Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-24
VOYAGE WITH MOSQUITO FLEET
GIVES ONE ABUNDANT THRILLS
Y. NJ C. A. Worker Tells of Trip He Made
In Converted Yacht In Search
of Submarines.

them at the Y. NJ. c. A restaurant or
return.
Down with the black gang" it was
the same as when 1 ate with the other
ulation as to our chances Of sighting
and sinking U-boat. The sailors are
! full of youth and pep" play cards
| and read the available papers and
facing extreme dangers every moment
and yet are apparently oblivious to
them all. The waters through which
the brave little vessel goes rolling and
times her size. are strewn thick with
mines by the enemy. Hence one is
never sure when one Of the "eggs"-as
the mines are called-has reached a
point just beneath the surface and Is
waiting to blow one of the Suicide
Fleet"-as the gobs call their boats
into kingdom come.
Those on watch are advised to keep
on their life-preservers all the time.
They are well made and slip on easily,
similar to a jacket. SO Mr.. Cob rather
likes to feel 1t around him, especially
through the long night hours out on
deck on watch. And a certain amount
of warmth is gained from them.
Tell Some Queer Tales.
The officers and the men know some
queer tales. On a previous trip they
had passed a rowboat, during a storm
and were just able to perceive that 1t
we're British sailors. and 1t looked as
though they had been shot after hav-
| ing been torpedoed. Then our men oc-
casionally pass masses of wreckage
on the surface. There is also a con-
siderable amount of rescue work ac-
complished by the crews Of the mos
quito fleet. Survivors Of torpedoed
ships are encountered and rescued
There is a separate place on the boat
for these survivors to sleep "a meas
ure of precaution against vermin
which abound in merchant vessels)
and Uncle Sam also furnishes suitable
clothing and food free of charge. The
second day out we met another con-
voy of heavy merchantmen, laden with
a valuable cargo.
| I took two or three watches while on
board with the gobs. and enjoyed the
ideal-a rare thing along the coast In
| this region. Most Of the time there is
rain and fog and often heavy storms
which make the work more drudgery
than play. With single exception
| this trip was the only fair-weather
voyage they had made in many weeks
II could well imagine the extreme
hardships and discomforts these crews
must undergo when storms are raging
in these sturdy but small fighting
ships, which were built for inland
pleasure cruising. not for use in the
toughest waters known to shipping
It is on these occasions, as one Of the
sailors told me. that meals can be
eaten only by stnding up with a sand
witch in one hand, and hanging onto q
post or railing with the other And
sandwiches are all they can get al
such times as these. 1t is then the
gob's thoughts turn to the time when
a VI "a ao IN ~ =
back) for a shower and q good hot
dinner at the Y. NJ C. A. restaurant, as
this particular sailor told me.
Pot Shots at Enemy.
During the night shots were heard
from one Of our fellow patrols which
had gotten a glimpse of the enemy
1 But in this case the enemy was too fa1
away or there was too little Of hin
showing up. to do any damage.
Large sea planes swoop over thu
sea to spot the enemy. They travel a
high speed. and the whirrinR noise Of
their motors can be heard at almost al
and the observer balloons perform.
splendid service in sighting the dread.
! ed mines as well as the submarines
They are able from their height above
the water to see objects considerably
below the surface. Any bits of wreck.
age floating about, masses of oil or
| the surface, or long white streaks de.
noting the recent presence OF q U.
boat which has left its wake behinC
\ after submerging. are quickly noticed
by the sharp eyes Of these aerieG
guards.
| As the time drew near for mo tc
leave this congenial company, It wal
brought home to me that I had never
seen such pleasant relationships al
those existing on board between the
officers Of the ship, the C. p. O.s and
all Of the men, both fore ana aft There
10 almost . family feeling among the
crew. and the very one who may ap-
pear to get "cussed" at the most, such
a.. for example, the good-natursd char
called RED" who Il seemed to mo had
one Of the hardest Jobs on the chip
namely. that Of keeping the hungry
mouths Of the black gang filled. IL IN
fact probably the best liked.
| I was on watch on the bridge the last
night, when q big moon flooded the
smooth sea with light, but even then
1t 10 difficult to spot objects on the
water At night. We were in q thickly
mined section. and the strain amona
all the oficers YVES apparent. Suddenly
q small SAL was noticed, quite close
on the port side. coming In toward the
bow.
! ''staad b. the gun. Port bow.
Quick and sharp came the scaptain'a