U-BOAT FIRES ON STEAMER

Southland Times, Issue 23989, 2 December 1939, Page 6

U-BOAT FIRES ON STEAMER

Shells Set Vessel Ablaze SUBMARINE SUNK BY FRENCH (British Official Wireless) (Received December 1, 10.30 pan.) RUGBY, November 30. After missing with torpedoes a German U-boat shelled the British steamer Uskmouth for two hours and a-half until she burst into flames and sank off the Spanish coast on Saturday night. Twenty-two of the crew of 25 got away in the ship’s lifeboat. After sailing for 25 hours the crew was picked up by an Italian motorvessel and landed at a south-east coast port today. x The French evening communique states that a French torpedo-boat suc-

cessfully attacked an enemy submarine. According to agency messages, the British collier Sheaf Crest was sunk by a mine in the North Sea this morning. Fifteen of the crew were seriously injured. Survivors were picked up by a warship/which is taking them to an east coast port, and 15 others have been landed by lifeboat. The Dutch steamer Beverwijk sent a wireless SOS from the Baltic. It is feared that she has struck a mine. ARREST OF BRITISH WOMEN BY NAZIS WORD OF GERMAN WOMEN IN ENGLAND AWAITED LONDON, November 30. The Berlin correspondent of the British United Press states that the police during the last few nights have arrested a score of British women, whom they are detaining until the Foreign Office has ascertained whether any German women have... been arrested in Britain.',.. A few Australian women were arrested last week and later released. No British or French women are interned, but 100 English and 120 French men are interned. NET BRITISH LOSS IN SHIPPING MONTHS OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER (Received December 1, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, November 30. Authoritative quarters in London give the figures of British merchant shipping losses in the months of September and October as 153,000 and 82,000 tons gross and 17,000 tons gross for the /first 19 days of November, making a total gross loss of 252,000. In the same period 128,000 tons became available through new vessels being put into service and a further 70,000 tons through captures, leaving a net loss of 54,000 tons gross. British ships entering British ports expressed in tons were:—September, 4,509,000; October, 4,384,000; first 20 days of November, 3,214,000. Corresponding clearance figure being 12,205,000.