Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-15
Greek Cruiser
Torpedoed Off
Island Base
Communications Cut
As Athens-Rome
Tension Rises
BULLETIN.


ATHENS R.-The Greek
government, acting shortly
after the sinking of the 2,115-
ton Greek cruiser Helle by an
unidentified submarine was
announced, issued an order
tonight forbidding all Greek
ships to leave port.
BY the Associated Press.
ATHENS, Aug. 15.-All telephone
communication with Rome was sew
cred today shortly after the gov
eminent announced the sinking OF
the light cruiser Helle by an UNI
Identified submarine.
The Helle, a 2,ll5-ton American
built vessel, was torpedoed in limos
Island harbor in the Aegean Sea
One petty officer was lost and %
crew members were injured.
The crew attempted to run the
ship aground, but fuel oil escaping
on the water caught fire and forced
abandonment. The ship quickly
went down.
Chiefs of the army. navy and air
force were summoned Immediately
after the sinking was announced
for a conference with Premier John
Metaxas.
The cruisers nationality was
plainly marked. an ofiicial an
nouncement said, and q mistake in
identity would have been virtually
impossible.
Tension Increasing.
The torpedoing occurred as Ital-
ian and Greek relations became in
creasinely tense because of the re-
cent Italian press campaign charg-
ing Greece was violating her neu-
ttrality by being too friendly with
Britain.
Premier Metaxas, who had met
for many hours with GEN Papa
gos. chief Of the army staff. and
cabinet members in an unprec-
edented long night discussion on
Italian-Greek tension, hurriedly
summoned = press conference for
reports of the sinking.
Immediately afterward strict CEN
sorship was applied to outgoing tele-
phone calls.
(The Helle was built for China
as the Hei Fung in 1912 at the
Camden, N. j., yards Of the New
York Shipbuilding Co., and pur-
chased by Greece in 1914. James
Fighting Ships lists it as a mine
layer, formerly a cruiser. She
was armed with three 6-inch guns
and two torpedo tubes and could
carry 100 mines.)
British Use of Base Charged.
One Of the Italian charges in the
strengthening press campaign has
been that the British Mediterranean
fleet was using the Greek island har-
Dor as base.
Premier Metaxas' night confer
ences were interpreted by foreign
observers as indicating Greece is
preparing her defenses should Italy
back up newspaper threats with an
attack from Albania.
Persons who saw the attack on
the Helle said they had observed no
submarine or periscope in the har-
boz
Naval experts began at once to
collect fragments of the torpedoes
which hit the quay and were to re-
port to Metaxas when the type and
manufacture were determined.
Can authoritative British source
Gin London said no British SUBJ
marine was in the vicinity of
Tinos Island, and added that
Italian submarines were known
to have been operating there.)
The Island of Tinos is famous as
a place Of pilgrimage for the sick
and infirm from all over Greece on
August Is. Customarily as many as
10000 pilgrims flock to the island
on that day to pray before an icon in
the village church and to wash in
a fountain whose waters are popu-
larly supposed to have curative
powers.
As further indication of prepared.
(see GREECE, Page A-1e0