Evening star., 1939-10-29
All Shipping Nations
Feeling Effects Of
Sea Warfare
Britoin's Export Trade
Down, Reich's Gone,
NeutroIs Hard Hit


Down, Reich's Gone,
NeutroIs Hard Hit
By the Associated Press.
The struggle being waged by sub
marines, warships, planes and armed
merchantmen for control of the high
sea trade routes has struck at al
most every nation in the world, a
survey at the close of the eighth
week of the European war showed
yesterday.
The United States, whose S. 8.
City of Flint aroused the chief COM
motion during the past week, has
not yet had q ship destroyed but
the war. nevertheless, has left its i'm
print on Its shipping.
Further effects will come later, for
under the revised Neutrality Act
passed by the Senate and now be-
fore the House. United States ships
will be barred from belligerent wa
ters-a rule which shippers say will
force the tie-up of many vessels
which have operated for years in
the European trade.
England admitted that in the first
month of the war her export trade
had dropped AZ per cent She en-
barked on a campaign of mass pro-
duction of small freighters in an
attempt to retrieve the loss.
Germany's ships were practically
wiped off the seas by the superior
British Navy. England and the
United States both saw a chance to
take over her rich South American
trade
Mediterranean trade suffered .
severe blow when Germany began
attacking ships as they entered or
left the Straits of Gibraltar.
Scandinavians Lose Ships.
The Scandinavian countries have
lost 20 ships to German U-boats
and mines. Scores have been seized
by the British, French, Germans and
Russians.
The known loss Of all nations was
SO ships with a gross tonnage of
more than 399.3l9
The death toll rose to at lease
1,S45 with the reported finding Of
Sc German bodies in U-boat wrecks
off England and France and the re-
ported loss of IS lives on an uniden-
titled British freighter.
Britain has suffered SO known
losses, including five naval vessels.
Germany 10 and France 6. The %
known neutral losses were divided as
follows: Norway. 8; Sweden. Z; Fin
land. 4: Netherlands, 3: Greece, 3:
Denmark, l: Russia, /; Belgium, !;
Rumania, /.
Reported British losses during the
eighth week totaled seven-the
Whitemantle, Sea Venture, Stone
gate, Ledbury, Menin Ridge, Tafna
and Clan Chisholm.
The last four were lost near Gil
braltar under conditions that indi-
Gated German U-boats had attacked
a convoy.
Neutral Vessels Sunk.
The Greek freighter Kohstantinos
Hadiipateras and the Swedish
freighter Albania were torpedoed
during the week. The Greek vessel
was carrying scrap iron from Bos-
ton to England ef
German claims Of victory at sea
differed sharply from the results
reported. They asserted that lis
merchant ships aggresating ATS 32l
tons had been destroyed.
Germany admitted yesterday that
she had lost three submarines, bas-
ing the statement on their long alb
sence.' which also differed from
British claims.
Winston Churchill. first lord of
the English admiralty. said October
II that about third N Ger
manys 60 U-boats had been de-
stroyed. Since then the English
have claimed three additional sink
lngs and have found one washed
ashore.
Britain admitted Yesterday she
had lost 81 ships totalling 2lO021
tons, exclusive of the Royal Oak
and Courageous, although her pre-
viously announced ship-by- ship
loses had totaled but 46.
Warship Loss Costly.
The British cash loss in warships
for the first So days of the war
exceeded their loss for a similar
period in the World War. though
the number of ships was smaller.
The value of the Courageous and
Royal Oak was placed at $35 900 900.
In the World War England had lost
eight smaller ships valued at $32,-
985 900.
The high lights of the week were
the German capture of the City Of
Flint and the appearance of the
German pocket battleships' Ad-
miral Scheer and Deutschland on
the high seas.
The State Departments an
nouncement that 81 American ves-
sells. including the City Of Flint. had
been detained by belligerents
illustrated the handicap under
which ships were sailing.
Other developments yesterday
were the landing by an unnamed
vessel of 81 survivors Of the British
freighter Tafna at Gibraltar; and
the landing of 80 German sailors at
a Scottish port by British armed