German Mines and U-Boats Sink Several More Ships

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 279, 25 November 1939, Page 7

German Mines and U-Boats Sink Several More Ships

(Received 24, 12.45 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 23. The steamer Geraldus. formerly the Candlestone Castle, was sunk off the east coast. The crew are safe. The trawler Sulby <287 tons) was sunk by a U-boat off the Scottish coast. Five members of the crew, including the skipper, are missing. The Sulby was a member of a trawling fleet off the Scottish coast on November 21. When a submarine came to the surface the fishermen hauled in their nets and made off at lull speed, but the submarine sank the Sulby, the Sea Sweeper and the Delphine. of whom all the crews except five from the Sulby were saved. The submarine pursued the fleet firing shells, but none wes hit. The Lowland was sunk in the North Sea. Nine men are missing. Six of the crew who were rescued included the captain, who died from injuries. The Daily Telegraph’s Copenhagen correspondent says that the Dutch motor-vessel Tegri, of 600 tons, which left Sweden on October 1 loaded with dynamite, has not been heard of since. She carried a crew of nine. The French trawler St. Claire struck a mine in the English Channel, and 11 oi her crew of 12 were lost. The steamer Darino (1349 tons) was *unk by a U-boat on November 19. Sixteen members of the crew are missing. Eleven spent three days aboard a U-boat before being transferred to an Italian ship. The Greek steamer Elena R, loaded with grain for Antwerp, was sunk off the south coast, it is believed by a mine A lifeboat summoned by rocket? rescued 24 members of her crew, including a woman. Violent explosions offshore on Tuesday night attracted hundreds of people to a spot on the east coast of England, from which they saw the stricken destroyer Gipsy sinking. Huge volumes of smoke hung over the scene, and when they cleared away searchlights from the land and from naval vessels revealed that the sea was dotted with swimmers and floating wreckage. Small boats quickly picked up the survivors. Over one hundred were landed during the night. One vessel anchored close to the scene picked up 30 survivors, who came singing into port wearing all kinds of clothing from dressing gowms to bathing suits. A survivor declared that the destroyer was struck amidships. When she was beached in shallow water she appeared to be broken in half. A portion was visible above the water at dawn. Prior to the mishap the Gipsy had , A Paris journal says that Catholic, organisations and parishes in Germany have been ordered to cut down expenditure, to use only one candle at Low Mass, and to pay the Government 10 per cent, of all collections. It was earlier demanding the surrender of half churches’ precious metal ornaments ai ft war contribution.

picked up three Germans from a collapsible boat and had also rescued thi crew of a ship sunk in the North Sea 4 few days ago. Germany is detaining Finnish steam: ers, mostly timber-laden, all of whicl were bound for the United States, Holland and Belgium. The German News Agency yesterday quoted a report by a Yugoslav news paper Vreme, that the Yugoslav news Shipping Co. had ordered its ships n<| to call at British ports. This is falsi Vreme merely stated that it had lear;l that such a step was being conteir.]

plated. The company states that foundation whatever for this allegation exists. The German broadcaster from thq Deutschlandsender radio station announced to-day that the Finnish steamer Fame Kjode had been sunH near Denmark by a floating British mine. The truth is quite otherwise. According to a number of naval books, the Fame Kjode was a Norwegian tanker, she was not sunk by a mine but torpedoed by a German U-boat, she was sunk, not off Denmark, but north-west of the Orkne; s, and the survivors and crew were 1: nded at the Orkneys and on the wes**. coast of Scotland. Questioned in the House of Commons about the lying talcs of the sinking of the Athenia being circulated by Nazi agents in letters posted in neutral countries, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, Mr. G. H. Shakespeare, said that these stories were so obviously false that he thought the truth could safely be left to find its own acceptance.