FLIGHT OF EUROPA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20058, 3 October 1939, Page 3

FLIGHT OF EUROPA

BACK TO GERMANY THE VESSEL DISGUISED PASSENGER’S STORY A graphic account of the voyage from. America of the North German Lloyd liner Europe, 49,746 tons, which docked at Bremerhaven, the port of Bremen, on August 29, was given by Mr. Alvin Bentley, of Michigan, United States, and M. Paul Beck, of Riga, reported the Copenhagen correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph.

"W'e left New York at midnight on August 22,” Mr. Bentley said. "After we had been two days at sea the captain called us together and told us that owing to orders from Germany he would be unable to land any of us at Cherbourg or Southampton, but would proceed direct to Germany.

"He refused to give us any indication of the route lie would be following, and stated that be could not land us in any neutral country. '"All lights in the ship were screened, and even navigation lights were extinguished. We could tell from the vibration that we were travelling at maximum speed. "We altered course towards the north-east, and ran into heavy fog. Despite this, the Europa continued to ste.uri at about 28 knots without any lights of any sort. "The vessel’s foghorns were not used, only an occasional blast being given from a small foghorn such as might have been used by a vessel of a lew thousand tons. “The crew tried to disguise the vessel as far as possible. The name Europa was painted out and the colour of the funnels altered. Information Refused

“All information yvas refused to ipe 'passengers, and the captain would not even say whether war had broken out. "The weather became colder and colder, and women passengers who were provided only with light summer clothing shivered with cold. “Our course was obviously taking us south of Iceland, either between the Shetland and Orkney Islands, or between the Shetlands and Iceland. “On the last night of the voyage, we could gee occasional lights on the port bow, which were apparently from the Norwegian coast.” Britons Sent By Train

Special train coaches were provided at Bremernaven to take British passengers to Holland, where they embarked for England. French passongers were sent home via Belgium. American passengers were given the option of travelling by either route to their proposed destinations, but the majority elected to go to Norway or Sweden and there await events... Among the 30 British passengers on ■board the vessel was Mr. Hugh T. Ryan, of Regent Square, W.C. American and other passengers are understood to be considering legal proceedings against the North German Lloyd Company in the American Courts, to recoup them for the expense and great inconvenience caused by the action of the Europe's captain. “What annoyed us most,” M. Beck stated, “was the obvious fact that the captain was thinking only of getting his shin to a German harbour, and cared nothing for what happened to the passengers. “After the second day out of New York we were ‘a lost ship,’ as- the wireless transmitting station was closed down, not even messages to the vessel’s owners being sent out. “At one stage of the voyage, near (lie Shetland Islands, we were shadowed for some time by what may have been a British warship."