NO TRUTH IN STORY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 37, 6 November 1937, Page 8

NO TRUTH IN STORY

Sinking of Submarine That Attacked Destroyer RUGBY, Nov. 3. After tlie'First Lord of tlie Admiralty^ Mr- A.' Duff Coope •, had related in the House of Gomlnons a story whicjh was presumed to be that of the attack on the desiroyer Basilisk, telling how, on.the vqssel's return to Gibraltar and an investigation of all the evidence, it was announeed that a mistake had been made, ho was asked if he was aw.are that it had been suggested that in fact the submarine was destroyed, but in order to avoid i "-ernational complications it was glosed over. Mr Duff Cooper replied: "There is no- truth whatover iri that suggestion." A inessage from- London on October 26 said a Spanish Press agency claimed on authoritative information that the British destroyei* Basilisk sank the German submarine U24 with depth charges after ;be.ing attacked by the submarine off Cape San Antonio. "The German Government on October 12 notified the parents of the crew that the submarine a. s sunk during manoeuvres and ord.ered the advice to be kept secret," the agency stated. Olficials in Berlin s-^id they did not take the story seriously, recalling the British Admir'lty's 1 .ter denial that an attack had been made on the destroyer. They declared tbat tL„ submarine was still in seryice.