SWEPT FROM THE SEAS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20132, 29 December 1939, Page 5

SWEPT FROM THE SEAS

GERMANY’S SHIPPING WATCH BY ALLIES MANY VESSELS SCUTTLED With all the chief sea routes of the world barred to them, vessels of the German merchant marine away from their home ports are faced with the dilemma of remaining in foreign ports and accumulating growing charges against them or of putting to sea with very little hope of reaching Germany. Cabled advices received from time to time show that many German ships have already been seized by neutral countries to defray port charges or. in some cases, to clear debts owed by their companies. The fate awaiting them at sea is even less cheering.

Early in the war several German merchantmen were bound from South America to Europe when they were caught by British squadrons in the South Atlentic. At least three, the Inn (2867 tons), Carl Fritzen (6594 tons', and Olinda (4576 tons), were sunk in the first days of the war by the British Navy. Deliberately Stranded The order of the Nazi Government that German ships must be scuttled to avoid capture had not then been announced, but this policy was evident within a fortnight of the outbreak of hostilities when cabled advices stated that three ships, the Vegesack (40(11. tons), Baldur (5805 tons) and Ernst Hugo Stinnes (3295 tons) had elected to strand themselves on the coast of Norway.

The American republics, neutral African ports and the Netherlands East Indies have been the chief harbours of units of the German shipping fleet and from their ports, from time to time, enemy ships have crept to sea in an attempt either to fuel warships or to reach home. Very few have apparently achieved either purpose.

Fine Ships Lost

Encountering the vigilant watch of the Allied squadrons, the German vessels have in Hie main come to a swii'i end.’ One or two have made a fight: the remainder have ignominiously opened seacocks and sunk. Included in fuel supply ships sunk were the Togo (5042 tons), which met a unique end by being torpedoed by a French submarine off the African coast, the only German merchantman to be lost in this way, and the Schwabenland (8631 tons), which was sunk by the British in the South Atlantic. Two steamers, the Mecklenburg (7892 tons) and Pa rana (6038 tons), were sunk by the British after an attempt had been made to scuttle them when intercepted on their way home.

Cabled advice received last week stated that the Germans have had to scuttle 23 passenger and cargo ships, totalling nearly 140,000 tons. Many line ships, including the Columbus (32,565 tons), the largest merchant vessel lost by any country, Watussi (9521 tons) and Adolph Woermann (8577 tons), were among the sinkings. Germany’s Aggregate Tonnage

According to a message published this.week Germany has lost 5 per cent of her merchant ships, in spite of tinfact that most of the merchant marine had made hasty tracks for neutral or home ports some days before the outbreak of the war. Figures in the current year's issue of Lloyd’s Register show that at the outbreak of the war Germany had a total of 2466 ships of more than 100 tons gross, the aggregate tonnage being 4,492,708. Although New Zealanders in contact with the German shipping which visited the country before the war recognised the quality of the ships, the German merchant marine can iliafford to lose vessels, or to allow its trade to stagnate completely. In 1914 Germany had 2388 ships of nearly 5,500,000 tons. By 1920. after reparation had been made, the total was 113.8 ships of 672.671 tons. In recent years, under State rationalisation. the eatiori’s shipping industry was recovering ground, but Hie onset of war, with the high seas closed to German shipping, is meaning disaster to all hopes.