U-Boat Sinks Dutch Vessel Without Justification

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 280, 27 November 1939, Page 8

U-Boat Sinks Dutch Vessel Without Justification

CRUISER BELFAST DAMAGED (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received 23, 12.45 p m.) LONDON, Nov. 24. The steamer Mangalore (9751 tons) was sunk by a mine while anchored off the east coast. All 27 members of her crew were rescued. The explosion occurred in the engineroom, and some members of the crew were thrown overboard. The Admiralty announced this evening that H.M.S. Belfast was damaged by a torpedo or mine in the Firth of Forth in the vicinity of May Island on Tuesday. The casualties numbered 20 wounded. The ship has been taken in hand for repairs. Five survivors of the Dutch steamer Sliedrecht (4647 tons), which was sunk by a submarine, were landed to-day on the north-west coast. They spent 2) days in an open boat before they were picked up by a trawler. The submarine commander examined the ship s papers, and ignored assurances that it was a neutral vessel bound for a neutral port. The crew were ordered into a boat, after which the ship was sunk. The crew totalled 31. There is no news of the remainder. The survivors said thal the ship was stopped in the Atlantic and that the U-boat commander refused to take on the crew and transfer them to another vessel. The Admiralty announces that the minesweeper Aragonite was damaged by a mins close to the coast. Four ratings were seriously injured. Tugs took off all the crew and attempted to rush the minesweeper to the beach, but she sank in shallow water. A British ship has picked up seven of the 11 missing members of the crew of the Arlington Court, which was sunk on November 20. Nine of the survivors have been admitted to hospital. H.M S. Belfast is a cruiser of the same class as the Southampton which was slightly damaged in the first air raid on the Firth of Forth. These cruisers carry 12 six-inch guns, eight 4-inch guns as well as smaller armament. They have a displacement of 9,000 tons and carry a complement of 700. They have a speed of 32 knots. There were seven cruisers of this class in 1936 and the number has since been considerably increased.