Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-11
SUBMARINES BUSY
|NMED|TERRANEAN
Three British Transports Sunk,
and One, Through Superior
Speed, Escapes.
0NLYLOSSES ON THE MERCIAN
French Steamer France and Ley
land Liner Californian Among
Torpedoed Ships.
ONLYLOSSES ON THE MERCIAN

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch.l
LONDON. November 10.-Thc French
steamer France. 4.o25 tons. has been
sunk and the I-eyland liner Mercian
shclled in the submarine infested wa
ters of the Mediterranean. Twenty
three men were killed by bursting
shrapnel aboard the Mcrcian. fifty were
wounded and thirty are missing. The
Mercian, through her superior speed,
managed to escape the fate of the
French and the Italian liner Ancona,
both Of which were torpedocd. Badly
damaged by guntre. she put into a
harbor, the name of which is withheld
by the admiralty. An official statement I
says:
The outward bound transport Mcr-
clan was attacked by gunnre from an
enemy submarine in the Mediterranean.
, She reached harbcr safely with casual
ties OF twcnty-threc killed. thirty miss
Ing and fifty wounded. who were landed
and are in a hospital
The Frances crew of scventy-tfrce
reached land. Three were severely in
tured and another so seriously that he
may die.
TWO OTHER BRITISH
TRANSPORTS SUNK
Reports of attacks Oh the France
and Mercian were received tonight
on the heels of announcements that
I two other British transports had been
sunk, supposedly in the same waters.
They were the former Lcyland liner
California. 6,223 tons. and the Moorina,
3.153 tons. The Glasgow steamer Clan
Macalister. i.S35 tons also was sent to
the bottom. but no details are given
out by the official press bureau.
Two of the submarines which have
been waylaying allied ships In the
Mediterranean and the narrow Strait OF
Gibraltar are reported TO have been
sunk by British cruiser This news
comes from Algeciras by way of Mad
rid, and lacks official confirmation
y dispatch from Athens says that
two British destroyers have captured
a German submarine In the Eastern
Mediterranean. making the crew pris-
oners.
First news OF the torpedong of the
France was received by the Giornn lie
d'Italia At Rome from It's correspon-
dent at Cagliari. Sardinia The vessel
was built in 1897, an,. was owned by
| the Socicte Generate des Transports
had been in the Mediterranean and
South American trade
LEYLASD LINER TAKEN OVER
by BRITISH GOVERNMENT
The Mercian, a Leyland liner in the
African trade. was taken over by the
British government shortly after he
war started. She was Il steel screw
steamer of G.3oa tons. built by Harland
* Wolff ut Belfast in 1908.
Both the Californian, another Ley
lard vessel and the Moorina were good
sized ships. and formerly were OH i'm
porta, trade runs. The Californian
/ figured prominently in the investipa-
tion of the Tita mic disaster, having been
near the scene of the wreck, but not
having gone to the rescue. She was
+47 feet long. hfty-thrce feet beam
and thirty feet i'll depth. She was
launched at Dundee in 1912.
The last heard of the Clan Macalis-
ter was when she reported at London
on September l3. No details of her
sinking were given out.
In addition to the loss of tho hig
passenger steamers which were being
used as transports. the British govern
ment to-day announced the destruction
of the torpedo-boat destroyer Louis a
vessel of the l. class, built In 1913 Ac-
cording to an official statement. she
was stranded in the Eastern Meditcr-
rancan and has become IA total wreck.
Her crew was saved.