REBEL ATTACK DENIED

Southland Times, Issue 23297, 6 September 1937, Page 5

REBEL ATTACK DENIED

TORPEDOING OF HAVOCK GALLANT CONDUCT PRAISED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received, September 5, 8.14 p.m.) LONDON, September 4. An authoritative statement from Salamanca denies that an insurgent submarine attacked the Havock whose gallant conduct is affecting many Spaniards and merits the Nationalist’s Highest consideration. The Morning Post discussing the attack on the Havock by an unidentified submarine says: “It is not known under what flag this submarine was sailing or where she came from but we do know there were only 12 submarines in commission in Spain at the outbreak of civil war. Of that number one has since been sunk and one disabled. Of the remainder Franco has one or two and the Spanish Government eight or nine, but the Spanish Government’s submarines are believed to be inactive chiefly from lack of competent officers and-Franco’s original submarine force could hardly account for so many submarine attacks on merchant shipping at such widely separated points. Whatever the explanation of this mystery we can only hope it will be solved as soon as it may be when a British warship comes up with a culprit at his unlawful practices.”