ATLANTIC RAIDER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23930, 4 October 1939, Page 7

ATLANTIC RAIDER

POCKET BATTLESHIP STEAMER CLEMENT SUNK OFF THE BRAZILIAN COAST (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) NEW YORK, Oct. 2. The Bahia correspondent •of the United Press states that advices received in Bahia assert that a German pocket battleship sank the Booth liner Clement, of 5051 tons. The Rio de Janierp correspondent of the Associated Press says unconfirmed reports from Maceio (Brazil) state that 11 members of; the crew of .the Clement landed there in a lifeboat, one with a bullet wound. The crew are renorted to have said that the captain and,the chief engineer were taken aboard the German raider., At least 12 members of the crew were rescued by the Brazilian steamer Itatinga, which is due at Sao (Salvador) to-morrow. The attack occurred off the Brazilian town of Pedras, a short distance north-east of Maceio. - The captain of the Swedish liner Argentina reports that he saw a German cruiser headed towards Africa when he was near Recife (Pernambuco). Shortly afterwards he saw a British freighter sinking, then a German submarine passed. FINNISH VESSEL SINKS STRUCK A GERMAN MINE COPENHAGEN, Oct. 2. The Finnish schooner Baltic, bound for Scandinavia with a cargo of flint, struck a German mine off Zeeland and sank. The crew of eight men and two women are believed to have been rescued. TORPEDOING OF THr VANDIA SURVIVORS' ACCOUNTS COPENHAGEN,' Oct. 2. The owner of the Vandia (which was torpedoed.last Saturday) issued a statement declaring that the, captain responded to the submarine's flag signals, but nevertheless a torpedo was fired. The. captain is of opinion that 11. seamen were killed , in tbe explosion, not drowned. The Danish Minister in Berlin has been instructed to make a protest against the sinking of the Vandia.' : A survivor revealed that the vessel was sunk only three seconds after the warning shots were fired, before the Vandia could possibly heave-to. The submarine, however, went to the assistance, of six men struggling in the water and took litem aboard, but warned them that .they must hot mention the sinking. The German naval authorities assert that the Vandia tried, to escape, then attempted to. ram the submarine, • for which reason, it is claimed, the survivors of,the crew should be court-martialled. - )/■. ■ A DIFFERENT VERSION SUNK BY SUBMARINE . , •' BAHIA, Octi 3, (Received Oct. 3, at 10 p.m.) Reports state that the steamer Ilatinga arrived,at Maceio with 16 survivors from the Clement, some of whom contended that a submarine sank the freighter: They pointed out that 20 shells were fired at the steamer after the crew had been allowed to'abandon the ship in four lifeboats. ' The Itatinga's master said he picked up one boat, but was unable to find three others, two of which, however, are reported to have been sighted off the coast near Maceio. The third reached Maceio with survivors, including the first and third officers. The Itatinga's survivors, include the secopd officer and the assistant purser.. ' .;.'., LIFE OF COMMERCE" RAIDER SHORTER THAN~ PREVIOUSLY (British Official Vfareiessi RUGBY, Oct. 2. (Received Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.) The- news that a German armed raider had sunk a British ship is reminiscent of the last war, when many allied shies fell a prey to such vessels. The life of these commerce raiders. should be shorter now than previously for the power and range of modern aircraft have made "spotting" more certain and eventual rounding up and destruction inevitable. As the Evening. News says, a raider is faced with discovery at any moment by some scouting aircraft: which, if it does not sink or cripple .her, will keep her under inexorable Observation until a, warship arrives to finish her off on'the surface of the sea. A pirate's life is likely to be as .brief as her end is ignominious, and her part in staving off the.final, annihilation of German sea uower is negligible. VICTIM OF SUBMARINE : SWEDISH STEAMER STOCKHOLM, Oct. 2. A German submarine sank in the Skaggerat the Swedish Antwerpbound steamer Gun, of 1138 tons. A Danish vessel rescued the crew of I*B. THE CAPTAIN'S ~STORY BRITISH SUBMARINE APPEARS ' LONDON, Oct. 2. • (Received Oct. 3. at 10 p.m.) The Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press says that the captain of the steamer Gun stated after his arrival, at Helsing-borg-that the German U-boat stopped her on the evening of September 30 and ordered him and two men to go aboard the submarine, while a German officer and three men boarded the Gun to sink, her with dynamite. A British submarine appeared while the Gun's crew were taking to the boats. The U-boat immediately dived with the three Swedes aboard ahd ! remained submerged for seven hours. It fired, three torpedoes vMile under the water, which, the U-boat commander, claimed sank a British submarine".' The Germans

aboard the Gun had ho tirhe to'rejoin the U-boat before the submergence, and spent the night in, one of the, Gun's boats. .:... i , The U-boat commander declared it was he who sank the Vendial He accused the Gun's master of trying to ram him, ,as he said the Yendia did. The captain denied this. The commander knew whither the GUn was consigned, and asked to be shown the cargo destined, for Belgium.. ' ;,:.,,,. ■- '.y ■.'./'< '■■'.' SWEDISH VESSEL^ EIGHT CAPTURED ON MONDAY STOCKHOLM, Oct, 3.' (Received Oct. 3, at ll'p.m.) A naval communique says that eight Swedish steamers were, captured 'on Monday, by German ships and aircraft near the Swedish island of Oeland. • ' ' . ' ' The Exchange's Stockholm Correspondent . says that, air vessels' have been ' notto leave territorial -waters. .",'' iy r''';