SINKINGS BY U-BOATS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1940, Page 10

SINKINGS BY U-BOATS

GERMAN EXAGGERATIONS CRUISER AND CONVOY [by cable.—press assn.— copyright I .] LONDON, December 3. A German communique claimed that U-boats attacked a convoy on its way to Britain yesterday, and sank an 'escorting auxiliary cruiser, the* donia, and 15 merchantmen, totalling more than 110,000 tons. .Another U-boat sank two freighters, including the Victor Ross, a tanker ol ’ tons, making a total of 160,000 tons sunk yesterday. . , After the British Admiralty had pointed out that H.M.S. Scotsoun formerly the liner Caledonia, was admitted sunk on June 14, the Official German News Agency issued an urgent correction to the communique substituting another auxiliary cruiser for the Caledonia. The Agency also stateu that the appearance of German surface naval units in the Indian and 1 acific Oceans was forcing Britain to take new security measures. The Berlin correspondent of tne British United Press reports that a neutral source estimates that at least 100 U-boats are operating. COMPARATIVE LOSSES. RUGBY, December 3. Regarding the shipping losses, the total of 87,975 tons is very serious, but it should be carefully compared with German claims to have sunk during the same week 118,020 tons. Conditions are so different in many respects—some tending to make anything like the size of the tonnage look more serious, and others tending to make it less serious—that the value of such comparisons is not so great as appears on their face. Nevertheless, they are interesting. The total figuie of all sinkings by the enemy in April, 1917, amounted to 881,000. During the four weeks ending November 23 last the British tonnage sunk amounted to 268,256, and the total British and Allied and neutral tonnage sunk was 323,157. PLANE SINKS U-BOAT LONDON, December 4. A Royal Air Force communique reports that a German U-boat was sunk in the-North Sea by a Canadian pilot of the Coastal Command. From the direction in which the U-boat was travelling it is assumed that it was re- " turning to its base. The submarine was on the surface, and it opened fire on the aeroplane when it attacked from a low level. T.ie U-boat was hit, and though the. aeroplane had an elevator shot off. one petrol tank empty, and the other leaking, it reached home safely.

ITALIAN CLAIM LONDON, December 4. An Italian communique states an Italian submarine sank the British merchant ship- Lilian Moller (48bb tons) in the Atlantic on November 18; JUGOSLAV CREW. LONDON, December 4. All the crew are safe from the Cetvrti, sunk by a bomb, off Ireland. RESCUE BY SUBMARINE. (Recd. December 5, 11.20 a.m.) MONTREAL, December 4. ’• Captain C. Arundell has arrived at an East Canadian port, to take over the command of a freighter. He described his rescue by a British submarine from a Nazi prison ship, oh the French coast. Captain Arundell commanded the freighter Haxby, which was sunk by an armed cruiser, last April. The survivors were transferred to a Norweigan frighter under Nazi control, off the New Zealand coast. They were en route to internment when the submarine intercepted the prison ship, and rescued the prisoners. SHIPS FROM U.S.A. WASHINGTON, December 3. The United States will shortly release thousands of tons of merchant shipping to Britain. She plans to release every sea-going t( n the countij can spare. Mr. Roosevelt is taking a personal hand and he discussed the question at length with responsible officials before his departure for the Carribean. . . . The Maritime Commission has approved the sale of four additional vessels to Britain. The Commission plans to offer for sale within a few days, lb of the ships at present laid up. Every consideration will be given to offers from Britain. Sixty-three vessels of the fleet in commission in the last war are still in service. . ~ A high administration official said. “We are making every effort to„see that the British get more tonnage.

AUSTRALIAN DEMAND. (Recd. Dec. 5, 2.5 p.m.). CANBERRA, December 5. Australian warships should be brought back to home waters to convoy ships carrying Australian produce to Britain, said Senator Keane, in the Senate. Eighty thousand tons of shipping had already been lost, and it that rate of destruction continued, Australia’s business of feeding the people of England would stop. SYDNEY HEADS CANBERRA, December 4. The Minister of the Navy, Mr. Hughes, stated in Canberra to-night that as a safetj' measure, the Naval Board had deemed it necessary to have a check up of the channel at Sydney Heads. This had involved sailings being prohibited. Mr. Hughes said that this was a temporary measure, and that normal traffic was now proceeding.