norwegian warships are following the City of Flint.

An American seaman is ill. He may be landed at a port 50 miles south of Bergen.