Mystery Ships.

Powerful Japanese Vessel Wrecked in B.S.I

THERE appears to be a large fleet of mysterious Japanese vessels of a peculiar type at large in the Pacific.

One was arrested at Thursday Island in January; another was sighted in Torres Strait; while a third made a raid on a Bougainville trochus reef as reported in April “Pacific Islands Monthly”. Now two more have put in an appearance in the Solomon Islands and the following letter from a correspondent in Ysabel tells of their movements.

For the last three weeks the Solo mons have been seething with excite ment over the rumours of a “mystery ship”, presumably Japanese, which has been seen in various places throughout the Group.

The vessel is painted grey, has two collapsible masts and a speed of 22 knots.

The ship was definitely seen on Ysabel coast last week watering from a village near the Meringe Lagoon. A small mis

blue flag flying was mistaken for a Gov ernment vessel and immediately masts were struck, and, in a scurry of foam, the boat disappeared over the horizon.

Mr. C. R. Bignell was on a trading trip near Meringe and met a small launch belonging to Mr. R. Gorringe, loaded down with 32 Japanese sailors.

He drew alongside and then accom panied Mr. Gorringe as far as the Gov ernment Station, where the Japs were landed and turned over to the care of the D.O.

Their story is that their vessel was

sion vessel coming along the coast with totally wrecked on the Ronkador Reef, near Ontong Java, 100 miles off the Ysabel coast, and they made for the mainland in four small dinghies, landing at Suavana. The manager there sent for Mr. Gorringe, who brought them on down to the Government station. They have nothing with them of any kind and are very vague about details. They were supposed to be poaching and do ing illicit shelling; but as their vessel was over 250 tons and equipped with triple engines and wireless apparatus, etc., the tale seems a bit thin.

A recent photograph of the mysterious Japanese craft which was arrested in the Torres Islands and brought to Thursday Island for examination.