PERU SHIPS, PLANES ATTACK WHALERS, SEIZE 4 VESSELS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600090086-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 17, 1999
• Sequence Number: 86
• Publication Date: November 17, 1954
• Content Type: NSPR

17 )914
'eru Ships, Planes Attack
Whalers, Seize 4 Vessels
By Walter Hamshar
Peruvian wars ipsanc p
bombed and str fed' the ni
teen-ship whaling fleet operated
under the Panamanian flag by
Aristotle Socrates Onassis, in-
ternational ship operator, while
the fleet was -hunting whales
yesterday and Monday off the
coast of South America, accord-
ing to reports received at the
Onassis offices, 655 Madison
Ave.
At least four vessels have been
seized and the mother ship,
the 200-mile territorial waters
..1-l, ara harri i to fnreien fish- -- T ^l
limited range."
The battle stems from a de-
cree announced by Peru, Chile
and Ecuador: barring foreign
ships from whaling within 2001.
miles of their coasts. The decree'
was announced after the Onas-
sis fleet had set out from
Hamburg, Germany, to hunt,
whales off the South American)
coast until the season in the
Antarctic opens in December.
Orders to Flee
Mr. Onassis said the fleet had
been ordered to 'proceed and
hunt outside the 200-mile zone,
which contains the Humboldt
Current.
The incident is expected to
result in an International Court
The mother ship ra
she came under attack by a
Peruvian plane at 8 a. in. yes-
terday New York time. The
plane hovered above the vessel
for several hours strafing the
crew, the report said. A distress
call was sent out by the whaling
vessel because of the attack, but
the Challenger is not in a sink-
ing condition.
The Olympic Conqueror and
Olympic Fighter, two hunter
Olympic Challenger, is being; ships, were boarded by Peruvian
pursued by Peruvian naval craft. I Navy personnel 260 miles from
She was last: reported 420 miles; the nation's coast, according to
off the South' American coast the. radio report. Their crews
heading noith. No, reports of, surrendered without a struggle
,and were taken on board de-
casualties, have been received. stroyers while prize crews were
The 'P'eruvian government put on board the whaling ships.
confired the attack in an an-
nou dement at Lima, according
to he United Press, and Put
On Monday the destroyers
Aguiree and Rodriguez captured
the whalers Olympic Victor and
t number of seized vessels atl Olympic Lightning by surprise
ive. . The government said. then only 180 miles off the coast, Peru
action had been taken because said, which would put them
the fleet was operating withinl:within the prohibited 200-mile
. zone.
Peruvian officials said the
Navy and Air Force had been
sent out "in defense of national
sovereignty and of the country's
marine wealth."
of Justice action to determine
if the three South American
nations can legally extend their
territorial waters out 200 miles.
The extension was to protect
the marine life and help the
coastal whaling industry in the,
three countries.
Mr. Onassis pointed out that
the territorial limits of 'virtu-
ally all the nations of the world
end from three .to. twelve miles
off their coastline at sea.
Chile in Accord
SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov. 16 0P).
-Chilean Foreign Minister
Roberto AIdurlate said today
that if it is true that the Ones-
sis whaling fleet is operating
outside the territorial waters ofl
Chile, Peru and Ecuador "that
means simply a punishable vio-,
lation and in no way ignorance
of the inalienable right of these
three countries to proclaim their
sovereignty over the adjacent
seas.'
The Foreign Minister added
that representatives of the three l
countries will meet in Lima next
month to ratify the recent ac-
cords on sovereignty and pen-
alties, which include the seizure
of the ships and fines.
The Panamanian government
was reported last night prepar-
ing a stiff protest to Peru for
the incident. Two Panamanian
inspectors are with the whaling
fleet, which is manned by 1,000
German crewmen.
CPYRGHT
rpprovea rvr Release--2DD0/D5/24 : _CrA-RDP75-
Ships in Pursuit
Peruvian ships were in pur-
suit of the Challenger with or-
ders to capture her'to determine
how many whales had been
? caught in the prohibited zone.
Reports that one of the
whalers had returned gunfire
were scoffed at by an Onassis
official. The only armament on
board the ships are the whal-
CPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP75-00149R000600090086-6