BRITISH SHIP SUNK

Southland Times, Issue 23346, 2 November 1937, Page 7

BRITISH SHIP SUNK

PLANE’S ATTACK OFF SPAIN PILOT REPORTED TO BE DUCE’S SON TWO NON-INTERVENTION AGENTS RESCUED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received November 1, 9 55 p.m.) LONDON, November 1. The British steamer Jean Weems was sunk six miles from the coast of Catalonia by a Spanish rebel plane which dropped 15 bombs. The 26 survivors, who landed in two lifeboats near Gerona, included two non-intervention observers. The steamer was going to Barcelona from Marseilles with a cargo of wheat and condensed milk. It was reported from Barcelona that an Italian type of seaplane sank the Jean Weems stern first a quarter of an hour after a fire started on board. The seaplane warned the crew to take to the boats before machine-gunning and bombing her from a height of 500 ft. All were safely landed after six and ahalf hours. The Barcelona correspondent of The Daily Herald says the intelligence service has announced that Lieutenant Bruno Mussolini, son of II Duce, piloted the plane which sank the Jean Weems, explaining that the skull and crossbones on the plane were his identification marks. A survivor says that the plane came from the direction of Majorca, where, according to The Manchester Guardian, there is a garrison of 30,000, including 6500 Italians, 500 Germans and over 100 aeroplanes, of which one-fifth are German; all the aerodromes are under Italian control.