Evening star., 1939-10-29


ing the City of Flint:
The City Of Flint was captured
by German cruiser at an esti-
mated distance of some 1850 miles
from New York, with a mixed cargo
destined for British ports The date
of capture is understood to have
been October 9.
The City of Flint was taken into
the harbor of Tromso on October
81, with German crew and flying
the German flag. After remaining
two hours to take water, it was Or
dered by the Norwegian govern
ment to depart. which it did.
The City of Flint was taken into
the harbor of Murmansk on the
evening of October %.
On october Is the American
Charge d'Affaires cabled from Ber-
lin that the foreign Office at its
press conference said that the City
of Flint was captured by a Ger
man vessel and contraband was
found on board, destined for Eng
land. The foreign Office then
added that it was found, however,
that the ship was unseaworthy in
that it did not have navigation
charts adequate for bringing the
ship into a German port.
| When the vessel entered the har-
Dor of Murmansk, according to an
announcement presumably from
the Soviet Government through the
Tass news agency, "the naval forces
at the port of Murmansk have
temporarily held the vessel and in
termed the German crew."
German Crew Released.
On October Is the American
Charge d'Affaires at Berlin cabled
that the German Foreign Office,
referring to the seizure of the City
OF Flint, said that "the German
authorities were communicating
with the Soviet authorities in the
matter"
On the same day October 25)
the Tass agency reported that 1.-The
German crew of the cargo steamer
City Of Flint has been released from
1nternment by the maritime au-
thorities of Murmansk in view of
the fact, as has been established
that the vessel was brought into
port for repair of her machiner>
The vessel is, meanwhile, remain
Ing IN Murmansk for verification of
the exact composition of her cargo =
On October 26 the American
Charge d'Aftaires cabled from Ber-
lin quoting memorandum received
that morning from the foreign Office
relative to the City of Flint and
It's crew, which among other things
stated that "a prize crew placed on
board tthe City of Flint has
brought the steamer into the har-
Dor of Murmansk because of sea
damage When transmitting the
memorandum an official of the for
elgn office stated informally to the
charge that the foreign Office had
no details as to the damage which
necessltated taking the ship tc
Murmansk, but he maintained, in
response to an inquiry, that the
term damage" would cover the case
OF ship lacking charts with which
10 navigate the waters through
which she had to proceed.
For some reason as vet uneX-
planned, the German crew was in
termed in spite of the fact that. &C
cording to the German authorities
they were without charts and had
put into Murmansk because they
could not proceed to a German port
without charts. Later they were re-
leased, seemingly under a plea that
their entry into Murmansk was re.
quired for necessary repairs to de-
fective machinery.
New Reason Advanced.
A prize crew may take a captured
ship into neutral port without in.
ternment only in case of stress oi
weather, want of fuel and provisions
or necessity of repairs. In all other
cases the neutral is obligated tc
intern the prize crew and restore
the vessel to her former crew.
The conclusion from the foregoing
facts and circumstances indicates
that when the City of Flint entered
the harbor at Murmansk, any plea
relating to the chart requirements
if. advanced. must have been ignored
since the German crew was in
termed. A second and entirely diff
ferent reason for entering Muir
mansk, namely. defective machin.
cry which called for immediate re-
pairs, was not advanced until later
A subsequent cable from the Ameri-
can Charge de'Affaires at Berlin
also dated October 26, quoted a
statement of the foreign office at its
Il =