NAZI BOMBING OF SHIPS

Southland Times, Issue 24027, 18 January 1940, Page 7

NAZI BOMBING OF SHIPS

Desperate German

Methods

U-BOAT ATTACK

FAILS

(British Official Wireless)

(Received January 17, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, January 16.

The William Ivey, one of the vessels sunk during the week, was a small North Sea trawler. After being machine-gunned and bombed at dusk by a German aeroplane, which flew so low that she almost touched the mast, the crew took to the boats and were picked up six hours later by another trawler. By way of excuse the German News Agency describes the vessel as being “used by the British Admiralty as an outpost boat.” There is no truth whatever in this statement.

Naval circles in London point out that the principal event last week in the war at sea has been the attack on unarmed fishing ships and a lighthouse ship. When the U-boat campaign failed Germany adopted other methods to starve out Britain. First the Nazis laid magnetic mines—perfectly legal weapons had they been placed in position in a legal way, but the Germans failed to notify the position of such mines, which have resulted in many losses to neutral, as well as Allied, shipping. Later, they directly attacked shipping within Norwegian territorial waters. Next they opened a violent attack on unarmed fishing vessels and finally they attacked a lightship. The whole world now recognizes that German methods are becoming more and more desperate and more and more barbaric. Details of attacks on lightships refute the allegation that they are posts for warning the coast defence against raiders. Lightship 87 did not use her radio when attacked by a bomber for fear of provoking further attacks. Lightship 85 wirelessed an S O S only after she had been bombed, whereupon aeroplanes again attacked.

BRITISH LOSSES

Sinkings due to enemy action in the week ended January 13 comprised 12 British vessels, of 34,007 tons, and four neutral vessels, of 7792 tons. The. British ships sunk were the Cedrington Court, of 5160 tons, the Towneley, of 2888 tons, the Dunbar Castle, of 10,002 tons, the Gowrie of 689 tons, the Oakgrove, of 1985 tons, the Upminster, of 1013 tons, the El Oso, of 7267 tons, the Granta, of 2619 tons, the Kaynes, of 1606 tons, the Lucida, of 251 tons, the Croxton, of 195 tons, and the William Ivey of 202 tons. Of these ships five were mined, six were bombed from the air and one sank after an explosion. The neutral ships sunk were the Truida, of 176 tons (Dutch), the Manx, of 1343 tons (Norwegian), the Traviata, of 5123 tons (Italian), and the Fredville, of 1150 tons (Norwegian). All four ships were sunk by mines. The Danish ships Feddy, 955 tons and Ivan Kondrup, 2369 tons, together were damaged as the result of an air attack on January 9, but reached safety. German shipping losses include the Bahia Blancha, of 8448 tons which was reported sunk on January 9 off Iceland as the result of damage by ice—and the Dietrick Hasselldick, of 17 tons which was blown up on January 11 as the result of an internal explosion or of striking a mine. The total number of ships—British, Allied and neutral—escorted in British convoys up to January 10 inclusive was 6363 of which only 12 were lost as the result of enemy action. This is 1.2 per cent. The Dunbar Castle, reported in some quarters as having been in convoy when she struck a mine and sunk, was not under escort at the time, but was proceeding in company with other vessels to join a convoy. The total number of ships convoyed to January 10 was 6363, of which only 12 were lost.

The Admiralty announces that the German claim that Britain has lost 26 tankers during the war is over double the real total. Tanker tonnage has actually increased. It is officially stated in Athens that 11 Greek cargo vessels totalling 48,835 tons have been lost during the war, LIFEBOAT GOES TO AID OF TANKER CREW CALLED AWAY FROM FUNERAL (Received January 17, 10.5 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. A south-west coast lifeboat crew was attending a funeral when an explosion at sea necessitated the members launching their boat and speeding to the aid of an unknown 10,000-ton tanker, which was ablaze from end to end. Other craft followed, including a patrol boat, which landed the survivors after the tanker sank.