MERCHANT SHIPPING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1939, Page 5

MERCHANT SHIPPING

BRITISH & NEUTRAL LOSSES LAST WEEK’S FIGURES. COMPARISON WITH GREAT WAR. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 27. The actual losses of British merchant ships in the week ended midnight. November 25, amounted to 11 ships, a total of 25,787 tons. These included four fishing trawlers which were unprotected and were sunk by U-boats in areas where immediate counteraction by anti-submarine forces is not to be expected. Four neutral ships were lost as the result of German action during the week. The neutral loss was almost as greatoas the British. This was due to the loss of the Japanese liner Terukuni Marti and the Italian ship Grazio by German mines and also the Dutch ship Sliedrech (5135 tons) torpedoed without warning by a U-boat in the Atlantic on November 16. news of which was not received till the few survivors reached shore this week. From the beginning of the war till November 25, a period of about three months, 131 ships have been sunk by German action, with a total tonnage of 483.911 tons. Of these 78 were British, ten French and 43 neutral. A comparison with the losses sustained in April, 1917, when the submarine unrestricted sinking campaign was at its height, shows that in that one month 196 British ships were sunk and in all 430 ships were lost by German action. RESCUE & REVENGE SUPPOSED DESTRUCTION OF U-BOAT. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, November 28. The survivors from the Pensilva have landed at Cardiff. They believe that the submarine responsible for the sinking fell a victim to depth charges from the warships rescuing them. The steamer Uskmouth has been sunk. Three members of the crew are missing. DANISH STEAMER SEIZED BY GERMANS. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) STOCKHOLM, November 28. A German warship seized the Danish steamer Cyril, while the last-named was awaiting a pilot outside Stockholm. The Cyril is carrying coal from Britain. The incident is interpreted as Germany’s first reply to the British and French embargo on German exports. RISKS RATES REDUCED OUTWARD VOYAGES FROM . MEDITERRANEAN. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON. November 28. War risk insurance rates between the Mediterannean ami Australia and New Zealand have been reduced to £2 per cent for Allied flags ami 30s for neutrals.