New-York tribune., 1917-07-29
Destroyer Crews
Enjoy Excitement
Of U-Boat Hunt
Cunners Have Only a Moment
in Which to Bag Their
Game
By 2. A. WRAY

London, July 27.-Hunting the sub
marine Is the most exciting sport ever
devised. But il Is also the most DIM
cult Compared with it, the proverbial
needle in a haystack makes easy game.
Il is a contest where all the rules are
made to favor the submarine and
handicap the opponent. When the lat
ter comes off victor he has won a tri-
umph several hundred times greater
than any landsman can imagine.
was on a British destroyer which.
accompanied by sister ship, had just
previously left an English harbor on
the duty of conveying transports. Inc
voyage seemed to offer little prospect
of excitement. This ship was in the
habit Of making two or three such trips
every day, and it Is not habit OF sub
marines, as several sailors assured me,
to approach the vicinity Of destroyers
The Boche seldom takes any risks ex
cept where there are hundreds OF
peaceful merchantmen and passenger
ships, whose power OF resistance Is
limited. Our ship had made several
hundred voyages up and down this sea
lane and had never even seen sub
marine.
An officer who was of duty took me
around the ship and explained the
speed with which the big guns can get
busy. He pointed out how torpedo
can be launched practically instanta~
neously and how many seconds 1t takes
to bring into action one or two other
salutary anti-5ubmarine devices now
carried by British ships.
Submarine Sighted"
We sat down In the wardroom for a
few minutes, and | heard the stories
of the ships fights since the war be-
gan. We might just as well have been
sitting in the hotel ashore. No scene
could have been less wanting In ex-
citement. Then within an instant II
changed.
Submarine sighted on port side.
She just discharged torpedo" came
hoarse shout. We were on deck in
a bound-we Rad been sitting over
magazines crammed with high explo-
sives.
Torpedo missed ships stern by sew
eral feet" was the next cry that met
us. But by this time that particular
incident had passed. The destroyer
had already gone after the submarine.
Its periscope had peeped above the
water for perhaps a couple Of seconds
and instantaneously it had fired the
torpedo and submerged once more.
But its position was known within O
few yards.
In less time than Il takes TO write
the destroyer was ready for action. !
For two or three seconds men were
running up and down the deck. Then
! saw that the guns were manned and !
swung out awaiting the order to fre |
The sighters, the range6nders and the !
leaders were standing alongside, tense,
listening for the word. The torpedo !
tubes were pointing in the direction Of |
the submarine. An officer standing in /
the stern was ready to let loose other !
measures of destruction. Two or three
seconds of terrific orderly activity and
all was ready.
Up on the bridge matters were
equally busy. The ships course had
been completely changed and instead
of half speed she was pel.!nS through |
the water as hard as her engines could
drive her. The wireless was already
busy sending out the news to all the
ships around. A signal telling the
same story was futtering on the mast.
head. Many pairs of eyes were scan-
ming the surface awaiting just one
glimpse Of the perscope.
Ships Join In Search
Already from every point Of the COM
pass great ships were tearing up TO
the scene. Some came amid great col
umns OF smoke; in others the wash
was the only sign Of hurry. They
formed al eyer-narrowing circle