SUBMARINES AND MINES

Evening Star, Issue 23380, 25 September 1939, Page 5

SUBMARINES AND MINES

WARFARE AT SEA I BRITISH WARSHIP DAMAGED ; LONDON, September 23.; The Official Secretary to the_ Admiralty announced that H.M.S. Eittiwak# struck a mine in the English Channel on September 20. It was regretted that five members of the crew,are,missing and believed killed. Two- other# are in hospital. The ship returned to harbour for repairs. ; _ The Ministry of Information bulletin announces that hope must be abandoned for the Royal Sceptre, of 4,853 tons, which was sunk by, a U-boat on. September 6 300 miles to the westward of Ushant. The vessel sent an SOS indicating that she was being, gunned and that the crew had been ordered, to leave the ship as she was sinking. Signals were received on September 8 that Danish and Norwegian boat# searched the locality, but found 'no traces of the boat. It was hoped that the crew had been- picked up-by-soma fishing boats or a ship without a radio* but since then nothing more nad been heard for nearly three weeks; It is feared that the officers and. crew, are lost, victims of the U-boat warfare being waged in contravention -of the protocol signed by Germany in November, 1936—paragraph 4 of the London Naval Treaty, which makes it clear that no warship, submarine, or. otherwise is justified in sinking a.-merchant ship unless the crew has.been.placed,in safety, and that open boats cannot be considered a place of safety unless An calm weather and close, to ,lahd. pry • rescuing ship. ' •■: STEAMER TQRPlOttEtt BERGEN, September 23. The British steamer Akenside, pi 2,694 tons, loaded with coal, was sunk by a submarine 10 miles from the Norwegian- coast., A Norwegian warship picked up 26 members of the crew from lifeboats. NEUTRAL SHIPS BUMR DELIBERATE ACTION BY U-IBATSh 5 LONDON, September 23.’ A German submarine sank, the .Finnish vessel Martti-Ragnar, of 2,263 tons, in the Baltic. She was carrying a cargo of wood pulp to England. The submarine ordered the ship to stop- ahd the crew took to the boats. When th# towed vessel was five miles ".from .th# coast she sank. The crew rowed all night and reached shore in the mornA later message from Stockholm says that two German submarine# sank a second Finnish steamer, th# Walma, of 1,361 tons. Eighteen of, in# crew were saved.

COURAGEOUS SINKING DEATH ROLL PUBLISHED (British Official Wireless.) ■ . ; RUGBY, September 23(Received September 25, at 8 a.mi)' The names of the .512 officers, and men of H.M.S. Courageous who,are, believed to have lost their lives on war service were- published by the, Admiralty to-night. They include , he? commander, Captain Makeig ' Jone*, who went down with his ship. .

WANDERING SUBMARINES MEXICAN SHIPOWNERS PCinIiRBED ; VERA CRUZ, September 24.' (Received September 25, at 8 a;m.) T A pilot boat sighted an unidentifiable submarine five miles from Punt* del Gada. A submarine has also been reported in the vicinity of Alvarado. Consequently coastal shipowners, ar* painting the Mexican flag on their ships’ hulls.. ■ • j

LIFE IN A U-BOAT ; KISHTMME OF SUSPENSE LONDON, September 23. v A description of life in a huntei U-boat, drawn from details supplied by men with first-hand knowledge of tht conditions in submarines, throws inter* esting light on the question of liovr. effective the submarine weapon is likely to prove, apart from the sucoessesobtained before the defence preparation! came fully into operation. Submarinei are very vulnerable, because. damaga which would be trivial to - a surface ship may render submersion impossible, and a U-boat on the surface is an easy prey. An attack, by deptlt charges is a most demoralising experience, and the strain of the explosion* coming closer arid closer is almost.intolerable, the crew well knowing that the next-one may sink them for ever. Hunted by destroyers and patrol craft, for ever searched for by aeroplanes, conscious always of mines an<J mined nets, the strain is terrible, Neither do the living conditions ease th« situation. Even on the surface: th« boat must always be trimmed down-for instant diving. On the deck, spac» above the -water only three men- can stand. All'the others must remain low, cabined and confined in oppressiva and often foul atmosphere. : ,' ~_ r No matter how great, the capability of the submarine, the men living in is perpetual■ nightmare of suspense- and anxiety tire long before the machinery. The opinion of experts is, therefor*. that although Britain may endure great losses, submarines alone can never maintain an adequate blockade., ; EXTENSION OF TERRITORIAL WATERS iriUTED STMIS PRWWAL 7- '':.'' (Received September 25, „at .8 The Chilian Fomgn; Office stands that the United States is proposing to the Pan-American Conference that the territorial waters of th« American republics be extended'; to 300 miles from the coast, ..-',«-