Evening star., 1939-09-04
Ships
Continued From First Page. }

NSolbiiuCu TlOIIl T II 81 1dRc.J
submarine warfare during which
Germany sent 5,408 allied and neu-
trail vessels to the bottom during
the World War.
The Queen Mary. holder of the
world speed record for passenger
liners, made the perilous voyage
with her ports blackened, her radio
silent to keep her exact position a
secret from German U-boats.
Bremen's Position Unknown.
Many British and French craft
and some German and Polish ships
were in danger of sinking or seizure.
among them the $40 600, 900 Bremen.
pride of the German merchant
marine and the chief potential prize
for patroling British gunboats.
The $50 900 900 French luxury liner
Normandie, the Queen Mary's only
rival in size and speed, was berthed
indefinitely in her Hudson River
pier. saved from possible destruction
by the foresight of French officials
who Cancelled her sailing Friday.
The exact position of the Bremen
was unknown The German liner.
which sailed from here last Wednes-
day without passengers after being
delayed 40 hours by United States
customs officials searching for war
weapons, was believed by some Ship
ping men to have sought the safety
OF South American port. A re-
port that the liner had been seized
by British warships was denied.
The Bremen would be in the war
zone now, if it headed for its home
port. Wireless messages to the ship
were not acknowledged. Even Of
ficials of the Hamburg American
North German Lloyd Line, the ships
owner, professed not to know it's
position.
Thousands Still Stranded.
With thousands of tourist Amer
leans still stranded in Europe and
clamoring for immediate passage
home, the United States Lines re-
vamped its schedules, speeding up
sailings to meet the emergency.
Commercial shipping to European
areas was semi-paralyzed, but Brit
ish vessels doggedly plowed danger
GUS sea lanes, risking destruction in
the belief they would be protected
by destroyers flying the Union Jack
and spotted strategically against the
menace of sub-surface raiders.
First to leave an American port
was the 600-foot Cunard liner Ca
rinthia, carrying in her brig the first
German prisoner seized by a British
ship - blond and beautiful Helen
Mutterer. 27, stewardess- -linguist.
She was taken off the Cunard-
White Star liner Georgia, where she
had worked five years.
Ships officers said F'raulein Nut
terer was a willing captive and had
told them she preferred to return
to England than to 60 back to
Germany.
Carinthia Camoufiaxed.
The Carinthia, which sailed yes
terday under sealed orders of the
British admiralty. was wearing a
camouf1age of mud gray paint. As
the vessel slipped out to sea with
only 70 passengers it's crew lined
the decks. Some shouted:
you'll be over before long"
At New Orleans the freighter
Vermont of Compagnie General
Trans-Atlantique was reported an
chored in the Mississippi River
waiting for orders to sail for France
The freighter was loaded with 20
airplanes and general cargo.
John M. Franklin, president of the
United States Lines, said the Presi-
dent Roosevelt, the Manhattan, the
Washington and the President Har-
ding would be sent back to Europe
ahead of schedule and provided with
extra cots to speed the return of
Americans.
approximately 20 American YES
sells were cooperating in this task.
Positions Of Atlantic Ships.
A summary of positions and avail
able schedules Of passenger ships
plying the Atlantic follows:
French.
lie de France, sailed Sunday from
Havre for New York with many
American passengers; Champlain,