RAIDERS IN ATLANTIC

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

RAIDERS IN ATLANTIC

PROBABLY ONLY TWO

COMPARISON OF DATES

POOR RESULTS OBTAINED

(British Official Wireless.) Reed. noon. RUGBY, Oct. 27.

The question of the number of German raiders operating in the Atlantic has provoked interest among naval commentators in London.

Though the possibility of one ship having been . as far as the south Atlantic and the Newfoundland coast cannot be overlooked, the combination of dates on which the raiders appeared rather suggests that two German ships have been at large. The next information after the reported sinking of the Stonegate about 500 miles east of Florida on October 5 was received on October, 12, when, off the Newfoundland coast, a Norwegian ship was stopped, but not attacked. On October 14, in about the same region, the Norwegian steamship Nansen was sunk, and it appeared that the raider was cruising in the neighbourhood of the famous Newfoundland fishing bank. On the same day another Norwegian ship was stopped and the crew of the Nansen transferred to her, and a little later the City of Flint was also stopped and the crew of the Stonegate transferred from the raider to her. Net. Result Small On September 30 the British steamer Clement was sunk off the coast of Pernambuco. Despite the distance, there is no reason why the raider which attacked the Clement should not have steamed quickly to the position where the Stonegate was sunk. Nothing has been hoard of armed merchantmen elsewhere, and the net result of these attacks over a quite considerable period is very small indeed.

Both the German pocket battleships seem to have failed to get into the areas of dense shipping. Their endurance at tiic economical cruising speed of 15 knots is 20,000 miles, but, of course, at the full speed of 28 knots this range would be considerably reduced. It is felt that these ships

might have taken advantage of darkness, bad weather, and the indiscriminate use /of Norwegian territorial waters to return to Germany. A high authority states that it is most likely that two raiders are at sea, namely the. pocket battleship Von Schcer and Deutschland, both of which have the great endurance of a 20,000 miles range at low speed, even without supply ships. For these reasons, it is possible that the Von Sclieer will be in the Pacific or Indian Oceans, thought no reports have been received. It is most probable that the Von Schcer sank Die Clement.' It is unlikely that the Emden is at large.

The raiders are “really doing us very, tittle harm" considering the time they h ave been operating on busy' sea rou*os.