Interned Submarine.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 November 1918, Page 6

Interned Submarine.

MENACE TO THE ALLIES.

SPANISH PORT INCIDENT. A full investigation of the facts concerning the internment in the Spanvalue as a depot from which to organise tonnage destruction on this coast is considerable; and by her internment ish port of Santander of the German submarie U.C. 56 reveals a serious state of affairs, says the special correspondent of the Times. The following are the facts:’— The submarine came into Santander on the morning of May 21 under her own power, her engines being observed to be working freely ahead and astern. She was immediately taken charge of by the port authorities, and an armed guard put on board pending an official examination. She carried no torpedoes, but was fitted as .ai mine-layer. Her captain is Commander Reisser, form-

crly chief officer of the Hamburg-Ame-rican liner Spreewald, and, be it well noted, extremely well acquainted with this, part of the Spanish coast. Ho made several statements as to his movements and his reasons for coming in, but as. one of these "Statements was that he had left Zeebrugge, on May 12, the truth of the remainder may be regarded as, to say the least, doubtful. Engineer-Inspector Don Joachim Concas,, of the Spanish Navy, made a thorough inspection of the vessel, and also directed the removal of such essential parts of her machinery, including all spare parts, as would make it impossible for her to be moved under her own power. She was then, on May 28, towed round to Maliano, an isolated place some three miles up the harbour,, and a Spanish gunboat was - moored j alongside her. ' Her crew were taken to Alcala do Henares, near Madrid, and interned there —with six important exceptions. The commander, a petty officer, and four skilled mechanics were .allowed to remain in Santander, the commander giving his parole. He took a house within a few hundred yards of the submarine and a long way from any other house or building and lives there with five members of his crew. The batteries of the submarine are kept fully charged. Since her arrival in Santander signalling seawards has been repeatedly observed, a projector of great

power being used; and two illicit wireless transmitters have been detected sending signals in cypher. And only the other day a,French ship was sunk a few miles away—l believe within territorial waters —and 'her crew murdered in the sea after the manner of the company of the Llandovery Castle.

On examination of the submarine it was found that two main bearings, that of the oil motor on the starboard side that of the electric motor on the port, or vice versa, had been burned out, as though the lubrication had been deliberately cut off and the bearings allowed to run hot. The engineer inspector said' that he could sec no sufficient reason for her coming in. But, being a small boat of an old type, her the Germans have the advantage of placing a highly experienced officer in Santander to do the work.

What any person of common sense will at once ask is, What possible reason can justify the commander’s being allowed to remain in the one spot from which he can best organise the destruction of Spanish and allied shipping? This Santander incident is only one of many things which have been, and are being, bungled or neglected; but the millions of money, to say nothing of the lives, involved in our shipping trade with Santander alone are allowed to remain in jeopardy while the German Ambassador takes his family for an afternoon excursion to see the submarine and congratulate her commander on the work he is doing for the Fatherland!