SWEPT FROM SEAS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 120, 19 April 1940, Page 7

SWEPT FROM SEAS

GERMAN MERCHANT SHIPS NAVY MUCH WEAKER. SIR A. SALTER’S REVIEW. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Britisli Official Wireless.) Received April 19, 11.10 a.m. RUGBY, April 18. Reviewing tlie effects of tlie first seven months of tlie war at' sea on Britain’s mercantile marine, Sir Arthur Salter (Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministery of Shipping), in a speech, said the enemy had tried every known form of attack against, British ships and had been restrained neither by rules of law nor considerations of humanity, nor, with a few exceptions, the traditions of seafaring men. “The German Navy was weak in relation to ours last September. It is now much weaker,” he declared. “The German mercantile marine has been swept trom the oceans and is now sheltering in neutral ports or shut within the Baltic, hut even this has not given it safety. About a tenth has been captured, sunk, or scuttled —three times the proportion of loss .sustained by the British Mercantile Marine, although the latter has been freely sailing all the seas except the Baltic. “In these seven months the enemy has destroyed less than 3 per cent, of our ships, and we have replaced nearly all these by new building, capture, and purchase, so that we now have well over 99 per cent, as much tonnage under our flag as at the outbreak of the war.” Sir Arthur compared the average monthly rate of loss by enemy action during the whole of the last war ol 154.000 tons with the monthly average so far in this war of 88.000 tons. He said the loss in 1914-18 was 75 per cent, higher. Nevertheless, Britain in 1918 was still supporting an Army of more than two millions in France and half a dozen other great expeditions. The civilian population had suffered no intolerable hardship. No military effort was ever impeded and no vital service was ever impaired by a shortage of ships. Despite the much more favourable position to-day. it was still essential to bring home from overseas only essentials. CARGO CAPACITY. In one respect the Allies were worse off—in regard to importing cargo capacity—than last time. Now they had to pay cash for purchases in the United States, which iorccd them to buy more from distant countries and less than they otherwise would from the greatest, industrial country on one of the shortest ocean routes. Sir Arthur warned his audience against assuming that the losses by enemy action would always he as low as they had been during the last four weeks. Danish ships which obeyed German orders would he seized and confiscated. Danish ships coining voluntarily to Allied ports would he treated generously and compensated. As to Norwegian ships, the Allies were co-operating with the Norwegian Government and the owners in enabling these y.essels to sail under our flag upon their proper work He mentioned as an example of the Allied aid tho arrangements being made tc provide valid insurance.^ NAVAL “SUCCESSES.” GROWING GERMAN LISjT. FANTASTIC CLAIMS MADE.

LONDON, April 18. The Official News Agency in Berlin claims that German ’planes bombed and sank a British cruiser off the Norwegian coast and hit two others so heavily that it is doubtful whether they reached a British port. The extent of the German appetite for naval successes is shown in the Tollowing German list of British “losses” in the first six days of the Scandinavian campaign published in a German newspaper: Four battleships, two battle-cruisers, three heavy cruisers, three cruisers, one aircraft carrier, nine destroyers, seven submarines, seven transports and 24 ’planes. A Berlin message says a German warplane sank a British submarine off the Norwegian coast, on Monday. It dropped two bombs, and one exploded two yards from the periscope. The submarine emerged momentarily and then heeled over and sank. The ’plane remained to rescue the survivors, but only oil and wreckage came to the surface. FLYING BOAT “DESTROYED.” A British Official Wireless message says that an announcement by the German wireless of the “destruction” of a Sunderland flying boat and its crew was heard with some amusement by the persons concerned after they returned safely to a Scottish base. What really happened was that the flying-boat had alighted in a Norwegian fiord alongside a British destroyer when the aircraft and vessel were attacked by four Junkers 88 and two Heirikels. Circling at about 5000 ft, the Junkers made level bombing attacks and the Heinkels used diving tactics. The attack on the destroyer was continued for some time, but though 24 bombs were dropped no damage was done. The bombers then concentrated their attention on the flying-boat. While some of them machine-gunned it, another dropped six incendiary bombs round it. All the time the flying-boat zigzagged on the surface of the water. An officer in its upper observation dome watched the release of the bombs and successfully guided the pilot so as to evade them. As the flying-boat dodged about, the crew brought seven machine-guns into action - against the raiders, who withdrew, having caused no more damage than a wound in an officer’s knee and two bullet-holes in the fuselage. Back in Scotland the crew laughed when they' heard the Nazi wireless claim “both the British' cruiser and flying battleship' were sunk by bombs.” Again it is stated in official circles that losses to British units, whether naval or air. are announced to the oublic as soon as the next-of-kin have been informed. There is no truth whatever in the German claims to have sunk any. ship or destroyed any aircraft during the six davs from April 9 to 15 other than those already announced by the Admiralty or the Air Ministry. The Admiralty list of casualties on the submarine Thistle, contains 53 names, five of which were officers.