SUBMARINE PIRACY

Otago Witness, Issue 3195, 9 June 1915, Page 32

SUBMARINE PIRACY

A LONG SHOT. LONDON, June 4.

By an explosion on the Swedish steamer Lapland, 55 miles off Peterhead, her cargo of iron ore was sent flying all over the ship, which began to sink. The crew took to the boats and reached Peterhead. The captain believes the vessel was torpedoed. Ten persons were aboard the Welsh trawler Victoria, including a boy and a passenger. Submarine U34’s first shell smashed a boat, the second killed the passenger, and the third killed the skipper and the engineer, the former’s head being blown off, while the mate’s legs were blown off. Four survivors escaped on rafts. The Germans then put bombs aboard the Victoria and blew her up. A German submarine "shelled and burnt the Danish schooner Salvador, bound for Bristol, in the North Sea, after giving five minutes’ notice. The crew of seven took to the boat, which the submarine towed for a short distance. A trawler picked them up in an exhausted state 12 hours later and landed them at Lerwick. The Wilson liner lona and the fishing vessel Chrysoprase were sunk by a submarine off the Orkney Islands. The crews were landed, four of the lona’s - crew being wounded by shrapnel—two badly. The crews were fired at while the boats were being launched. The Norwegian steamer Cubano was torpedoed. The crew were landed at Lewis, «

The steamer Inkum was sunk by a submarine off the Lizard. The crew were landed, but nine were drowned. ' June 6. The Peterhead drifter, the Emenay, was torpedoed off Shetland. The crew were landed. A submarine in the North Sea ordered the crews of two Lowestoft trawlers to take to their boats, and then blew up the trawlers with bombs. The crews were landed.

Three more Aberdeen trawlers have been submarined near the Orkneys. The crews were landed.

There was a curious sequel to the reported loss of the Montrosa (a Eiissian barque of 1003 tons), reported on the 2nd inst. to have been mined. A fisherman named Sam Holdane, in the North Sea, observed a three-masted barque in full sail, and casually hailed her. As he received no reply he scrambled aboard with a comrade and found her deserted. He realised that he was in -possession of an undamaged prize worth many thousands of pounds. Holdane and his mate navi-:

gated the Montrosa to Bridlington and claimed her as a prize. -Apparently the Montrosa struck something in the night, and the crow in a panic rushed the boats without waiting to ascertain whether any damage was done.

PARIS, June 5.

The French steamer Pen feld was sunk by a submarine in the Channel. The crew were landed at Brest. COPENHAGEN, June 4.

The Danish collier Cyrus was torpedoed. Her captain suddenly-aaw a streak of foam The crew put off in boats, and were brought to Stavanger (Norway) by a Norwegian steamer, which had sighted the submarine earlier.