Queen Ins. Co. of America v. Globe & Rutgers Fire Ins.

282 F. 976, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMay 29, 1922
DocketNo. 317
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 282 F. 976 (Queen Ins. Co. of America v. Globe & Rutgers Fire Ins.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Queen Ins. Co. of America v. Globe & Rutgers Fire Ins., 282 F. 976, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726 (2d Cir. 1922).

Opinions

MANTON, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). The District Judge examined into the cause of collision, and, from the testimony offered, incomplete as it is, concluded that the collision was due to faulty navigation. It was determined that the loss was not covered by 'the war risk policy, but was cohered by the marine policy, and the libel was accordingly dismissed. The provisions of the war risk policy assume all the consequences of hostilities or warlike operations, while the f. c. and s. clause of the marine policy excludes all consequences of hostilities or warlike operations. The appellee’s war risk policy covers “acts of kings, princes, and people authorized by and in prosecution of hostilities between belligerent nations.”

In order to impose liability under the war risk clause policy, “all forms of hostilities or warlike operations of whatever kind” must consist of some form or kind of hostility or warlike operations which have proximately caused the loss. Remote consequences of hostilities cannot become a recoverable loss, even if they may be said to be proximately caused by soniething itself ascribable as a consequence of hostilities. British Steamship v. The King, [1921] 1 A. C. 99, 107, 131.

The phrase “all consequences” has been held by the British [979]*979courts as meaning “proximate consequences only.” Ionides v. Universal Marine Ins. Co., 14 C. B. (N. S.) 259 (1863); Anderson v. Martin, [1908] A. C. 334, 339. The loss was by a collision at sea, and this prima facie is considered a marine peril. To establish a loss which falls upon the war risk underwriter, the burden must be borne by him who attempts it, and in this case the appellant. Therefore the question is presented: What is mean by the phrase “hostilities and warlike operations,” as used in the war risk policy? There is little of aid in the authorities established by the courts of this country. The question has been considered by the British courts in a considerable number of cases. There the authorities may be summarized as holding that “hostilities” is intended to describe an actual operation, offensive or defensive, in the conduct of war, and “warlike operations” as operations in time of war. The peril must be due directly to some hostile action, if it be considered a warlike risk. If the peril be a maritime risk, and is but aggravated or increased by the operation relied upon as a warlike operation, then the risk is not a war risk. British S. S. v. The King, [1921] A. C. 99, 133. There it was said:

“If the operation relied upon as a warlike operation is one which creates no new risk, but only aggravates or increases an existing maritime risk, by removing something which, but for the war, would have been a safeguard against the risk, then the risk is not a war risk. But, if the peril be directly due to hostile action, it is a war risk.”

When one vessel of one of the convoys was attacked by a submarine, the course of the convoy was altered four points to the right; but before the convoys met, and this collision ensued, it was again altered four points to the left. This latter change must be deemed to have neutralized the former. The trial judge, who exhaustively examined the navigation of the vessels, concluded that the torpedoing of the vessel in the west-bound convoy was 5 hours before the meeting of the east-bound fleet, and did not affect the question of the collision. or its cause. It did slow up the convoy making progress towards its point of destination. It was about 30 nautical miles from the scene of the torpedoing of the Merida to the point of collision, and about 5 hours were consumed in making that distance. It is explained that there was zigzagging of the vessels in making at least part of this distance. We conclude that this attack, occurring, as it did, some 5 hours previous to the time of the collision, has no bearing upon the cause of the collision.

The appellant’s contention is that this engagement was a warlike operation, because (first) the vessels were sailing without lights; (second) that they were proceeding in convoy; and (third) that the Napoli carried a cargo intended for warlike use. Where vessels proceeded at sea during this war period, it was the custom to sail without lights. These vessels were all operated without lights. The voyages upon which each of the vessels were engaged would, if in time of peace, be treated as an ordinary maritime adventure. It would not become a warlike operation, within the intention of the terms of the policy, because of the fact that, as a precaution against possible attack or capture, the masters of the vessels did not show lights during the night, [980]*980and even though the consequences of such action meant the concealment of the vessels and their liability to collide. It may be imprudent navigation to take this risk, or it may be blameworthy from other points of view; but, if it is done in obedience to lawful commands, it cannot be considered a warlike operation. The object, of course, is to avoid an ememy’s attack; but no enemy was present at the time of the collision. The purposes of the adventures of the ships were peaceable. Neither vessel was doing a warlike act, and those who issued the order to the navigators of the vessels did not consider their orders to be warlike, even though performed in a war period. In a word, nothing of actual hostilities was present at the time of the collision.

Therefore we conclude that sailing without lights was neither a warlike operation nor was it the consequence of one. The reason for sailing without lights was due to the submarine peril, but the collision was due to faulty navigation, which cannot be said to be the proximate consequence of the failure to have lights. It appears that the lights were turned on just before the collision as the convoys met. The authorities of the House of Fords of England are fully in accord in pronouncing that sailing without lights does not constitute a warlike operation. The Petersham Case, Britain S. S. Co. v. The King, [1921] 1 A. C. 99. In the Ionides Case, 14 C. B. (N. S.) 259, a cargo was placed on board the ship Fhrwood, insured by a policy warranted free from all consequences of hostilities. On her way from New Orleans to New York in 1861, her master, supposing that he had passed Cape Harteras, instead of keeping his course N. N. E., changed it to W., and went ashore about 10 miles south of the Cape. 'Until the outbreak of the Civil War, a light had always been maintained at Cape Harteras; but it had been extinguished by the Confederate authorities for hostile purposes. The court of first instance in England held the proximate cause of the loss was the peril of the sea and that the underwriter was therefore liable. This decision was by the Court: of Common Pleas. It later met with approval in the Petersham Case, supra, and was approved by Mr. Justice Brown, when a District Judge, in Richelieu & Ohio Navigation Co. v. Boston Marine Ins. Co. (C. C.) 26 Fed. 605, and later in The Titania (D. C.) 19 Fed. 104, by Judge Addison Brown. It involved the application of the doctrine of proximate cause. There, there was hostile action in the matter of the extinguishing of Pe lights by the Confederate troops, and there was a maritime casualty due to stranding, both of which had bearing upon the liability under the marine policy which warranted “free from all consequences of hostilities,” and the question whether the proximate cause of the loss was a marine peril or hostilities was presented. It always becomes necessary to distinguish between causes and conditions as well as proximate and remote causation.

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Bluebook (online)
282 F. 976, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/queen-ins-co-of-america-v-globe-rutgers-fire-ins-ca2-1922.