Evening star., 1937-12-13
AMERICAN SHIPS
BLOCKED IN RIVER
Roosevelt Must Decide on
Whether to Withdraw
Forces in China.

President Roosevelt and the State
Department must decide whether the
Yangtze River gunboats and other
vessels of the United States Asiatic
Fleet are to be withdrawn from the
Far East war zone, Naval officials here
said today.
They pointed out. however, that the
lower Yangtze is blocked as result
Of Chinese efforts to halt the Jap
anese advance, making it impossible
for vessels in the upper river to get
out at this time. The Chinese blocked
the lower river by sinking junks and
othe craft in the channel.
Boom Across YangtZe.
Studying maps OF the area and dis
patches today. officials here declared
that at Silver Island passage there is
. major boom across the river, halting
craft in the vicinity of Nanking. The
Navy Department said that practically
all American river gunboats are up
stream OF the Silver Island passage
So far, officials here said, not q single
Japanese war vessel has been able to
proceed up the river beyond this
point.
The American naval gunboats were
purposely kept in the interior of
China, officials here explained, so that
they could carry out their assigned
mission of protecting American lives
and property
United States naval vessels are sta
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o-American treaty Of 1858, and sub
sequent agreements. 1t is considered
doubtful here if the gunboats would
Withstand a trip across the Pacific
Ocean to the United States inasmuch
as they were fabricated in China
The U. S. S. Panay, just sunk near
Nanking in the Yangtze River, was
built in Shanghai, China, in 1928,
under authority of Congress.
=. OF Shallow Draft.
The gunboats in Uncle Sans
Yangtze patrol are purposely of shall
low draft SO that they can negotiate
the rapids and other shallow places
on the great river of China.
The Panay had draft of only S
feet inches. She was constructed
at the Kiangnan dock, an engineering
works, Shanghai, China, and her cost,
exclusive of main engines, bullet
proof steel and certain auxiliaries is
placed at S234,770.
She was authorized to be built
under act of December 18, 1924, and
the contract for her construction was
signed on March /. 1926, her keel
being laid in December of that year
and she was launched on Armistice
Day, 1927. The Panay was finally
commissioned on September 10. 1928.
The gunboat was equipped with two
3-inch 5O-caliber guns and ten 30
caliher guns as a secondary armament
She contained l cabin, accommoda-
ton for 6 ward room officers, 8
petty officers and so other enlisted
men.
The Panay was 1911 feet inch in
length over all, had length on the
water line Of $50 feet, had an ex-
trcine beam of % feet l inch, and
she had displacement Of only $50
tons, which is much. smaller than
the destroyers which are frequent
visitors at the Washington Navy Yard,
for the newest type are Of l 500 tons
displacement and some are 800 tons
The Panay had a maximum draft Of
612 feet. Her designed speed was Is
knots per hour. She was propelled by
fuel oil and had two smoke pipes and
two mastS
Others on China Duty.
The other gunboats which the United
States Navy has doing duty on the
China rivers are the u S. S. Guam,
Luzon, Mindanao, Monocacy, which is
named for the river near Frederick.
Md; the Oahu, the Paios and the
Tutuila
Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, COM
mander in chief of. the United States
Asiatic Fleet, stationed at Shanghai,
who has insisted that full protection
be given American citizens, is expected
to make comprehensive report short
" on the Panay sinking to the Navy
Department.
The United States has armed forces
ut Peiping, where there are nearly 800
United States Marines: at Tientsin,
where there are nearly 800 United
States Army troops, and about 2,700
Marines at Shanghai. In addition
there is the United States Asiatic
Fleet, of which the Yangtze River
patrol is part. The patrol not only
protects American lives and property
on China's great waterway, but aids
commerce on the river which is in