U-BOATS ATTACKED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20052, 26 September 1939, Page 5

U-BOATS ATTACKED

TERRIFYING HUNTING BOLT-HOLES HEMMED IN SINKINC! OF NEUTRALS MUCH CONCERN CAUSED (I'liH 1 . Tnl, Copyright—l’iuUml Press Assn.) (Reed. Sept. 2(i. 11 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 25. The Daily Express says that the British Navy is gradually hemming in U-boats’ bolt-holes in the North Sea. Craft now returning from, the Atlantic after delivering their first onslaughts against merchant vessels are having great difficulty in finding their way in either through the front or back doors of their bases. Every day hunting flotillas have four or live encounters with the enemy. At least 100 of these battles have been fought, of which the outside world has heard nothing. Now, worn and weary, the strained crews of the U-boats have to struggle every inch of the way home. The U-boat expeditions of 1918 were pleasure cruises compared with the ceaseless, terrifying hunting which the first batch has encountered in the past month. Sunk Without Warning The Hazelside, of 4046 tons, was sunk without warning. Twelve of the crew of 24 are reported to have been lost, including the captain. People on the coast saw the attack on the I-lazelside. The wireless operator, Mr. Birket, stated that the submarine fired without warning. Two of the lifeboats were wrecked, and 15 men had to put off in a small jolly boat, while seven clambered on a raft.

A report from New York states that the American Farmer brought 29 survivors from the British vessel Kafiristan, which was torpedoed on September 17. The master, Captain .lohn Busby, reported that the submarine was sunk by bombs from a plane believed to have been attached to li.M.S. Courageous. The plane arrived unseen and machine-gunned nnrt bombed the submarine, achieving a direct hit. Swedish Concern A Stockholm message states that that Sweden is concerned at the sinking by German submarines of two Finnish pulp ships, both bound for England. One, the Martti Ragnar, of 2262 tons, was sunk of! Norway and the other, the Walma, of 1361 tons, was sunk off Smorgenstol. The Times Stockholm correspondent points out that these are the first neutral ships to be sunk, and that it 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 had not been proclaimed contraband. Tire U-boat commander replied that the British make gunpowder' of it, and proceeded to sink the ship with dynamite, explaining tlrat torpedoes were too valuable to waste on small vessels.

Stopping- AH Trade

Taken in conjunction with the sinking of the Gertrudbratt, Sweden believes that Germany is bent on stopping ail trade with Britain, despite her assurances to respect the rights of neutrals.

Large quantities of pulp are waiting shipment from Sweden to Britain or America pending an indication of whether Germany considers them contraband. The 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 is added that if the commander of .the U-boat had not sunk the ships, he would have been court-martialled, as the cellulose might have killed thousands of Germans.

The sinking by German submarines of Swedish and Finnish merchantmen recalls similar sinkings of neutral shipping in the last war when the central Powers sank about 1700 neutral ships. It was then sought to justify these actions on the ground that the cargoes carried in these vessels were contraband, and that to have taken them to a German port in order to bring them before the 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 that the cargo includes certain contraband, may take her to port for judgment.

According to the British rule, it a captain cannot take her to port he must abandon her.