CONFIDENTIAL.
No.494/1034.
Sir,
H.M.S.KENT at Hong Kong.
28th March, 1935.60
Report on the Pirating of the Butterfield and Swire Steamship "ngchow" off Shanghai on 29th January. 1935, and recommendations for improving anti-piracy
measures.
Be pleased to lay before Their Lordships the following report on the recent "TUNGCHOW" piracy.
2.
*
The Butterfield and Swire steamship "TUNGCHOW sailed from Shanghai on Tuesday, 29th January, 1935, and was pirated immediately after leaving the entrance to the Yangtse- Klang by pirates who took the ship down to Hong Hai Bay, 70 miles to the eastward of Hong Kong, where they anchored the ship about three miles from the shore.
The ship had a Russian guard of five men on board
but was only partially grilled.
The pirates had disguised the ship to represent a Japanese steamer, the TOYO MARU", by painting this nɛme on the bows and by painting the appropriate markings on the funnel.
The ship was carrying, inter alia, some 70 school- children from Shanghai to Chefoo; also a cargo of bank notes (the latter, though an incentive to piracy, must, however, have proved a disappointment, as they were unsigned).
3.
when they captured the ship, the pirates had climbed up the side of the ship where the approaches to the bridges were not grilled (because of Board of Trade regulations for safety), and had shot and killed one of the Russian guards
and wounded the Second Engineer, Mr.MacDonald, with a bullet in the chest. They had looted the ship and made considerable preparations for carrying off their loot, when at 1400 on 2nd February an aeroplane from H.M. S. HERMES, which, in connection with anti-piracy operations, was searching for the "TUNGCHOW", flew close over the ship. The pirates became alarmed and ran about shouting, and cut the mooring ropes of a sampan which they had got alongside for the loot; and whan the aeroplane passed over the ship again about half an hour later they became so alarmed that they left for the shore in one of the "FUNGCHOW*s" boats taking the First officer and the Chinese H/T operator with them as hostages, and threatening to shoot them in the event of their being attacked.
The Captain of the gTUNGCHOW" endeavoured to write a message on the upper deck to the aeroplane - "Do not shoot at the amall boat" - aa he was #raid that in such event his First Officer and / Operator would be murdered. The aeroplane, however, had not realised that the Japanese steamer was in fact the **TUNGCHOW" nor did she report the presence of "a Japanese steamer" in the Bay which she had been ordered to search. the more presence of the aeroplane had a mot excellent result. and it may be that it was providential that it was not realised by the aircraft that the steamer was the "TUNGCHOW".
While the pirates were abandoning the "TUNGCHOW"
However,
Page 60Page 61
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.