Evening star., 1914-09-26


! under the No. boiler room. The time
was 7:30 am. The ship then began to
heel rapidly. and finally turned keel
up. remaining SO for about twenty
am.
"a large number of men were saved
by casting adrift on pattern target
The steam pinnace fioated out OF her
clutches, but filed and sank.
The second torpedo which struck
the Cressy passed over the sinking
hull of the Aboukir. narrowly missing
it. 1t is possible that the same sub
marine fired all three torpedoes at
THE Conduct of the crew was ex-
ceIlent throughout. 1 have already re-
marked on the bravery displayed by
Capt. Phillips, master of the trawler
L. T. Coriander. and his crew. who
picked up 156 officers and men,"
Commander Norton's Report.
The report by Commander Reginald
A. Norton, late of H. NJ. S. Hogue, fol-
lows:
Il have the honor to report as follows
concerning the sinking of the Hogue,
Aboukir and Cressy: Between 6:15 and
$50 am. II. NJ. S. Aboukir was struck
by a torpedo. The Hogue closed on
the Aboukir and 1 received orders to
hoist out the launch, turn out and pre-
pare all boats and unlash all timber
on the upper deck. Two lifeboats were
sent to the Aboukir. but before the
launch could get away the Hogue was
struck on the starboard side amid
ships by two torpedoes at intervals of
ten to twenty seconds.
The ship at once began to heel to
starboard. After ordering the men to
provide themselves with wood or ham
mocks. etc, and to get into the boats
on the booms and take off their clothes
l went. by Capt. Nicholson's dire rection.
to ascertain the damage in the engine
rooms. The artiffcer engineer inform
ed me that the water was over the en-
gine room gratings.
While endeavoring to return to the
bridge. the water burst open the star
board entry port doors and the ship
heeled rapidly. 1 told the men in the
port battery to jump overheard, as
tHe launch was close alongside, and
soon afterward the ship lurched heav-
lily to starboard.
Washed Away by Waves.
II clung to a ring bolt for some time,
but finally dropped onto the deck, and
a huge wave washed noe away 1 climb
ed up the ships side and was again
washed off. Eventually, after SWIM
ming about from various overladen
pieces of wreckage, 1 was picked up
L. s. Marks, which pulled about for
some hours picking up men and dis
charging them to our picket boat and
steam pinnace and to the Dutch steam
way Commander Sells (of the Abou-
kir), Engineer Commander Stokes,
with legs broken: Fleet Paymaster Ell
dred and about 120 others.
Finally. about IL am, when we
could find no more men in the water,
we were picked up by the Lucifer,
which proceeded to the Titan and took
off from her all our men except about
twenty who were too ill to be moved
"A Lowestoft trawler and the two
Dutch ships. Flora and Titan, were ex-
traordinarily kind. clothing and feed
ing our men. My boats crew, consist
ing mainly of royal navy reserve men.
pulled and behaved remarkably well.
Pasticularly wish to mention Petty
the men in the water near me undoubt-
edly saved many lives.
Lieut.. Commander PhiIlips-Wolley,
after hoisting out the launch, asked me
If we should try to hoist out another
boat, and endeavored to do so. The
last I saw of him was on the after
bridge, doing well.
Lieut.. Commander Tillard was pick
ed up by launch. He got up cut
Midshipmate Cazalet in the Cressy's
gig. Lieut.. Chichester turned out the
whaler very quickly.
Dutch Trawler Declines to Aid.
"A Dutch mailing trawler sailed close
bW butswe Off without rendering any
assistance. although we signaled to her
from the Hogue to close after we were
struck
The Aboukir appeared to me to take
about thirty-five minutes to sink,
floating bottom up tor about five min
utes. The Hogue turned turtle very
about five minutes-and
hoated bottom up for several minutes.
A dense black smoke was seen in the
StarbOard battery, whether from coal
or torpedo cordite, could not say. The
upper deck was not blown up, and only
one other small explosion occurred, and
we heeled over.
THE Cressy 1 watched heel over from
the cutter. She heeled over to star
board very slowly. dense black smoke
issuing from her when she attained an
angle of about ninety degrees, and she
took a long time from this angle till
board screw slightly out of the water.
1 consider it was thirty-five to forty
five minutes from the time she was
struck till she was bottom up.
Commends Behavior of Men,. 2,
"All the men on the Hogue behaved
extraordinarily well, obeying orders
even when in the water swimming for
their lives. and Witnessed many cases
of great self-sacrifice and gallantry.
Farmstone, able seaman of the Hogue.
jumped overheard from the launch to
make room for others, and would not
avail himself Of assistance until all the
men nearby were picked up. He was
in the water about half an hour. y
There was no panic of any sort, the
men taking of their clothes as ordered
and falling in with hammock or wood.
Capt Nicholson, in our other cutter. as
usual, was perfectly cool and rescued
large numbers of men. I last saw him
alongside the Flora. Engineer Conn
mander Stokes, l believe, was in the
engine room to the last, and Engineer
Lieut.. Commander Fendick got steam
on the boat hoist and worked 1t In dve
minutes.
"I have the honor to submit that
may be appointed to another ship as
soon as can get kit :.
LONE SCOTSMAN HALTED
ADVANCE OF GERMANS