The Prize Code of the German Empire Author:Germany Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART II ENEMY VESSELS AND CARGO Enemy vessels subject to capture. 10. Enemy vessels, with the exception of those named in article 6, are subject to capt... more »ure. As to public vessels of the enemy, compare article 2. Determination of national character of vessel. 11. The enemy or neutral character of a vessel is determined by the flag which she is entitled to fly. The flag which a vessel is entitled to fly is set forth, according to the flag law of practically all maritime states in an official document (ship's certificate, register certificate, certificate of nationality, lettre de mer, acte de francisation, zeebrief, pass, patent, fribreef, etc.), which every merchant vessel must have on board. If the nationality of a vessel cannot be determined beyond question, more especially if the official document required by the flaglaw of the particular state is lacking, the vessel is to be treated as an enemy vessel. Declaration of London, art. 57. Transfer of flag. 12. Vessels that have changed their flag from an enemy to a neutral one after the beginning of hostilities are to be treated as having an enemy character: a) unless the commander is convinced that the transfer would have taken place even if war had not broken out, e. g., by inheritance, contract of building; or V) if the transfer took place while the vessel was at sea or within a blockaded port; or c) if a right of repurchase or reversion is retained by the vendor; or d) if the requirements of the municipal law of the state whose flag the vessel flies have not been fulfilled. Declaration of London, arts. 55, 56. Transfers within 30 days preceding war. 13. Where the transfer to a neutral flag was effected within thirty days preceding the outbreak of hostilities, the vessel is to be reg...« less