The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-30

| f1reQ WOuld nave been 11reu aG Lnem They were able to do so because the Loyalist ship was then in British waters.
 Armed Guard On Board
 As soon as the Jose Luis Diez had been grounded, and sent its wound ed men ashore to hospital in Gihral- ta-. Gen. Sir Edmund Ironside, com- mander- chief and governor-gen- eral of Gibraltar, put 8 strong Brit ish armed guard aboard it, with or- ders to repel any attack. It was understood that the escort was un- der the command of British gen. eral officer. There were indications that a serious international inci- dent might result from one of the most dramatic incidents of the Spanish civil war.
 Gun fire from Nationalist warships did severe damage to the British village of Catalan Bay. Of the Britt ish subjects wounded one, a police man on duty at the time, was in serious condition.
 Gen. Ironside, the commander-in -in- chief, took personal charge of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Nationalist attack. LOyalist Ship in Shelter For weeks the Jose Luis Diez had been sheltering at Gibraltar. Long ago, it had been refitted at 8 French port on the Bay of Biscay. It sought to run the Straits of Gibraltar and, in the open Mediterranean raid Na- tionalist warships. The Mathematics were waiting when, the first time, it tried by night to get through the Straits. It was driven into British waters, severaly damaged. Again it was ref1tted. The Nationalists were determined to get 1t and they kept a fleet in the Bay of Gibraltar lay and night awaiting its second try for safety.
 Even since Christmas two Nation aliSt cruisers had been circling slow ly about the bay. On Tuesday the crack insurgent cruiser Canarias en- tered the bay, anchored near the en- trance to Admiralty harbor, which is in British waters, and trained its guns on the Republican destroyer. It then steamed away.
 Second Try For Safety
 At 8. m. today the Jose Luis Diez made its second try for safety. The little ship got up steam, moved of, put on all the speed it had and laid down a smoke screen to con- ceal itself.
 "As we dashed of we distinctly saw someone signaling to sea with rockets from a house in Gibraltar" a member of the crew told the United Press.
 A Nationalist warship which had been stationed just east of Gibral- tar was first to take up the pursuit. It closed with the Jose Luis Diez as it rounded the tip of the care.
 Six more Nationalist warships joined.
 People in Gibraltar startled from their sleep as the guns roared. In the village of Catalan Bay, on the east side of the cape, Nationalist shells began striking. Two of them wrecked the electric light plant and the village was plunged into dark ness.
 The British destroyer Vance was ordered out to investigate. AS it raced around the corner of tke rock" the great land batteries at Ceuta, across the Straits on the Spanish Morocco coast, got into &C., tion.
 Alarm Is Ordered
 Gen. Ironside ordered the alarm given. The entire garrison including the artillery corps was called to ac- ton. The gun crews were ordered to fire blank shells to warn the Na- tionalist ships that the Jose Luis Diez was in British waters ard that they were sending shells into Brit ish territory ashore. Out in the black Mediterranean, the little Jose Luis Diez was fight ing gamely against the seven ships which engaged it.
 Its torpedo tubes were manned and Its guns replied to the blasts from the Nationalist fleet. A shell struck the destroyer's forecastle and killed four men and wounded II.
 The Nationalist ships began clos- ing in. They got within machine gun range, and the Jose Luis Diey be- gan firing their machine guns at the enemy fleet. One of the machine guns exploded and more men were wounded.
 Hopeless Captain Has Revenge
 The Nationalist destroyed Jupiter noSed in between the Jose Luis Diez and the British shore to mak7 its escape impossible. The Jose Luis Diez's captain realizing that his fight was hopeless but that he had one chance to do more damage to the Nationalist fleet.
 As the Jupiter neared the Jose Luis Diez there came . shout from its de-k:
 "Surrender!"
 The answer of the Republican destroyer's captain was to turn the