New Britain herald., 1917-10-18
AMERICAN SHIP
 GETS TORPEDOED
Sensational Statement Is Given Out by Navy Department

Washington, Got. 1S.-News of the torpedoing and disabling of an Amer-l. ican destroyer by a German subma- rine in European waters was flashed to the Navy Department last night by Vice Admiral William S. Sims com manding the naval expeditionary force abroad. One member of the crew was killed by being blown overheard and five others. including gunner's mate. were injured, but not seriously. Vice Admiral Sims gave few de- tails, but 1t is assumed that there was no fight and that the U-boat 1 made good her escape after launch ing @ torpedo without showing her. self. In accordance with the policy of secrecy concerning American naval operations the department did not 1 dlvulge the name of the destroyer or { the exact place of the encounter. l Official announcement was made by Secretary Daniels in this statement: l The Navy Department has received { a message from Vice Admiral Sims stating that on Oct. 16 an American destroyer was torpedoed by a sub- { marine while on patrol duty in Eu- l l. The vessel was not sunk and haaE l since arrived in port. 1 The casualties were as follows:
 Killed: Osmond Kelly Ingram, gunner's mate; next kin, (mother,) | Bett1e Ingram, 5O4 Third street, Pratt City, Ala. Ingram was blown over- board and his body was not recovered.
 The wounded, none of whom wera seriously injured, are:
 Herman Henry Pankratz, gunners mate, second class; next of kin, (brother,) Robert William Pancratz, 4,818 Lee avenue, St. Louis, Mo.
 William Edward Merritt, seaman; next of kin, (mother) Ellen Merritt, 264 East Fifty-fourth street, New York.
 Frank William Kruse fireman, first class next of kin, (wife,) Mar garet Kruse, TEA Indian avenue, To- ledo, Ohio.
 Patrick Rutledge. oiler; next of kin, (wife.) Nonna Rutledge. 4Y1 West Thirty-first street, New York.
 William Selmer, fireman, second class; next of kin, (father,) Henry Seiller, Dundas, Minn."
 This Is the first time an American9 warship has been hit by the enemyI since the war began. Destroyers cont Voy1ng troops and merchantmen have engaged submarines and are believed to have Accounted for some of them, and the ships patro11ing the European shipping lanes undoubtedly have had | many an encounter of which nothing has been heard, but until yesterday none had been touched by a hostile shot. ~
 Naval gun crews on armed Ameri- can merchantmen have not been so l fortunate. Many of them have had to abandon their charges and take to the boats-usually after an attack without 1 warning-and one officer and thirteen men have lost their lives, while four men now are in German prison camps. In all the navy has lost one officer and sixteen mon, the only men of Americas fighting forces actually killed in action.
 Naval officers believe that the tor pedoed destroyer was taken unaware by the submarine and had no chance 1 to bring her guns into play. They 1 think it probable that the U-boat ac- cidently stumbled upon the patrolling l destroyer and was fortunate enough to 1 get into position to launch torpedo and dive to safety without ever show l ing more than her periscope. 1 It is believed, too, that the destroy CT must have been steaming slowly over her beat, for at top speed these l craft present an almost unhittable target to the submarine.