Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 91]
1915
taking in 1600 tons of coal. Abrolhos Island lies to the north of Rio de Janeiro, and is distant about 80 miles from the mainland of Brazil. It consists of a long low lying island, almost devoid of trees. There is a light on the highest point, but otherwise, it is uninhabited. The Brazilian Government were anxious to avoid this island being used as a base by ourselves or the Germans, and to ensure this, they periodically sent one of their destroyers to investigate. Had they allowed such a thing they would have been involved in a question of not having upheld international law on the point of neutrality. Hence, we were compelled to coal without the 3 mile limit, which constitutes neutral water. Lying some 4 miles from the shore, a large German steamer, carrying a cargo of motor cars & champagne, had sunk, both her masts projecting out of water a few feet. This steamer had, apparently, caught fire & had been destroyed. The "Australia" was to have gone to Jamaica, but the defect which developed in the port outer propeller at the Falkland Islands necessitated our going into dry dock. The only docks large enough to take us were all on the European side of the Atlantic. The Admiralty ordered us, therefore, to proceed to the nearest dock at Gibraltar. We were to coal at Cape Verde Islands, en route. This was disappointing news for everybody, for our mails