New-York tribune., 1918-06-13
The Vindeggen Held Pris-
oner Two Days 200
Miles Of Virginia
68 Survivors Arrive
On Danish Vessel
The Henrik Lund Falls Into
Trap; Crews Believe Sub
marine on Way Home

Two Norwegian steamships. the
,lindeggen and Henrik Lund. were
sunk by German U-boat last Monday
sbopt 200 miles each of Cape Charles,
Va, according to sixty-eight men of
their crews, who reached an Atlantic
port last night.
The undersea raider bagged it's most
valuable victim thus far when it sent
to the bottom the Vindeggen. a vessel
of l.62S tons net, for that ship was
loaded with $500 tons of copper inRots.
estimated to be worth more than ST.
100000. and of almost priceless worth
IN making munitions of war. In addi-
ton, the Vindeggen had on board sew
eral hundred bales of wool.
Eighty tons of the copper ingots
mersible before the steamship was
sunk by bombs. the crews of both
steamers being impressed to make the
transfer. After their ships had been
blown up the members Of the crew. in
iifehoats, were towed until the. U-boat
captain sighted the Danish steamship
Brosund, which was asked to take the
survivors aboard. The U-boat sub
merged, and the Brosund raced to an
Atlantic port without molestatlon.
Transfer Copper for Two Days
The vindeggen was stopped by the
u-boat on June 8, at $3.50 p. m. She
had been chartered especially for this
trip by the American Smelling and
Refining Company, and had left Val
paraiso. .G4npn May 20, for New
York. S1yI 200 bars of copper as the
nsiEpart OTHER cargo.
According to the crew, the U-boat
hiled the vindeggen and os1ered her
hstop. A German officer and a party
Z ofsailors came on board and examined
the ships papers When it was dis
covered that the cargo was copper,
metal of priceless value to Germany at
present, no time was lost in starting
to transfer some of it to the U-boat's
hold.
The Vindeggen's crew were ordered
to man the lifeboats. and to use them
in getting the copper to the diver. For
two days the transshipment continued,
the U-boat commander keeping sharp
lookout meanwhile for American de-
Btroyers, presumed to be rowing up and
down the coast on watch. To make
their work doubly safe, the U-boat
passed line to the Vindeggen, and,
while the looting proceeded at good
pace, the submarine towed the steam
ship in northerly direction at slow
pace, thereby changing the location, in
case they should be sighted.
Second Ship Trapped
1t was on Monday, when the transfer
had been almost completed, that .he
second vessel, the Henrik Lund, hove
IN sight. She was a steel steamship of
1922 tons, owned by W. Gilbert, of
Berger, Norway, on her way from Nor
iolk for her first visit to New York.
She was in the trade between Phila-
dephia and South America.
:, According to the survivors, Captain
Aaitenborg, of the Lund, seeing the
sindeggen motionless, without sighting
The U-boat on the further side, ap-
preached to render assistance. When
!. was too late for escape, the subma-
iine popped up, her commander or
aered the crew to the boats, and ut:l-
a1ed them to finish the transfer of the
copper gBs ,..s ,om.,..., ,ou,,. u.p.
placed on both steamers, and at 6:17
Z. m. on June 10 they were blown p.
Instead of leaving the seamen to row
.he 200 miles to shore. as had been
gone with other vessels sunk, the u
eoat took the lifeboats in tow and
beaded again in northerly. directi On,
until she came upon the Brosund.
Crews Put on Danish Ship
This tiny Danish steamship, of only
ess tons, was stopped by the U-boat
shd ordered to take the sixty-eight
mea, with Captain Kaltenborg and Cap
am Balmestad, of the Vindeggen, on
seafo. She was not molested, for some
strange reason, and the U-boat disap-
~, - the sunken steamships had been
ssen care of. The Brosund reached
s. Atlantic port, still towing two Of
w hfeboats used in the rescue.
s..N Is believed that the Uboat, with
cargo Of copper, is probably on it's
~ back to its home base in Ger
csny, the metal being Of greater i'm
EMnee than possible victims in the
sSS1sn sssn Atlantic. The fact that the Vim
en was towed by the U-boat is
n es'.ssed to have give rise to reports
ss,s mother ship" which supplied the
plaer. The submarine seen OF Asbury
f,slH Few days ago getting packages
~ 49, vessel offshore. il is now pre-
~ ns9o, had probably stopped her in the
manner as the Vindeggen, al
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