The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-10-16
u. S. Ciji1;> WERE
AIMED Al j,-DOAT
"CIear For Action" Nantucket
Rescue Fleet Told.
The FIRST NAVY ACCOUNT
War Heads on Torpedoes, Shells
Ready to Fire, When UeGtroyers
Reached Shoals, Says Officer.

Washington, Oct. 1..-IAe -acI that
the United States des,T~ scr; seat hur-
riedly to rescue passengers and crews
of the vessels attacked by the Ger
man submarine U-53 W, elk ago had
orders to prepare or ~cl H. IS
disclosed by one tt the o.nle-s Of
destroyer squadron in a personal let
ter.
By the time this naraL vessel reach
ed the scene of the Germ II submarine
operations in response, to IS o )
calls, the naval OhiCeT sal; in let
ter to a relative, it al war leads on
torpedoes, ammunition in all guns and
everything in readiness for acton
Another disclosure made by The ma
val officer which shows that the
United States came n@ar new Crisis
with Germany in rescuiag survivors
of the five sunken ships, is that one
of the American destrOyers missed
ramming the German submarine by
only few feet when the U-Boat was
manoeuvring to sink the Bri ish
steamship Stephano.
The naval officer whose letter is
quoted and whose name is Withheld
to save him from any embarE assme1t
that might result. gives the first eye
witness account by All American naval
officer yet made puhlc. To- ravy
department has suppressed ali reports
it has received from destroyers offic-
erS.
In addition to detailing how his YES
sci went out cleared for action and
then narrowly escaped rammiGs the
German submarine, this naval officer
makes the significant staten n that
the rescue of officers and crew from
the Bloomersdijk was difficult owing
to the heavy seas running. This cen
tradicted earlier statements that the
sea was smooth and there was no
danger attending the abandonment of
passengers and crews in open boats
after five vessels W re sunk.
The naval officer added that before
the German submarine sank the
Bloomersdijk her captain asked the
destroyer to please get farther away,
as she was going to blow the steam
ship up" a request that was compile
with.
The navy department las transmit
ted to the state department reports
of all destroyers' officers giving eye
witness descriptions of the German
submarine operations. In addition to
these reports affidavits of officers of
- Il NV,
rine have been obtained.
One of these affiGavi-s, fl Ell with
the state department by tie British
embassy, contains the charge by Cap
tain Smith, of the Stephano, that IS
-essel without warning was struck
by solid shot from the German sub.
marine. This affidavit is submitted In
substantiation of earlier reports that
the Stephano was unwarned when at,
tackled
AS regards the conviction existing
in department circles that the U-53
is now on her way back to Germany
and that another submarine is on her
way to the American coast, naval of.
ficials disclaim any definite knowledge
on which to form this conclusion, bat
declare nothing has come to light to
impair the belief that the U-53 was
sent to American waters for sudden
raid and was under orders to return
for replenishment of supplies and
fuel.
Inasmuch as no evidence has been
found in substantiation of charges
that Germany had established navaI
bases along the Atlantic cast or at
sea adjacent to American waters, of
ficials have decided the U-53 is oper
ating from a German naval base. AMI
that other submarines lent to Amei
can waters will operate from such
bases