The Altmark manceuvres in position so as to ram and sink the Cossack, but in doing so her stern struck ground, and she beached herself.
The Cossack then sailed close to the Altmark, and part of her crew boarded the German vessel and engaged in a stiff hand to hand fight with the German sailors. According to a message wirelessed by tne Alt-mark, four Germans were killed and five seriously wounded.
The Altmark was captured by the British when her crew surrendered with the exception of a few sailors who went ashore.
The British prisoners found on board the German ship Altmark numbered 275, it was later announced. There were 55 officers and 220 sailors.
Fifty-six were from India.
The German tanker Baldur which was scuttled by her crew when hailed by the British destroyer H.M.S. Ivanhoe displaced 5,805 tons.
The prisoners and the commander of the warship will make detailed reports.
Before this incident took place, the German tanker Baldur was seen sailing outside Norwegian territorial waters and was hailed by the British destroyer H.M.S. Ivanhoe. The crew of the Baldur then scuttled their ship.—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.