SCUTTLERS’ TOLL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20568, 30 May 1941, Page 9

SCUTTLERS’ TOLL

MANY AXIS SHIPS OVER 2,300,000 TONS TOTAL 461 VESSELS OTHER CRAFT CAPTURED (British Official Wireless.l Reed. 3 p.m. RUGBY, May 28. Nearly 3,000,000 tons of enemy merchant shipping had been disposed of between the beginning of the war and the middle of May, it was stated authoritatively in London to-day. The figures are: German ships captured or seized, 61, totalling 274,000 tons; sunk or scuttled, 285 ships, totalling 1,499,000 tons. Italian ships captured or seized, 39, totalling 183,000 tons; sunk or scuttled, 176, totalling 899,000 tons. Germany therefore has lost 346 ships, totalling 1,773,000 tons, and Italy 215 ships, totalling 1,082,000 tons. In addition 38 ships of other countries, in the Axis service, totalling 67,000 tons, have been disposed of.

Bomber and Coastal Command aircraft alorte sank, or certainly hit, between March 13 and May 14, 61 ships off enemy-occupied coasts—a great deal of this shipping being coastal traffic. The latter figure proves the telling evidence of the enemy efforts to use coastal traffic to the maximum to solve transport problems wherever possible.

That the enemy is still trying to circumvent the British blockade by sea is shown by the fact that in a redent week, April 23 to April 30, 14 German and 19 Italian ships were accounted for,, mostly sunk. In addition evidence has reached this country of extreme unwillingness of Norwegian crews to sail and of intense efforts to recruit Scandinavan crews for the German service.