File No. 851.857Su8/46
The Ambassador in Germany (Gerard) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 13, 8.10 a. m.]
3735. Following note just received:
Foreign Office,
Berlin
,
April 10, 1916
.
The undersigned has the honor to inform his excellency Mr. James W. Gerard, Ambassador of the United States of America, in reply to the notes of the 29th and 30th ultimo and the 3d instant, on the subject of the steamers Sussex, Manchester Engineer, Englishman, Berwindvale, and Eagle Point, that the cases mentioned have been subjected to a careful investigation by the Admiralty Staff of the Navy, in accordance with my notes of the 30th and 31st ultimo and the 4th and 5th instants, and that all this investigation has led to the following results:
1. English Steamer “Berwindvale”
A steamer which was possibly the Berwindvale was encountered by a German submarine on the evening of the 16th of March within sight of Bull Rock Light on the Irish coast. As soon as the steamer noticed the submarine, which was traveling on the surface, she turned and ran away. She was called upon to stop by a shot of warning but did not heed this warning, put out all her lights, and tried to escape. She was thereupon shelled until she stopped and lowered several boats without receiving further orders. After the crew had entered the boats and had sufficient time to pull off to a distance, the ship was sunk.
The name of this steamer has not been ascertained. Even with the help of the dates furnished by the American Embassy it is not possible to say with certainty that the incident described above relates to the steamer Berwindvale; but since the steamer sunk was a tank steamer, like the Berwindvale, it may be assumed that the vessels are identical. In this case, however, the statement of the Embassy that the Berwindvale was torpedoed without warning would conflict with the facts.
2. English Steamer “Englishman”
On March 24 this steamer was ordered to stop by two shots of warning by a German submarine about 20 nautical miles west of Islay, but continued on her course without paying any attention to the warning, and was therefore [Page 228] forced to stop by the submarine by means of artillery fire, after a long pursuit; she then lowered boats without receiving further orders. After the German commander had convinced himself that the crew had entered the boats and pulled away from the vessel, he sank the steamer.
3. English Steamer “Manchester Engineer”
It has not been possible to ascertain by the investigation conducted as yet whether the attack on this steamer, which took place off Waterford on March 27, according to the statements of the Embassy, is traceable to a German submarine. The data furnished regarding the place and time of the incident do not afford a sufficient clue for the investigation. The receipt of more exact details concerning place, time, and attendant circumstances of the attack reported to the American Government would therefore be desired in order that the investigation may then be brought to a conclusion.
4. English Steamer “Eagle Point”
On the morning of March 28 this steamer was ordered to stop by a German submarine by signal and shot, about 100, not 130 nautical miles, from the southwest coast of Ireland, but she continued on her course. She was there-upon shelled until she stopped and without receiving further orders lowered two boats which the crew entered. After the commander had convinced himself that the boats which had hoisted sails had gotten clear of the steamer, he sank her.
At the time of the sinking a north northwest wind of the second strength was blowing, not a “stormy wind,” and there was a slight roll against the wind, not “a heavy sea” as asserted in the Embassy’s statement of the facts. The boats furthermore had every prospect of being picked up very soon since the place of the sinking was on one of the much-used steamer routes. If the crew of the steamer in rescuing themselves made use of only two small boats they are themselves to blame, for there were at least four large folding boats on the steamer, as the submarine was able to ascertain.
5. French Steamer “Sussex”
The establishment of the fact whether the Channel steamer Sussex was damaged by a German submarine or not has been made extraordinarily difficult because no exact data concerning place, time, and attendant circumstances of the sinking were known, and no picture of this vessel could be obtained until April 6. Consequently the investigation had to embrace every one of the undertakings which took place in the Channel on or near the route between Folkestone and Dieppe on March 24, the day in question.
In this locality a long black vessel without a flag, with a gray smokestack and a small gray superstructure, and with two tall masts, was encountered by a German submarine on March 24 about the middle of the English Channel. The German commander gained the definite conviction that he had before him a war vessel, a mine layer of the newly constructed English Arabic class. He was led to this conviction: (1) by the flush deck of the vessel; (2) by the warship form of stern, protruding diagonally backwards and then falling downward; (3) by the warship-like coat of paint; (4) by the high speed of about 18 sea miles developed by the vessel; (5) by the circumstance that the vessel did not follow the course to the north of the light buoys between Dungeness and Beachy Head, which is the customary course for merchant shipping, according to the frequent and uniform observations of the German submarines, but sailed in the middle of the Channel, pointing about for Havre. He consequently attacked the ship submerged at 3.55 o’clock p. m., Central European time, one and a half sea miles southeast of Bull Rock Bank. The torpedo struck and caused such a severe explosion in the foreship that the whole foreship was torn loose up to the bridge. The particularly severe explosion permits the safe conclusion that there were large quantities of ammunition on board.
The German commander has made a sketch of the vessel attacked by him, two reproductions of which are attached. The picture of the steamer Sussex, two copies of which are likewise attached, is a photograph taken from the English Daily Graphic paper of the 27th ultimo. A comparison of the sketch with the picture shows that the Sussex is not identical with the vessel attacked; the difference in the position of the smokestacks and the shape of the stern is particularly prominent No further attack whatever was made by German [Page 229] submarines at the time (coming into question for the) Sussex on the way between Folkstone and Dieppe.
From this the German Government is forced to assume that the damaging of the Sussex is to be attributed to another cause than the attack of a German submarine. In order that the true state of affairs may be cleared up, the fact may possibly be of use that on the 1st and 2d of April alone, no less than 26 English mines exploded by German naval forces in the Channel. The whole of that part of the seas is dangerous owing to floating mines and torpedoes which have not sunk. The waters near the English coast will be still more dangerous on account of German mines also which have been sowed against the hostile naval forces.
Should the American Government have at its disposal further material for forming judgment on the case of the Sussex, the German Government begs to request that this material may be communicated to it in order that it may be able to subject this material to an examination also. In the event of differences of opinion arising between the two Governments in this connection, the German Government declares at this time its readiness to permit the facts to be ascertained by a mixed committee of investigation pursuant to the third title of the Hague convention of October 18, 1907, for the pacific settlement of international disputes.
The undersigned requests that the above be brought to the knowledge of the Government of the United States and avails himself of this opportunity to renew [etc.]
Von Jagow