HUNTING U-BOATS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23951, 28 October 1939, Page 11

HUNTING U-BOATS

EFFECTIVE METHODS HIGH RATE OF DESTRUCTION MENACE BEING OVERCOME 'British Cilicia) Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY. Oct, 26. In his weekly war review Mr Chamberlain said that at sea there had been an intensification of the U-boat campaign, but, despite one or two strokes of good fortune, the enemy had not been able to maintain the rate of sinking at first achieved. The Prime Minister said the U-boats had been driven to operate further and further from their bases and from the points where trade was bound to converge. The destruction of enemy submarines was proceeding at a sufficiently high rate to encourage the belief that the U-boat menace would eventually be overcome. Members would have seen that during the last few days the sinking of five British ships had been announced. One of these ships, the Stonegate. was sunk by the German raider Deutschj land seme time "ago, but information ! of this loss was only just received. Together, these ships aggregated 22,713 I tons. On the other hand, a number of enemy ships had been arrested and brought in by the blockading squadrons of the Royai Navy. These ships were the Phoebus (8863 tons), Gloria (5986). Biania (1875), Poseidon (5864). Biscaya (6369), totalling 28,367 tons. In addition to these, the Conzeinheilm (4564) was intercepted, but scuttled herself to avoid capture. There had been, therefore —subject to the decision of the Prize Court —a loss to the enemy of some 33,000 tons and. the net gain to Britain was nearly 6000 tons. Lawlessness of Campaign A feature of the U-boat campaign to which Mr Chamberlain sajd he must call attention was its growing lawlessness. It seemed now to have become the rule for merchant ships to be sunkWithout warning. Frequently passengers and crews had been turned adrift in small and open boats in stormy seas to suffer from cold and exposure. In the case of the Yorkshire there was a deplorable loss of life amongst the wives and children of soldiers returning home from the East. Another instance was the sinking of the French ship Bretagne carrying a large number of women ’ and childern. This ship was torpedoed without warning and sunk miles from land by gunfire. Fourteen of those aboard were missing. FOREIGN SHIPS AT ARCH ANGEL UNABLE TO GET CLEARANCES 8 ■ COPENHAGEN, Oct. 26. A Swedish cargo vessel reports that 20 foreign ships are lying at Archangel unable to get clearances from the Soviet.