New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-07
Three U-Boats,
4 Freight Ships
Sunk in Battle
Y Allied Trade Vessels At
tackled Of Irish Coast
by 7 Raiders
Wireless Calls Bring
Destroyers to Rescue
Merchantmen Return to Port
Some Later Reach
U. S. Safely

AN ATLANTIC PORT, Sept. 6.-The
story of concerted attack By seven
German submarines upon a feet OF
twenty-five Allied merchantmen steam
ing westbound for American ports was
told to-day by officers and men of four
of the vessels which have arrived here
during the last few days.
Four Of the merchantmen-the big
gest in the convoy-were sunk by Ger
man torpedoes. but before the fight was
over the combined fire of the cargo
steamships and destroyers had sunk
three of the seven submarines.
The fight is regarded as the quickest
and most costly battle for both sides
that has ever occurred between sub
marines and armed merchantmen, and
it is believed by the men who par
ticipated in the battle that the Ger
mans are not likely to take such des-
perate chances again.
According to the participants, the
fight occurred about thirty miles off the
Irish coast on August Is. Several days
before the battle, the twenty-five mer-
chant vessels. from various British
pcrts in the English Channel and the
Irish Sea, assembled off a certain por.
in Ireland and proceeded westward
The feet was headed b. big freighter
designated as q flagship, and behind
her at intervals steamed the other YES
sells in files about half-mile apart.
The weather was clear and the seas
moderate. Every available man on
every ship was on the watch for the
enemy, the observers expecting that il
an attack came at all it would be made
outside the line of sails
U-Boats Are Sighted
No periscope was observed until the
fleet was about thirty miles off the
Irish coast when suddenly two peri
scopes came high above the surface
abeam the flagship and on either SID,
Of the middle file.
Simultaneously with their appear
ance, the two U-boats each launched
One missile, fired TO port, came within
few yards of one of the vessels, and.
passing off, struck another of the feet.
blowing its stern to bits and sinking
il within half hour.
Still another torpedo struck the flag
ship in the bow, a chance hit which
finished her within an hour.
U-Boat Hit as II Suhmerges
According 20 the sailormen. now in
port. two of the big merchant vessels
in the rear of the two that were sunk
fired several shots at the enemy, and
struck one OF the U-boats as it was
submerging.
Hardly had the attacking submarines
at the head of the line disappeared
when five more arose to the surface
within the lines of the fleet each
launching a torpedo and submerging
rapidly as possible. Guns we're trained
upon them, also, and one of the sub
mersibles. the officers declare. was posi-
lively destroyed.
Ii is not known whether more than
five torpedoes we're fired by the T.
boats attacking the rear END Of the
feet, but two cf the shots found their
mark. sending two more freighters to
the bottom.
Although the attack was sudden, the
commanders of all the merchant yes
sells acted coolly, and. spreading out in
various directions, the surviving ships
steered zigzag course for the Irish
coast.
Destroyers Aid Trade. Ships
Wireless calls from one of the steam
ships, whose captain Immediately as
sumed the duties Of the master OF the
sunken flagship, brought aid promptly.
Under CONVOY Of destroy ers, the vessels
were conducted safely TO an Irish port.
After remaining there for some
thirty hours, they proceeded to sea on
separate courses. and the few that ar
rived here last week had not seen one
another until off the American coast.
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