SHIP SCUTTLING UP TO DATE.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 221, 18 September 1917, Page 5

SHIP SCUTTLING UP TO DATE.

£2,000.000 LINER'S PLATES CUT AND PAINTED OVER.

LONDON, July 12. The manner in which the German crews on ships interned in America did their best to render them liable to sink is described by Mr C. W. Brett, managing director of Barimar, Limited, welding, general and motor engineers, in a letter to the Daily Express, protesting against the release, of interned Germans in England:—^ "After the American Governmeiffa took over the German steamers interned in United States ports, its inspectors discovered that the German^ crews had made extensive use of oxy. r acetylene cutters to partially <ju!tthrough the joints and hull-plate, seams. In almost all the ships interned in New York harbor this had been surreptitiously, ' but skilfully done, and the sections cut had been carefully painted over so that alltraces of the work were obliterated. The purpose evidently was so to weaken the hulls and supports as practically to assure the sinking of the steamers when they again put to sea. Fortunately, the damage was discovered, and it is gratifying to know that the scientific welder can thoroughly repair every part injured.. The steamer which sustained the most damage wag the best of the fleet, the Vaterland, valued at £2,000,000*. In publishing our protest against replacing interned Germans in British engineering workshops, we had in mind the possibility, of activities of this kind."

Messrs Barimar add that they recently had occasion to write in regard to an attempt made by the Friends' Emergency Committee to instal a German in our scientific welding works.