NEUTRALS IN CONVOY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 53, 31 January 1940, Page 9

NEUTRALS IN CONVOY

SHIPPING PROTECTED. WHAT FIGURES SHOW. GERMANS BOTTLED UP. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received January 81, 10.10 a.m. RUGBY, Jan. 30. During the week ended at midnight, January 28, 10 merchant ships have been lost by enemy action. These comprised one British, two French, and 13 neutrals. A survey of the working of the convoy system up to January 24 shows that 7388 British, Allied and neutral ships have been escorted in British convoys.

Of these 15 have been lost under convoy, being 2 per cent, of the total, contrasting with the German Admiral Docilities statement that neutral ships convoyed by the British would lose the “special considerations which U-boat commanders show towards neutral shipping.” It is noteworthy that only one of the convoyed ships lost was neutral. "While these great Allied and neutral merchant fleets arc at sea 29 per cent, of the whole German Mercantile Navy still seeks shelter in neutral ports. Of the 350 German vessels which- were in neutral harbours at the outbreak of the war 21, totalling 89,000 tons, have been captured by the Allies, and 21, comprising 139.236 tons, have been scuttled to avoid capture. "WEEK’S SINKINGS. The British ship which was sunk last week was the BaiCinglia (1523 tons). Two French losses during the week were the Tourny (2769 tons) and the Alsacien (3819 tons). Thirteen neutral losses included throe sunk in the previous week, but only since notified, namely, the Swedish Foxen (1304 tons), the Swedish Patia (1185 tons) and the Danish tanker Danmark (10,517 tons). Other neutral sinkings were the Gothia (Swedish, 16-10 tons), Songa (Norwegian, 2559 tons). Onto (Finnish. 1333 tons), Sydl’old (Norwegian, 2434 tons), Pluto (Norwegian, 1598 tons), Biarritz (Norwegian, 1752 tons), Evercne (Latvian, 4434 tons), Gudveig (Norwegian, 1300 tons), Hosanger (Norwegian, 1591 tons), England (Danish. 2319 Ions). A sea wall on the east coast of England was breached by a mine early this morning, states a Press Association report. 'l'he explosion shattered windows over a wide area and awoke townspeople. It is feared the steamer Eston has been lost in the North Sea.' Eighteen members of the crew ai-e missing. A ’plane machine-gunned the Grimsby trawler Itigoletto in the North Sea, killing the skipper and mate. A message from Copenhagen states tin steamer Eredensborg iias boon mined off the Scottish coast and 20 of the crew have been lost.

The lightship abandoned on Monday was the East Dudgeon. Eight members of the crew endeavouruu to reach shore in a boat but it capsized in the surf, seven being drowned.

'The sole survivor, Joint Saunders, said a huge Heinkel machine-gunned the decks and dropped nine bombs the last of which hit tlie lightship. The crow rowed lor 17 hours when only two were able to hold on the oars. Saunders took the skipper on his hack when the boat capsized and tried to reach shore hut a wave swept the skipper off. Saunders struggled up the beach, entered a house without waking the occupants, wrapped himself in blankets and slept until morning when he found lie was still numbed and cold.

When tlie gutted Latvian steamer Tautmila, which was hit by ten bombs yesterday, drifted ashore on the east coast local residents were astounded to see a young seaman leaped into the shallows and wade ashore clad in pyjamas and his head wrapped in towels. lie said: “The explosion knocked me unconscious. I found myself alone in a drifting inferno when 1 opened my eyes. I then could only wait until the vessel came ashore or sank.” IMPERTINENT WARNING. An earlier report stated: A further Gorman attempt to frighten neutral countries into ceasing their trade with Britain is not likely to prove successful in view of the well-known facts. Rear-Admiralty Doenitz, in an interview with the Boersen Zeitung. warned neutral ships against seeking the safety of the British convoys since by sailing in convoys of British warships they would “lose the special consideration which the German L-b rat commanders otherwise show to neutral shipping.” Apart from the, dubious value of ibis “special consideration” in view of the recent German actions on neutral shipping, only one neutral ship has been sunk in a convoy while 113 have been sunk when unescorted. NAUSEOUS GAS REPORT. A message from Oslo says that Mr Alfred Paste, second mate of the British steamer Biarritz, which was mined and sunk with a number of fatalities last week, suggests the existence of a new species of mine bv a statement that nauseous gas after the explosion clung to the crew’s clothing and made the crew of the rescuing Norwegian steamer Borgholm vomit, enervating them and causing semi-incapability. British and French shippers have chartered fifty small Norwegian ships mostly for carrying British coal to France.