Evening star., 1941-06-20
Atlantic Sinkings Up
Despite Drop in May
Total, British Say
46l ,328 Tons Of Ships
Sent Down Lost Month,
Admiralty Announces
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON. June 20-Britain an
nounced today drop in her total
shipping losses in MAY. but authori-
tative sources said sinkings in the
battle of the Atlantic were growing
and the number of German SUBJ
marines apparently increasing de
spite the fact that We have taken
heavy toll
The total for May was given as
46l 1923 tons, drop of 1898 from
April. But new, corrected figures
for Britain's April losses made that
the most disastrous month of the
war with total of 581,25l tons de-
stroyed (The previous Admiralty
figure for April was $4,000 tons)
And, it was said authoritatively, the
tonnage sunk in the Atlantic itself
increased in May over April.
The surmise that more German
submarines yere at work on the
vital Atlantic commerce lanes, this
source said. is based on all figures,
including the number of attacks
made by our defenses against sub
marines, the number of targets our
shipping was presented. the number
OF known losses of our ships and
the kills of U-boats."
Specific figures were not given.
It was stated authoritatively, how
ever, that:
/. The general decrease in mer-
chant shipping tonnage sunk
dropped due to a slackening of sea
warfare in other areas, not in the
Atlantic:
2. The number OF attacks on Ger
man submarines since March lis
record"
Cutters Highly Praised.
These sources said a number of
newly acquired United States Coast
Guard cutters are operating in the
Atlantic and are proving to be
very fine ships"
They reported an improvement
in one area of the Atlantic battle
ground which formerly was
profitable hunting ground for sub
maj AllCo dllh NCI1dl Gu IllC NCl Illdll
undersea and air raiders had been
compelled to change their tactics
and go further afleld.
Authoritative sources asserted
that the total of British, Allied and
neutral losses for the war to the
end of May were 1889 ships OF
6.702,807 tons with the breakdown
as follows:
British, 1,008 ships of 1902, AS
tons; Allied, 3l4 ships OF 1.4l1.543
tons, and neutral, 317 ships of 9S8,-
8l9 tons.
These sources said that losses OF
the past II months had averaged
AL, TAO tons.
Nav Losses Include 90 Ships.
The May losses were listed at 90
vessels In citing the May tonnage.
the Admiralty said the Axis had
claimed 86l, ,460.
The Admiralty said the May
figures Include losses suffered in the
Eastern Mediterranean during mill
tary operations.
The Germans claim to have sunk
during the month of May, 805.000
tons of merchant shipping" the
announcement continued. The
Italians have been content with a
claim of $4,000 tons. making a total
enemy claim of 861 ,460 tons.
The Admiralty said that losses of
German and italian vessels and of
ships useful to the enemy" during
May were estimated at 299, 900 tons
and that the total of these losses
from the beginning of the war to
June 10 was estimated at 3,211 900
tons-1 $4,000 tons of German
ships, 1.293,000 Italian and $4,000
useful to the enemy"
Breakdown of May Losses.
The May losses we're divided thus:
British, 355, 5,032 tons; Allied, 92,20l,
and neutral. 14,095.
The announcement explained the
increase over the previously an
nounced figures for April was "due
mainly to further losses in connec-
ton with the evacuation from
Greece, the bulk of the tonnage so
lost being Greek"
Estimated German and Italian
losses included scuttlings and cap
lures as we'll as those sunk.
Corrected figures for other months
this year were: January, 309,73l;
February, 339 1888, and March, 505,-
$50.
The May figures. together with
the corrected reports for the pre-
ceding months, showed exactly 500
British, Allied and neutral ships re-
ported lost so far this year.