BOLD VENTURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23068, 20 June 1938, Page 11

BOLD VENTURE

SPANISH SUBMARINE MAY RUN BLOCKADE SAILS FEOM FEANCE SENSATION RECALLED INCIDENT AT BKEST By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received June 19, 5.5 p.m.) SAINT NAZAIRE (FRANCE). June 18 The Spanish submarine C2, which was involved in the sensational affair at Brest last September, has sailed for an undisclosed destination. It is believed she is aiming to rejoin the Government fleet, and will be forced to run the insurgent blockade in the Strait of Gibraltar. An attempt by Spanish Nationalists at Brest on September 19 last to seize the Valencia. Government's submarine C2, lying in that port, was frustrated. A party of men approached the submarine in a boat and asked to see the commander. They stated that they were the commander and crew of another Spanish submarine, the C 4, had gone over to the Nationalist side. They proposed to the commander of the C2 that he should follow their example, promising him a reward of 2,000,000 pesetas (about £30,000). On the latter rejecting the proposal the visitors produced firearms and tied up the commander and ten men in the conning-tower. Then they ordered the chief engineer to start the motors. This, however, was impossible, the accumulators not having been charged since August 30, when the submarine arrived at Brest. The visitors, therefore, withdrew, taking the commander and engineer with them as hostages. As they reached the deck of the submarine, however, a member of the imprisoned crew who had been tied up, managed to break free, and, after shooting one of the assailants, ho gave the alarm, as the result of which some of the intruders were arrested by harbour police. Others, however, escaped by car and were eventually arrested near the Spanish frontier. Later it was discovered that one of the participants in the attempt was Colonel Troncoso, commanding officer of the Nationalist troops in the Irun region, and head of the Nationalist intelligence service in that district. Troncoso crossed the frontier and asked the French authorities at Hondaye to release his chauffeur, who was one of those arrested, and himself assumed personal responsibility for the incident. He was promptly arrested, whereupon the Nationalists closed the frontier to all persons of French nationality. Eventually Troncoso was sentenced to six months in gaol for being in possession of firearms, and was released last April. The charge of attempting to seize the submarine, however, was dropped by the French Court, which held that the incident had occurred in Spanish territory and therefore was not within the jurisdiction of French justice.