The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-03-31

n :
Ships
(Centinued From Page IL
ties here maintained 4 stony
silence, pending Instructions
from the foreign offices, but the
master OF one Italian ship call
ed the step IAN act q war;"
In Ill, some 800. 900 tons Of
shippins were taken into pro-
tective Federal custody BY the
coast guard In q rapid-firs series
Of operations from New Eng
land to the Gulf coast and the
Pacific northwest. There were
two German ships, % Italian
and more than 80 Of Danish reg
istry.
Twenty of the italian ships,
officials said, had been put
completely out of business
and Captain Ranise Ernesto o1
the Italian freishter Mongioia
taken over, at Galveston, Texas,
said he had received orders from
the italian naval attache al
Washington to destroy the ma
chinery of his ship. Informed
Of this statement, the naval at
tache refused to discuss the sub
ject. The masters Of some 9th
er Italian vessels, however, man.
ifested no surprise when the
coast guard details came aboard
as if they had been expecting
just such . visitation.
Officials here were of the
opinion that there was good
ground for the belief that other
hemisphere nations would fol-
low the example Of the United
States In taking over the Axis
shipping which has used their
harbors as sanctuaries since the
start of the war.
It was pointed out that other
hemisphere countries long have
been considering steps to gel
control Of such idle tonnage.
Chile took the lead in mid.
February by Selling three Dan
ish cargo ships. Other Ameri-
can countries have indicated q
disposition to take similar action
but were believed to have wait
ed on q decision by the United
States.
Germany has about 40 ships
in Latin American ports, and
Italy considerably fewer.
The government here was be-
lieved to have acted primarily
because Of the reported discov-
cry of sabotage but the decis-
ion may also have been influ-
enced by the indications Of Q
concerted German-ltalian at-
tempt to get as many Axis ships
as possible out Of hemisphere
ports.
Some Axis ships put out t.
sea from South American ports
during the week end to try Il
break through the British block
ade, and others apparently were
getting ready to depart.
II was the discovery of syste.
matte sabotage - IS reported
by the navy's intelligence serv-
ice - that started the swift
march Of weekend events.
The freighter villaperosa, an.
chored these many months a
Wilmington, N. c., was the shiT
that touched off the surprising
train of events, II was learned
On Saturday, naval officials de-
cided that il was more desira'
BILE to have her moored some
distance up the river from hel
anchorage. When they boarded
her, they found her machinery
completely diAmantled.
Acting promptly upon thi.
discovery, the Navy intelligence
found other evidence which
strengthened the suspicion that
widespread, systematic sabotage
was in progress, Il was said.
The information was laid 81
once before President Roose'
welt, and Il YVES with his ap'
prevail that the coast guard got
its orders for the abrupt and
surprising rush-of activity which
nut the Axis md Danish ship
ping In Federal custody.
The government acted under
= World. War anti-sabotage sta.
tute which authorizes the coast
guard % assume custody of for.
elm uhipe and remove their
crews when . captain permit,
wilful damage to the vessel. Thi.
law also provides that any ship
MT actually has been sabotag.
q my b declared forfeited
- ~ United States.