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CONFIDENTIAL.
Subject:- ANTI PIRACY PATROLS.
Enclosure No.2 to China Letter No.773/01034 dated 9th May 135.
From. THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, CHINA STATION.
..
H.M.S. "Kent" at Shanghai.
No.01034.
Date.....THE COMMODORE, HONG KONG.
Your predecessor's letter No.530 of 12th April, 1935, raises four questions of policy in connection with Anti-Piracy :-
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(c)
(d)
The duties of aircraft.
The policy to be adopted by a destroyer on encountering a pirated ship.
The protection of merchant ships by efficient grilles.
Resistance by ships officers and guards when their ship is attacked by pirates.
2. With reference to (b) above, Hong Kong anti- piracy patrol orders, paragraphs 51 to 53, are worded in accordance with the instructions contained in my letter No.01034 of 8th October, 1934. In paragraph 3 of the latter I stated that "It is undesirable to issue precise instructions to anti-piracy vessels as to their procedure for effecting the apprehension of pirates. This must be a matter for the decision of the Commanding Officer, who will act as he thinks best in the circumstances prevailing in each individual case. I have nothing to add to this.
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The principle laid down in paragraph 51 of the Anti-Piracy Fatrol orders must also be applied to aircraft. As, however, aircraft are incapable of carrying out the instructions given in paragraph 52 of these orders itmfollows that in most cases the action of an aircraft mus t be described in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the letter under reply.
Attention is drawn to China Station Order Book, Article 52a, paragraph 3, an important point which was brought out by the Tungchow" piracy (vide paragraph 22(6)(iii) of China No.494/1034, dated 28th March, 1935.). Mifcraft acting in conjunction with warships, are of very great value in anti-piracy work.
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5. With regard to (c) above, I have not ceased during the past two years to express my opinion very strongly in regard to the necessity for efficient grilling of ships and the provision of effective guards, and in China Ro.494/1034 of 28th March, 1935, addressed to the Admiralty, I stated (para- graph 19) that I feel that the time has come when the shipping companies should be forced by legislation to correct this matter, as was done in regard to the provision of lifeboats after the loss of the S.S. TITANIC". My views on this matter are well known to the Admiralty, the British authorities in China and the shipping companies themselves.
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