Middletown transcript., 1916-10-14
FIGHTING U-BOAT
CALLSAT NEWPORT
Drops in to Mail Letter to the
German Ambassador.
SAILS AWAY IN 8 HOURS
Almost Before U. S. Navy Officials Had
Time To Return Her Captains
Call, She Had Gone To
Three-MiIe Limit.

Newport, R, I.-Seventeen days from
Wilhelmshaven, the Imperial German
submarine U-53, dropped anchor in
Newport harbor Saturday. Almost be-
fore the officers of the American fleet
of warships through which the
stranger had nosed her way had re-
covered from their establishment, the
undersea fighter had delivered a mes
sage for the German Ambassador, and,
weighing anchor, turned Brenton's
Reef lightship and disappeared be-
meath the waves just inside the three
mile limit.
AS she came and went she few the
black and white colors of the German
Navy, a gun was mounted on the for
ward deck and another aft, while eight
torpedoes, plainly visible under the for
ward deck, gave mute assurance that
the warship was ready for a fight at
the drop of the hat.
Lieutenant-Captain Hans Rose, who
hung up new worlds record in bring
ing an armed submarine in battle array
across the Atlantic, said that he had
called at Newport simply to mail a
letter to Count Won Bernstorff. He re-
quired neither provisions nor fuel and
would be on his way, he said, long be-
fore the "a hours during which a bel
ligerent ship may remain within a neu-
trail harbor had expired.
The American had been outside for
meneuVers since morning and was re-
turning when she came up with the
German. The D-2, drawing near the
stranger and making out her type, sent
a wireless message to the shore head
quarters of Admiral Knight, who re-
layed word of the appearance of the
U-53 to the Navy Department at Wash
ington. The American submarine pre-
ceded the visitor into the harbor.
The first report had it that it was
the Bremen which was coming In. A
newspaper man who had watched for
weeks for the merchant submarine
climbed to the tower of the United
States Engineers office and, with the
aid of powerful glasses, made out two
guns on the submarine.
A few minutes later he was in a
motorboat making for the craft and
was rewarded by being taken aboard
The U-53 had made her way through |
the feet Of 81 United States warships
destroyers and submarines, |
to an anchorage 200 yards to the west |
ward of the torpedo station. Captain |
Rose stood on the quarterback as the |
came aboard and, after |
inquiring about the Bremen, said that |
he had come in to mail a letter to |
Count Won Bernstorff, and asked for
the newspaper mans credentials.
The latter exhibited an Associated
Press badge and was intrusted with
the correspondence for the Ambassa
dor.
"Please forward this letter to Count
said the captain, land re
port my arrival They will be glad tc
near It."
The correspondence, contained in a
single envelope, was mailed at the
ocal postofice at o'clock and should
nave started for Washington about an
lour later 1t should be at the Ger,
nan Embassy early tomorrow
A Busy Three Hours.
The submarine was in American
waters little more than three hours
that she continued to sea
.fter submerging. Within that time
he German commander paid oficia
lists to Rear-Admiral Austin NJ
Knight, commandant of the seconc
laval district, and Rear-Admira
ileaves, commander of the destroyer
orce Of the Atlantic feet, who was OF
oard the flagship, the scout cruiser
Birmingham. Both American officers
eturned the brief call promptly.