Section 17 Bringing in of ship papers.

F1The captors shall with all practicable speed after the ship is brought into port, or the aircraft is brought to a place within the jurisdiction of a prize court, bring the ship papers, or the aircraft papers, as the case may be, into the registry of the court.

The officer in command, or one of the chief officers of the capturing ship, F2or capturing aircraft, or some other person who was present at the capture, and saw the ship papers or aircraft papers delivered up or found on board, shall make oath that they are brought in as they were taken, without fraud, addition, subduction, or alteration, or else shall account on oath to the satisfaction of the court for the absence or altered condition of the ship papers or aircraft papers or any of them.

Where no ship papers or aircraft papers are delivered up or found on board the captured ship or captured aircraft the officer in command, or one of the chief officers of the capturing ship, or capturing aircraft or some other person who was present at the capture, shall make oath to that effect.