ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1918, Page 7

ON THE SEA.

THE KONINGEN REGENTES. NO MINES IN VICINITY. GERMAN MINES TO DESTROY REPATRIATED MEN. London, June IG. The Admiralty Reports that the area within five miles of the position in which the Koningen Regentes was sunk has been carefully searched but no mines were found. We swept up nine new German moored inines between the 2nd and 7th of June in the track used only by Dutch vessels employed in the repatriation of British and German prisoners, and which was'guaranteed safe by the British and German Gvernments. These mines were not within 50 miles of the positions in which the Koningen Regentes sunk. It is clear that, the mines were laid to catch the repatriation vessels on their passage west, and that the submarine which laid them remained on the route to sink ships on the eastern journey if, as proved to be the case, they had not beei already sunk with British repa> triated prisoners aboard while on the way to Boston. It is remarkable that on this occasion the number of German prisoners repatriated was exceptionally small, being 67, and of these none were aboard the Koningen Regentes.