DETAINED AS A SPY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11833, 14 January 1933, Page 9

DETAINED AS A SPY

NAVAL .DISASTER SEC RET

BFI L DEE <> F sF BA DAPHNES

“II EI.I’KI) TO WIN THE WAR

The 70-year-oM I’nited States steel magnate, Air (Jiarle- -Al. Schwab, who .was described by Lord Fisher as : Hie Alan Who Helped to Win -the War,” recently revealed to the ‘‘.Yew.

(.'hroniele” the story of the man who helped- him to win the war.

Ths story, which was told for the

first time, concerns a young Customs officer who detained Air Schwab on sn» pic-ion when he arrived on the. Irish mail boat at Fleetwood on his; wav to

London to begin negotiations with the British Government which resulted in the building by Air Schwab of 20 ,submarines in the leeord time 'of five mouths.

'flic discretion of the Custom., officer in allowing Air Schwab to land, although he was without passport, was later recognised by Lord Fisher, who wrote a personal letter to the Fleet-wood officer. Air Schwab reached Fleetwood on a Sunday morning fit October. Ud I. after an exciting 'voyage m tlm Olympic. From the deck.- of the Olympic. Air Schwab -aw the destruction by . a mine off the Irish eoa-t of the British 2-' '. I JO I I- 1 o a ,s upei -1) read 11 origin Anda - <-jou«—a naval disaster which was only revealed four years after the armistice lmd Ire,, declared. INVITED TO LONDON. “After I had offered to place the whole of the result tee. of the Bethlehem .steelworks, of which 1 was head, •at the disposal of the British Government at the beginning of the war, 1 was invited by Air Win-ton Churchill and Lord Kitchener to come to England to di-cuss the matter”, said Mr Schwab. "I sailed Lorn the States m the D!ymp>e. then a converted transport, and. when off the north casters! coast of' Ireland, early on October 27, >aw from my port-hole the disaster of the Audacious. ”L saw the explosion of the nine that crippled her; the efforts of the Olympic to tow her to Lough Swißv; the rescue of the crew and the sinking of the vessel. •The Olympic-.proceeded An Lough Swdiy. where l sought an interview w.tli Admiral Jcdiicoe. then in command of the Grand Fleer, in order to explain niy mission o tl d how important it was that I should not be delayed . KEEPING THE SEC PET. "Jn order rliaj news of the disaster to th e Audacious, the prde of ike Grand Fleet. should not leak out. orders were issued that none of the 1 Olympic's passengers would allowed to land. •‘-Admiral Jo’lieoo. however, gave, the tiecessary orders for me to leave the Olympic, and t’.ansierred me to a destroyer, in which .1 travelled to Londonderry. When L told Admiral Jeil.o«x- that my mission was with Lord Kitchener he suggested that I should - also -ee Lord .Fisher. 'V'iiat do you want!-' -J a-ked. "•'■'iibniarinos. and as many as you can make,” .was JeHieoe's letort. "But when 1 attempted to board the Irish mailiioat for Fhtgland 1 was stopped, had no passport ami onlypapers and cables to substantiate my store.

AI y mission wa~ so important that-

1 piat-ed myself on the - generosit v of the captain, and suggested that ,he should place me under arrest during the voyage while lie made a cable inquiry to Lord Kitchener at the War Office.HELD UNDER SUSPICION. “Apparently this was not done, because when 1 reached Fleetwood next morning l was informed h v the captain that I would he detained, under suspicion. " Lwo Hours elapsed, during which the train 1 should have caught had left I:’leer wood before a young Customs officer came to * see me in the cabin. ' "He bad been informed while in bed that a suspected spy'had been detained on the boat and annoyed thathe had been disturbed' so early, he had leisurely finished Iris sleep, shaved, and then came to see me.' ‘T threw myself on his generosity, explaining that it was my mission was of national importance that 1 had left- the Olympic and boarded the Irish mail boat without a passport. “The young man was in a dilemma. Should lie. accept my story and give me permission to land or should he detain me in order that my story could be thoroughly examined ?. “After a short consulation with a junior officer lie made a quick decision. He would lex- me go and I made arrangements for a special train to convey me to Hindoon. It was there thatthe contract for the submarines was signed.

“One of my first dutres on arrival in London was to inform Lord Ff.slier of the young officer’s tactful handling of a very difficult situation, and Lord Fisher wrote personally to the man expressing his thanks.- I also .wrote’to the man to point- out the importantpart he had played in ‘ helping- his country.”- ' .

Many people have - wondered 'wild tho man was who. took the 'only photograph of the sinking of tlnr Atrdacious. The photographer,' Air. Schwab revealed, wa s his own val#t A