U-Boats Sink More Vessels

Northern Advocate, 14 February 1940, Page 5

U-Boats Sink More Vessels

(Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, February 13. A U-boat shelled and sank the British trawler Togimo <290 tons). One of the crew was killed, and the 11 survivors were adrift for 28 hours in an open boat before a Spanish steamer picked them up and took them to a port in Eire. All suffered from exposure, three being seriously affected. The U-boat gave no warning before shelling. A British warship rescued 10 survivors of the Swedish steamer Orania U 854 tons), which was torpedoed in the North Sea on Sunday night. Sank In Three Minutes. Site sank in three minutes, the crew of 24 barely having time to scramble into their lifeboats. Cne boat with the captain, his wife and 12 men aboard disappeared after half an hour and is still missing. The Norwegian steamer Snestad (4114 tons), bound for America in ballast. was sunk by a mine pr torpedo, says a cable from Oslo. The crew was saved. Estonian Ship Lost. A report from Kopervik, Norway, says the Swedish steamer Birgitta has landed the crew of 14 men and one woman of the Estonian steamer Linda, which was mined or torpedoed when bound to Gothenburg from England. The assistant engineer was killed and the captain was seriously injured. Others were slightly injured. A report from Amsterdam says that Holland is seething with indignation over the torpedoing of the steamer Burgerdijk. The owners have asked the Government to protest to Germany. Breach of International Law. The vessel was laden with Canadian wheat and flour for Holland. Ninety per cent of the cargo was destined for the Government. The torpedoeing, therefore, is regarded as a more definite breach of international law than the two previous tornedoeings of Dutch ships. In Berlin it is authoritatively stated that the U-boat was within its legal rights in sinking that . steamer, ’ because the Dutch vessel was proceeding to a British contraband control base. Refused to Examine i’apers. The Holland-Amerika Company, according to a cable from Amsterdam, stales that the captain of the U-boat which torpedoed the Burgerdijk asserted that the cargo was destined for Britain, and refused to examine the ship’s papers. The Swedish steamer Dalaro (3927 tons) was sunk in the Atlantic. It i's not known whether she was mined or torpedoed. A Belgian ship picked up the crew, but the captain died shortly afterwards.