From
THE COMMODORE, HONGKONG.
Data
8th February 1935.
To
The Commander-in-Chief, China Station.
Subject:- Report on Piracy of the s.s. TUNGCHOW.
75
The following report on the recent piracy of the
8.8. TUNGCHOW 18 submitted.
2.
The Tungchow" is one of the ships of the China Naviga- tion Company, Limited, and is normally employed between Shanghai and the northern ports. She is an old ship, built in 1914. She has flush decks fore and aft, and is grilled in the fore and aft passages between decks. This is the most that can be done without cooping up the Chinese passengers below decks with ship's side grilles, which the Board of Trade will not allow. At the time of the piracy the ship carried a guard of five Russians, one Sergeant and four others.
3. The Tungchow" sailed from Shanghai at 1000 on Tuesday, 29th January, for Weihaiwoi, Chefoo and Tientsin. She carried a general cargo and a number of passengers, European and Chinese, the former including a party of seventy British school-children returning to the China Mission School at Chefoo, accompanied by one schoolmaster (Mr. Duncan) and five schoolmistresses.
A..
At 1800, 29th January, when the Tungchow" was 10 miles north-east of Shaweishan, some dozen pirates took charge of the ship, gaining access to the saloon (upper) deck by climbing out- side the rails on to the deck above (quite an easy matter to do) and overpowering the guards. of these, the two on duty were taken by surprise and disarmed, one receiving a slight wound in the hand. The Sergeant and the two guards off duty had been in their mess. The two guards went on deck to relieve their companions, when they were attacked by the pirates. The pistol of one jammed, and he submitted to capture. The other was shot and killed while he was struggling with three or four pirates. The Sergeant, wondering why the relieved guards had not returned to the meas, went on deck and was at once seized and disarmad.
5. The Captain had just gone into the wheelhouse to draw the curtain of his cabin door to hide the light from inside; having done so, he turned round and found himself confronted by a pirate armed with a pistol. The Captain states that he thinks that the pirate fired at him, as he heard the pistol olick. If so, the pistol misfired.
6. In the meantime, others of the pirates rounded up the remaining officers - of whom one, Mr. MacDonald, the Second Engineer, was wounded and tool charge of the saloon, where most of the children were.
T
7. What happened to Mr. MacDonald is not quite clear. It seems probable that he was told of the piracy while below, ran up on deck, and was met by a pirate who fired at very close
range, hitting him in the right shoulder.
8.
The Captain persuaded the pirates not to smash the wireless apparatus on the grounds that the wireless must be kept intact for keeping men-of-war away.