Sea Raiders

Southland Times, Issue 24227, 10 September 1940, Page 6

Sea Raiders

IT HAS now been revealed that a British freighter was captured by a German raider near Norfolk Island three months ago. Possibly this is the raider which attacked the Turakina in the Tasman Sea, and it will not be surprising if othei' losses are traced to the' same source. So far, however, the work of surface raiders has caused little interference with Britain’s overseas trade. Even during the last war, when some notable voyages were made by German “pirates,” the results were not as important as they seemed while rumours of von Luckner’s exploits were disturbing public opinion. Of the 6604 ships destroyed by enemy action in 1914-18, only 191 vessels (approximately one-thirtyfourth of the total number) were sunk by armed merchantmen or surface warships. Today the opportunities for raiders are much fewer. Improvements in wireless and the introduction of air reconnaissance have made it harder for enemy ships to evade their pursuers. The best results in the present war have been gained by pocket battleships; but even the Graf Spee, a fast and powerful vessel, was unable to survive for more than two or three months. If a raider is to remain at large, it must operate in wide stretches of water, which means that it can find only a few victims in comparatively , long periods. The appearance of an enemy ship near the main trade routes may be a symptom of daririg; but it can also mean that the commanding officer is anxious to justify his existence, or to replenish stores, after a lengthy and unfruitful cruise. At such times there is a good chance that his attacks on merchant ships will end abruptly.