CO129-553-3 Anti-piracy measures 7-3-1935 - 4-11-1935 — Page 91

H.M. S. "GRIMSBY",

at Shanghai.

٩١

4th February 1935.

sir,

INTERIM REPORT ON THE PIRACY OF 83. "TUNGCHOW".

I have the honour to report as follows on the events of let February and subsequent days bearing on the pirating of the S3. "TUNGCHOW".

2. About midnight on 31st January, Messrs. Butterfield and Swires reported by telephone that they were becoming anxious over the non-arrival of the TUNGCHOW" at Wei Hai We1 as she was then nearly twenty hours overdue, and they asked me to endeavour to communicate with her.

3. This information was passed to the Senior Naval Officer at Wei Hai Wei and endeavours made to communicate on 500 K.C's during the night but without success.

4. Telephone communication was established again with the firm at about 0845 on 1st February, and as a result of increasing uneasiness in the matter a signal to pass the information avail- able was initiated at 0900.

5.

About 0930 I was informed by the Staff officer (Intelligence) that the firm suspected it was a possible case of piracy, and I proceeded ashore immediately to a meeting between Mr. Mitchell of Butterfield and Swires and the Staff officer (Intelligence).

6. Mr. Mitchell informed me that as it had just been established that a "Jardine" ship of much the same speed as **TUNGCHOW" which had left Shanghai at about the same time had arrived safely at Chefoo, and consequently he considered it unlikely that fog or bad weather on the coast would be the cause of her non-arrival, that it might be a case of piracy, in spite of a Russian rmed Guard being on board.

7. I therefore returned to H.M.S."GRIMSBY", and finding my earlier signal had not yet got through to all concerned, sub- stituted an immediate" signal, timed 1031, giving all available details.

8.

At about 1830 I was informed by the Coast Inspector of the Chinese Maritime Customs that a message had been sent to all their coast stations to warn them the "TUNGCHOW" was missing, believed to be in hands of pirates, and instructing all ships to keep a strict look-out and to report any developments immediately.

A signal passing on this information was being made, but was subsequently cancelled as the information that "TUNGCHOW" had been located off Hong Kong (Commander-in-Chief's 1840/1) was received before the former signal had been transmitted.

.

The Commander-in-Chief,

China Station.