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5.
Page 3 of China No.494/1034 of
28th March, 1935.
In deciding on taking the above steps I was
guided by the following :-
When the Senior Naval Officer, Shanghai, (the Commanding Officer of H.M.3.GRIMSBY) informed me in his 0900 of 1st February that S.S. TUNGCHOW was over 24 hours overdue at Hai Hai Wei, and that Messrs. Butterfield and Swire had heard nothing of her since leaving Shanghai, there were several possibilities to be considered, namely -
1.
2.
A breakdown or navigational mishap on her normal route to the North.
Piracy with subsequent landing either in the vicinity of the Yellow River mouth, 600 miles north of the Yangtse, or
in the vicinity of Great Sands, 200 miles north or the Yangtse, or
anywhere down the China coast as far as and including the vicinity of Hong Kong •
The movements ordered in my 1102 and 1103 were to meet as many of these eventualities as possible with the ships available, while keeping H.M.3. GRISMBY at Shanghai for communication purposes.
6.
The able Commodore, Hong Kong (Commodore F.Elliott, 0.B.E., R.N.) at 1145 on 1st February made a signal to the anti-piracy patrol to "Proceed with despatch to establish patrol off Chilang Point and endeavour to intercept the 3.S.TUNG CHOW which may have been pirated while en route from Shanghai to Chefoo. She could arrive off Chilang today, Friday ".
7.
At 1830 on 1st February I received information from the SUFFOLK in a signal timed 1804 to the following effect :-
"TO
From
: C-in-0. : SUFFOLK.
IMPORTANT.
begins :-
The following signal just received
Cape d'Aguilar from S. 3. TUNG CHOW. Swire Hong Kong. Vessel pirated 10 miles North East Shaweishan 29th instant Sergeant Tihowoff killed, K. MacDonald gunshot wound in chest, all
others safe pirates ashore Tsiech Point Hong Hai
Bay proceeding Junk Bay. Smart. Ends.
轉
8.
H.M. S. HERMES, which was carrying out flying exercises to the eastward of Hong Kong during the forenoon of 1st February (when the anti-piracy destroyer was ordered to proceed with despatch to Chilang Point at the eastern end of Hong Hai Bay) flew off two flights of aircraft at 1346 and 1436 respectively, which searched the coastline and 30 miles to the seaward, from Mirs Bay as far as Breaker Point, the latter being about 60 miles eastward of Chilang Point. It was one of her aircraft which alarmed the pirates and caused them to land and bolt inland without taking any hostages and with practically no laot.
The Commodore, Hong Kong, in addition to giving orders to the Anti-Piracy Patrol, had also rung up Canton
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