GRAF SPEE IN DISGUISE

Southland Times, Issue 24004, 20 December 1939, Page 7

GRAF SPEE IN DISGUISE

Captain Tells Of Ruse “MAYBE THE JOKE WAS ON US” (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received December 19, 6.30 pm.) BUENOS AIRES, December 18. Captain Hans Langsdorff, of the Admiral Graf Spee, in an interview with the Associated Press of America, said that while preying on merchantmen he once disguised the Admiral Graf Spee as the Renown, changing her superstructure and adding a dummy funnel. He laughed ruefully and said: “But maybe the joke was on us. Perhaps we fooled nobody.” The Admiral Graf Spee was also camouflaged frequently to pass as the Deutschland or the Admiral Scheer. “Once we actually passed for the Admiral Scheer,” he said, referring to the sinking of the Clement. o Captain Langsdorff admitted that he was not short of fuel' when he took refuge in Montevideo. “I really had enough to reach the coast of Spain,” he added. He said that the draft was 21 feet, which was more than normal, when he decided to sink her in 25 feet. “That was the only thing to do,” he said. The Buenos Aires correspondent of The New York Times says that the Admiral Graf Spee’s young crew were convinced that only the Hood, the Renown or the Repulse could touch their ship. They were, therefore, sure that she would not be embroiled in a naval action. They were amazed to find themselves fighting three cruisers and even more amazed to find that they were getting the worst of it. FRENCH PRAISE FOR NEW ZEALANDERS PART OF ACHILLES IN BATTLE PARIS, December 18. Playing a tribute to New Zealand’s participation in the war, the newspaper Excelsior notes that the Achilles was the only combatant in the South Atlantic engagement to emerge unscathed from the fight against the Admiral Graf Spee. The New Zealanders were determined, it was stated, that their first blow should be a master stroke. “The British colonies and Dominions draw closer round the ships of the Allies,” it stated. HEAVY LOSSES OF NEUTRAL SHIPS GERMAN VESSEL CAPTURED BY BRITISH (Received December 19, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, December 18. Between December 10 and 16 seven British merchant ships and 11 neutral vessels were lost. The British ships were:—Corea, 751 tons; Saint Alberta, 7397 tons; Willow Pool, 4815 tons; King Egbert, 4535 tons; Warwick Head, 491 tons; Deptford, 4101 tons; and Stanbrook, 1838 tons, which is overdue and is believed to be lost. The neutral vessels are:—lmmingham (Dutch), 398 tons; Garoufalia (Greek), 4708 tons; Toro (Swedish), 1467 tons; Algol (Swedish), 978 tons; Rosa (Belgian), 1146 tons; Ragni (Norwegian), 1264 tons; H. C. Flood (Norwegian), 1097 tons; Strindheim (Norwegian), 321 tons; Germaine (Greek), 5217 tons; Ursus (Swedish), 1499 tons; Magnus (Danish), 1339 tons. In the same period one German ship, the Dusseldorf, 4930 tons, was captured and one, the Adolf Leonhardt, 2990 tons, scuttled herself to avoid capture. Figures now available show that In the first 10 days of December the number of entrances and clearapces of United Kingdom ports totalled more than 1100 vessels of a total tonnage of more than 3,000,000. Of these 1100 vessels, 10 were lost.