THRILLING EXPLOIT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 126, 27 April 1940, Page 9

THRILLING EXPLOIT

CONVOY WITHOUT ESCORT. CAPTAIN’S SANGFROID. ENEMY EVADED. s (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (British. Official Wireless.) Received April 27, 12.5: a.m. RUGBY, April 26. The thrilling’ exploit is now revealed of a merchant captain who, hearing the news of the German invasion of Norway, took the responsibility of bringing a convoy of 37 ships across the North Sea without a naval escort.

Captain Pinkney had in a Norwegian fiord in his ship the Flyingdale (2918 tons), of Whitby, to lead the convoy when he was informed by a Swedish ship at 9 a.m. that German troops were at Bergen. The fiord where the convoy had assembled was narrow, and there was little room for the 37 ships to manoeuvre safely. While waiting orders to proceed a wireless message was brought up to the bridge instructing all British ships in Norwegian waters to sail immediately. Captain Pinkney turned his ship up the fiord and at that- moment saw the German tanker Skagerrak come round its southern corner. “She bolted back,” he says. Within a few hours the Skagerrak scuttled herself, but Captain Pinkney had seen her decks crowded with men. Here was proof that something unusual was happening, so the signal “Convoy proceed to sea at once!” was hoisted. NEUTRALS FOLLOW.

The first job of Captain Pinkney, upon whose shoulders the responsibility for the 37 merchant vessels had fallen, was to get the convoy safely away to sea. In the convoy there were 31 neutral ships which might not follow. Quietly, the Flyingdale moved slowly out to sea, and every neutral ship followed. At 4.30 p.m. the Flyingdale sighted threo warships hull down on the horizon. The other ships of the convoy sighted them, too, and their signals fluttered out, "What do you intend to do?" Captain Pinkney had to decide whether the warships were friends or foes. The warships altered course straight for the convoy, and he hoisted the signal to scatter The warships, however, were a British escort sent to meet the convoy—37 mo.e ships reached Britain safely!