The repeated mining of the Kiet Canal has undoubtedly seriously em. Barrassed the movements of enemy naval and mercantile craft, 'An interesting instance' occurred ast December, when a ship laden with iron ore was sunk in the Canal, Air reconnaissance clearly revealed the obstruction, on which salvage work was hampered by ce. There are few obstacles more diMeult to clear than a sunken ship with ore cargo.
Throughout this period, even when the Canal was not completely blocked, it has only been open to passage by! the smallest ships. The Canal bottom was damaged where the vessel sank, and one embarkment collapsed.
After a Tong silence the Germans advanced various excuses to explain away the diMeutties of transit, First they were attributed to a_collisio later to sabotage and finally it was stated that a bridge over the Canal had collapsed on the ship and sunk it,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.