Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-04-02
Some Morse Vessels
Fleeing FROM Nazis,
May Have Escaped
AT Least Two Ships
Declared Sunk by
Germans in Dush
~ the Associated Press.

STOCKHOLM, April a. Ger
man warships blocking the Skag-
errak were declared today to
have sunk at least two of II
British chartered Norwegian
merchant ships which risked a
daring dash to England from
Goteborg, Sweden, and, although
several others were reported
turned back, the possibility was
held out that some might yet be
at large and racing toward
safety.
The merchantmen which slipped
out of Goteborg in binding snow
storm Tuesday night ran into a
blockade of Nazi warcraft which
had laid in wait for them since
the Germans found themselves UNI
able to seize control of the ships
through action in the Swedish
courts.
From the stories of fishermen and
residents of the little coastal towns
which shook with cannonading
Tuesday night and yesterday,
Swedish newspapers compiled this
record of the fate of the ships:
Two of the merchantmen, the
l2,358-ton whale Oil ship Skytteren
and the 6,222-ton Buccaneef, were
sunk by German gunfire almost rs
soon as they passed the emile
territorial limit outside Goteborg.
One Seen Burning.
One ship went aground; one was
seen burning at sea and perhaps
sank: two, cut off from hope of
escape, turned back into a Swedish
port yesterday afternoon. At least
two more were said to be returning,
perhaps damaged.
At least two large cargo vessels
were given at least fighting
chance of breaking through. Fish
ermen said they were last seen yes
terday, unchanged and racing for
the open sea.
Norwegian official circles said the
Skytteren and Buccaneer had been
sunk by a German destroyer and
lOuT dIIlleu u dWISlo.
The two ships which turned back
and regained the safety of Goteborg
harbor were identified as the $685.
ton Lionel and the 5,263to Dicto.
Altogether the ships tonnage
amounted to more than $4,000,
Besides the Skytteren, Buccaneer,
Lionel and Dicto, they were listed
-,
Charente, 1882 tons; Lind, 461 tons;
Gudvang, 1859 tons; Storsten, 5.343
tons; Rigmor, 6,305 tons; B. P. New
ton, 1O,324 tons, and Realf, 5000
tons.
Residents of shore towns said one
ship went down yesterday morning
west northwest of Maaseskjaer
Lighthouse. Another was said to
have sunk at noon.
Fishermen said third ship was
burning f1ercely, surrounded by Ger
man warships and armed trawlerS.
She had a gaping hole aft of her
engine room and flames were shoot
ing from her hold.
Believed Fired by Crew.
The fishermen expressed the be-
lief she had been set afire by her
crew to keep the ship out of German
hands.
Lifeboats stocked with provisions
but without occupants were seen
drifting.
The Social Demokraten said that
on the ships sent to the bottom
there probably had been considerable
loss of life,
"a Vichy report reaching Lon
don said gunflre of the Swedish
coast began about 2 or 3 am.
yesterday and lasted to about
noon. 1t quoted Swedish fresh
men as saying they saw life
boats filled with survivors from
sunken ShipS)
The nearest landfall across the
North Sea would be Aberdeen, about
500 miles from Goteborg, and the
fugitive ships would be in constant
danger of discovery by patroling
German air and naval forces vir-
tually until they were berthed in
the Scottish port.
Area Mined and Closely Patroled.
Even before reaching the open sea
for the final, 300-mile dash to join
Britain's merchant marine, they
would have to thread their way
through the mined and closely pa
troled Skagerrak. 1t separates the
German-held coasts of Norway and
Denmark, a perilous passage of
about 200 miles from Goteborg,
across the top of the Kattegat from
northernmoSt Denmark.
A British source in London said
there was no confirmation of any
attempt by the IL ships to run the
Nazi blockade. 1t was pointed out,
however, that the Admiralty holds
merchant ship movements in strict
silence which it would be unlikely
to break unless such an exploit were
announced later in a communique.
The IL Norwegian ships we're freed
from an order of arrest by Swedish
supreme court decision March IT.
The ships, laid up in Goteborg,
were requisitioned by the Norwegian
government before its fight to Eng
land and later were chartered by
British maritime interests. The
court ruled that the charters were
legal and the ships-valued at about
s25, 900 0OO-were entitled to clear
ance at any time.
The Germans had been attempt
ing to get control of the ships.