CITY OF FLINT STORY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20080, 28 October 1939, Page 5

CITY OF FLINT STORY

PkF.Y OF DEUTSCHLAND

DISCOVERY OF OIL

RADIO MAN’S ESCAPE

I (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Oct. 28, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 27. ! The Daily Mail publishes a world j copyright story of the capture in the Atlantic by the German “pocket” ! battleship Deutschland of the Amerii can freighter, City of Flint, which | was subsequently taken to Murmansk I by a German prize crew, and which | was yesterday reported to have been j ordered by the Russian authorities to i leave the port as soon as possible. The story was given to the Daily Mail by an eye-witness, James G. i McConnochie, of Glasgow, the radio | operator aboard the vessel, who | escaped from his captors and arrived j at Bergen.

He said: “Six days out from New I York, we fell in with (he Dcmscmand. ! At first we thought she was a British ! warship. Then we saw the German i flag. All her guns were trained on | us. She signalled to us to stop and '• ordered us to shut down the radio. Boarded By Armed Party “A number of German officers ana sailors, armed with revolvers and hand grenades, came aboard and discovered that we carried large quantifies of oil. “The crew was lined up and was j told that a prize crew was comma | aboard to take us to Germany. “An officer said the Deutschland had already sunk the Stonegatc and ntended to put 28 of her crew aboard

“Thereupon, the Deutschland deuarted leaving the prize crew in command.

The City of Flint’s funnels were repainted, the ship’s name and the United States’ flag were painted ou and a false name substituted.

“We arrived at Tromso at 5 p.m. on Friday. Customs officers came aboard and discovered our true nationality. The Norwegians would not permit us :o depart until the American flag was repainted. Norwegian destroyers stood by.

"The Germans landed the Stonegate’s crew. The Stonegate’s me'n said their officers forced them, before going aboard the City of Flint, to sign a declaration not to fight, before going aboard the City of Flint.”