The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-08-02
nephew A GUNNER
ON T0RPED0ED SHIP
Dewey Arpin, Nephew of. Mrs. A. A.
Robinson Tells of Sinking Of
Standard Oil Ship, Polarine

A nephew of Mrs. A. A. Robinson
Of this city, Dewey Arpin of Clark,
s. D., who has visited in this city,
was one Of the gunners on the Stand
ard Oil ship, The Polarine. The young
man, who is 20 years Of age, has been
in the navy for two years. A letter
which he has written his mother, will
prove interesting to our readers:
New York City, July 13, 1917.
Dear Mother:
Arrived in New York today on the
steamship Antiona Lopez from Bar
celona, Spain. We were in Barcelona
13 days after the Moreni was sunk: l
suppose that you folks read in the
papers about the S. S. Moreni being
in sea battle with German sub
marine. We left Gibraltar on SUM-
day night about 5 o'clock with the S.
s. Polarine and the S. S. Lackenback.
The Polarine was Standard Oil ship
carrying guns, and led the way, next
came the Lackenback without any
guns and last came US. The next
night about IL o'clock we had to stop
on account of engine trouble and lost
sight of the other ships. The next
morning in trying to catch up with the
others we cut across kind of a bay
and were about ten miles from land
when at o'clock a. M, we heard a
shell come whistling across our bow.
I was on the forward gun and saw it
strike the water on the other side, then
a couple more came before the men
on the after gun got sight of the sub
marine for the captain had turned the
stern around towards the submarine.
About the tenth shot struck the life
rail Just across from where l was
standing and put chunk of steel thru
the calf Of a mans leg who was
standing beside me, and another man
got hit in the feshy part of the thigh,
then we were firing steady for about
two hours when shell hit our tanks
and our cargo was 100000 barrels Of
gasoline and it caught fire and the en-
CINE room was all afire, also the wire
less room and aerials shot away and
the bridge all afire so we had to take
to the boats. There were two men
drowned and two got tore up pretty
bad from being hit with shells but
they were all from the boat crew
and none of the twelve gunners were
wounded to amount to anything. Two
Of the wounded died aboard the Span
ish steamer that picked US up and
took us to Barcelona.
We were alongside Of the submarine
and she carried two guns, one forward
and the other aft. Their guns were
4 inch and ours 8 inch, and they stay
ed just out Of our range or about
1000 yards all the time s0aWe could
not score hit, although thea captain
of the submarine told our captain that
our aim was perfect and that if we
had as big guns as they, we would
have sunk them. We stayed in Bar
celona, Spain, 13 days and the trip
home took us 10 days. When we were
on the submarine the captain Of it
bandaged all our wounded and asked
for the gunners but none of us had on
our naval uniforms and so we said
they were all killed.
The American consul at Barcelona
gave us all civilian clothes and shoes
and such other wearing apparel as
was needed.
Well, will close, hoping that you
are all we'll and feeling fine, for ! am,
and / intend to go across on another
merchant vessel just as soon as they
will let me.
Address mail to me at Naval Y. NJ.
C. A., 167 Sands street, Brooklyn, N.
Your loving son,
R. Dewey Arpin.