U-BOAT CAMPAIGN

Evening Star, Issue 23381, 26 September 1939, Page 7

U-BOAT CAMPAIGN

SINKING OF NEUTRAL SHIPS EFFORT TO STOP ALL TRADE WITH BRITAIN SWEDEN SERIOUSLY PERTURBED STOCKHOLM, September 25. (Received September 26, at 10 a.m.) Sweden is concerned over the sinking by German submarines of two Finnish pulp ships, both bound for England. One, the Marttiraganar, 2,262 tons, was sunk off Norway, and the other, Walma, 1,361 tons, was sunk off Smorgen, The Stockholm correspondent of ‘ The Times ’ points out that these are the first neutral ships sunk, and indicates that Germany has widened the U-boat campaign in the hope of cutting off all British supplies. The captain of the Walma protested on the ground that cellulose was not contraband, hut the U-boat commander replied that the British would make gun powder of it, and proceeded to sink the ship by dynamite, explaining that torpedoes wore too valuable to waste on small vessels.

Taken in conjunction with the sinking of the Gertrudbratt, Sweden believes that Germany is bent on stopping all trade with Britain, despite her assurances to respect the right of neutrals. German comment on the sinking of Swedish and Finnish ships is that if neutrals want to complain they can do so before the courts in Hamburg. It was added that if the commander of the U-boat had not sunk the ship ho would have been eourt-martialled, as the cellulose might have killed thousands of Germans.

FRENCH COLLIER SUNK ATTACKED WITHOUT WARNING LONDON, September 26. (Received September 26, at noon.) A submarine without warning attacked the French collier Phryno on the English coast on September 25. Longshoremen heard an explosion and saw a column of smoke. The crew of 24 put off in two boats, from which a lifeboat from the shore rescued them. Two were injured. Two destroyers which raced to the scene departed after the Phryne sank

ANOTHER SWEDISH SHIP TORPEDOED BOUND FOR ENGLAND WITH LUMBER STOCKHOLM, September 25. (Received September 26, at noon.) The 1,839-ton Swedish steamer Silesia, bound for England with lumber, was torpedoed and sunk off Stavenger. Tho Swedish steamer Suecia rescued the crew. GERMANS ADMIT LOSS OF SUBMARINE LONDON, September 25, (Received! September 26, at 1 p.ra.) Tho Associated Press Berlin correspondent states that the Berlin High Command says: “ A German submarine has been sunk. The war at sea has also yielded good results to us.”

GREW CAST ADRIFT HOPE OF SAFETY GIVEN UP LONDON, September 25. (Received September 26, at 1.5 ip.m.) The Ministry of Information confirms the fears expressed on Saturday that all hope must be given up for the officers and crew of the Royal Sceptre, the steamship which was sunk on September 6. She carried a crew of 32, who were cast adrift in their boats without possible hope of reaching land. After giving their names, the Ministry states: “ The sinking was a foul act of piracy in direct contravention of the Submarine Protocol signed by Germany in 1936, which is binding for all time. The protocol made it abundantly clear that no warship, submarine, or otherwise, was justified in sinking merchantmen unless the crew were placed in safety.” SINKING DF THE HAZELSIDE LONDON, September 25. (Received September 26, at 12.5 p.m.) Twenty-three survivors of the Hazelside, which was sunk in tire Channel, were landed by coastal steamer. A member of the crew described how the captain decided to run for it, but finally ordered the engines to be stopped, which was done by the engineer, who had had an arm blown off during the attack.

Two British aircraft arrived and the submarine disappeared. The survivors were four hours in the boat. The dead include the first officer, whoso father was drowned after his vessel was torpedoed in the last war.

OLD TACTICS REVIVED VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 25. (Received September 2G, at 11 u.m.) The sinking by German submarines of the Swedish and Finnish merchantmen recalls similar sinkings of neutral shipping in the last war, when, the Central Powers sank about 1,700 neutral

ships. It was then sought to justify these actions on the ground that the cargoes carried by these vessels were contraband, and that to have taken them to a German port in order to bring them before a prize court would have endangered the submarines. In general, the rules of international law about the seizure of a neutral ship carrying contraband are quite plain. Belligerent vessels may search her, and % if there is good reason to think the cargo includes certain contraband, they may take her to port for judgment. According to the British rule, if the captain cannot take her to port ho must abandon her.

COCOS ISLANDS OCCUPATION BY COSTA RICA SUGGESTED MOSCOW, September 25. (Received September 26, at 11.30 a.m.) The radio states that Costa Rica is considering the occupation of the Cocos Island in the Eastern Pacific to prevent their use as a submarine base.

LONE POLISH SUBMARINE

GALLANT EXPEDITION ENDS ATTACKED GERMAN WARSHIPS STOCKHOLM, September 25. (Received September 26, at 11.30 a.m.) Tho Polish submarine Zbik, with its emergency rations exhausted, surrendered to the Swedish authorities Us crow was disarmed and interned. The Zbik was at sea for 24 days, and its five officers and 49 men were exhausted. They had been several times scathlessly in action against German warships, despite depth shargesa