DETAINED AS SPY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 14, 14 December 1932, Page 16

DETAINED AS SPY

BUILDER OF SUBMARINES. NAVAL DISASTER SECRET. The 70-year-old United States steel magnate, Mr Charles M. Schwab, who was described by Lord Fisher as “The Man Who Helped to Win tho War,” I recently revealed to the News-Chron-licle the story of the man who helped ihim to win the war. | The story, which was told for the ;first time, concerns a young Customs officer who detained Mr Schwab on suspicion when he arrived on the Irish mail boat at Fleetwood on his way to London to begin the negotiations with ithe British Government which resulted in the building by Mr Schwab of 20 submarines in the record time of five months. | The discretion of the Customs officer in allowing Mr Schwab to land, a.l{though he was without a passport, was later recognised by Lord Fisher, who jwrote a personal letter to the Fleetjwnod officer. Mr Schwab reached Fleet, wood on a Sunday morning in October, 1914. after an exciting voyage in the Olympic. ; r rum the decks of the Olympic Mr Schwab saw tho destruction bv a mine off the Irish coast of the British 23,-000-ton super-dreadnought Audacious- — ,n naval disaster which was only revealed four years after when the armis,tice had been declared, j INVITED TO LONDON. I “After 1 had offered to place the | whole of the resources of the Bethlehem Steelworks, of which 1 was head, at tho disposal of tho British Government at the beginning of tho war, I was invited by Mr Winston Churchill and Lord Kitchener to come to London to discuss the matter,” said Mr Schwab.

I "I sailed from the States in the Olympic, then a converted troop transport, and when olf the northern coast of Ireland, early on October 27, I saw from my porthole the disaster to the 1 Audacious. "1 saw the explosion of the mine that | crippled her; the efforts of the Olympic to tow her to Lough Swihy; the rescue of the crew by the Olympic’s boats, and the final blowing up and sinking of the vessel | “The Olympic proceeded to Lough Swilly, where I sought an interview ; with Admiral Jeliicoe, then in command of the Grand Fioet, in order to explain my mission and how important l it was that I should not be delayed. KEEPING THE SECRET. “In order that news of the disaster ;to tlie Audacious, the pride ot the Grand Fleet, should not leak out orders were issued that none of the Olympic’s pasesngers would be allowed to land. I ’ •Admiral Jeliicoe, however, gave the ; necessary orders for me to leave the , Olympic, and transferred me to a. de|stroyer, in which 1 travelled to Londonderry. "When I told Admiral Jeliicoe that my mission was with Lord Kitchener he suggested that i should also see Lord Fisher. “ '"What do you want ?’ I asked. “Submarines, and as many as you can make,” was Jellicoe’s retort. “But when I attempted to board the Irish mailboat for England I was stopped. 1 had no passport and oniy papers and cables to substantiate my plausible story. “My mission was so important that I placed myself on the generosity of the captain, and suggested that he should place me under arrest during the voyage while he made a cable inquiry to Lord Kitchener at tho War Office. HELD UNDER SUSPICION. “Apparently this wus not done, because when 1 reached Fleetwood next morning I was informed by the captain that I would be detained, under suspicion. “Two hours elapsed, during which tho train I should have caught had left Fleetwopd, before a young Customs officer came to see me in the cabin. “He had been informed while in bed that a suspected spy had been detained on the boat and annoyed that he had been disturbed so early, he had leisure, ly finished his sleep, shaved and then came to see me. “I threw myself on his generosity, explaining that it was because my mission was of national importance that I had left the Olympic and boarded the Irish mail boat without a passport. “The young man was in a dilemma. Should he accept my story and give me permission to land or should he detain me in order that my story could bo thoroughly examined ? SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT.

“After a short consultation with a junior officer he made a quick decision. He would let mo go and I made arrangements for a special train to convey me to London. It was there that the contract for the submarines was signed. “One of my first duties on arrivcl in London was to inform Lord Fisher of the young officer’s tactful handling of a very difficult situation, and Lord Fisher wrote personally to the man expressing his thanks. I also wrote to the man to point out the important part he had played in helping his C °Many people have wondered who the man was who took the only photograph of the sinking of the Audacious. The photographer, Mr Schwab revealed, was his own valet. Mr Charles L. Whitaker, in whom the Customs officer confided what he had done on that October Sunday morning, said that “The-Man-Who-Helped-the-Man-Who-Helped to-\Y in tlieWar” worked himself into an early grave through zeal, devotion to duty night and day and _ his anxiety in the early days of mobilisation.