Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-26
First U-Boat Sunk
 by US. Gunners
MADE A PERFECT HIT AT DlS-
 TANcE OF 1000 YARDS
SHATTERED PERIscoPE
Captain Rice of the American Steam ship Mongolia Narrates Experiences Which Ended in Disaster to a Ger man Submarine.

London, April 25, 4.45 p. m.-Captain Rice of the American steamship Mon golia, which has arrived at a British port, told The Associated Press today gun of the war for the United States and sunk a German submarine. Captain Rice Narrates Incident.
 Captain Rice outlined the incident with modesty but could not quite con- ceaI the pride he felt in the achieve ment of his ship. He paid a high tribute to the gunners and especially handled by the officer who directed the firing of the telling shot.
 For five days and nights" said Cap tain Rice. T hadn't had my clothes off, on duty all the time- It was 5.20 o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th that we sighted the submarine. The officer commanding the gunners was we had been most of the time throughout the voyage.
 Submarine Sighted.
 There was a haze over the sea at the time. We had just taken a sound ing, for we were getting near shallow water, and we were looking at the lead when the first mate cried There's submarine off the port bowl The submarine was close to us-too close, in fact, for her purposes-and she was submerging again in order to manoeuver in a better position for tor Pedoing us. We saw the periscope go down and the swirl of the water. I quickly ordered a man at the wheel to put 1t to starboard and we swung the nose of the ship toward the spot where the submarine had been seen.
 Saw the Periscope Shattered.
 We were going full speed ahead and two minutes after we first sighted
  1000 yards off. Its intention probably had been to catch us broadside on, but when it appeared we had the stern gun trained full on it. The lieutenant boomed. We saw the periscope shat tered and the shell and the submarine disappeared.
 Praise for American Navy.
 T can't speak too highly of the cool manner in which the lieutenant han dled his crew of gunners. It was a fine exhibition of the efficiencv of knew before the shell struck the sub marine that it's aim was accurate. There was no guesswork-it was a case or pure mathematics. Taking the speed at which the Mongolia was tray- cling at the time and the speed with which the submarine undoubtedly would make, and computing these fig ures with the distance we were from the SuDInaTlne when It was first sight ed and when it appeared the second tlme, 1t can be seen that the lieuten- ant had his gun sighted to the inch. And It must be remembered that the whole affair took only two minutes.
 Didn't Stop to Reconnoiter.
 T assure you we didn't stop to reconnoiter after the incident but steamed away at full speed, for 1t was not improbabl that there was another submarine about. The one I got had undoubtedly been lying on the bottom at this spot waiting for the ship and came up when it heard our propeIlers. l immediately sent wireless message stating that a submarine had been seen.
 Gun Was Named Theodore Roosevelt.
 That's about all the story. excepting this: The gunners had named the guns on board the Mongolia. and the one which got the submarine was called Theodore Roosevelt; so Teddy fired the nrst gun of the war, after all"
 Captain Rice recalled that he came from Allston, Mass, and that the en- counter with the submarine occurred on the date when the Bay State was celebrating the anniversary of the bat tie of Lexington.