Submarine menace

British merchant ships sunk

Success at la Bassee

French setback in the Argonne

Judging from certain facts connected with the submarine attacks upon our merchant shipping an opportunity to save themselves is still given to captains and crews and as long as the condition prevails our energies will be better spent in preventive measures than abusing the enemy.

If the raiding is carried out on a large scale it is likely to develop into a very serious matter for us but it is too soon to get scared.

The probability is that the danger will not last long as it was before Christmas that Admiral Von Tirpitz bade us prepare for a submarine campaign against merchant shipping.

Attack on British commerce

Four steamers sunk

Crews given ten minutes to leave

Destruction of several small merchant steamers in the Irish Sea was no surprise to any who had taken notice of the threats of German publicists and naval officers or has followed previous events. The presence of enemy submarines has frequently been reported of the west cost of Scotland in St George’s channel and in the Irish Sea.

Admiral Von Tirpitz made the remark at Christmas in an American journal that the larger type of our boats could remain out for as long as 14 days at a time and there can be no doubt that German submarines have been able to remain away from their base for much longer periods.

Naturally it is to the advantage of a boat if it can obtain supplies in the neighbourhood of the water where it is proposed to work and the shores of Ireland and Scotland have been searched for such bases.

The German submarine said to be the U21 has also been credited with sinking the Pathfinder earlier in the war. The crews from the steamers attacked were landed at Fleetwood and also Douglas, Isle of Man. Each of the vessels were close to the Liverpool coastline when they were sunk. Uneasiness has also been felt in shipping circles for the safety of the liner Highland Brae which has not been seen since she left Vigo, January 6 for Montevideo, high quotes for re-insurance have been quoted.

Murderous attack No warning given The London Star states that the crew of one of the steamers, the Tokomaru which was torpedoed, are now in London. A member of the crew interviewed by a Star representative said “ the Tokomaru was torpedoed by a German submarine without any warning whatsoever, and so far as the captain and crew know or care, we may all have been drowned”

Mr Johnston, the carpenter stated that the torpedo struck them midship carrying away the bulwarks and smashing the bridge. The captain and third officer who were on the bridge had seen the periscope of the submarine as she approached and they saw her wake as she made off but nobody else on board saw her. SOS was sent out and they received replies from all around.

It was claimed that these acts were pure piracy and entirely outside the laws of war.