South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-23
TANKER FIGHTS
TO LAST SHELL
Campana, 0utranged, Puts Up
a Brilliant Battle De-
spite Handicap.

AN ATLANTIC POhl, aug. 20
The Standard OIL tank steamer Cam
pana, whose captain and five Of her
navy gunners were taken prisoners
by G German submarine on Aug. 8.
surrendered 10 the U-boat. but only
because she had not another shot 10
fire. The Campana's ammunition,
after firing $50 shots, became ex-
hausted.
This was the story told by J. II.
Bruse, third mate Of the Campana,
who with 40 other members Of the
Campana's crew and eight gunners
arrived here Wednesday on a French
steamship. The battle began at 3
a. m. and was waged for four hours
at a range of between 1900 and l.
500 yards.
The U-boat fired 400 shots, only
two of which hit the mark The
Campana nevertheless was outrang-
ed by the two guns, one four inch
and the other two inch, with which
the submarine was armed. The u
boat also was fully as speedy as the
American vessel
Fired on After Surrender.
After the Campana hoisted the
international signal of surrender her
last shell was gone, the submarine
nevertheless continued 20 fire, Bruce
said. and all hands took TO the boats.
The U-boat commander first ap-
preached the boat commanded by
Bruce, which had aboard the Cam
pana's IS naval gunners, and order
ed il alongside. He then went TO the
lifeboat occupied by Capt. Albert
oliver Of the Campana and took him
prisoner. Having room for only six
additional men aboard his craft, the
German skipper made only five of
the gunners prisoner, Bruce said.
The submarine was the U-2.
Bruce did not learn the commanders
name. The German told him, he
said. that he had first fired a tor
pedo at the Campana. but had miss
ed the projectile apparently passing
under the steamship.
Bruce and his men encountered a
French warship after floating about
in small boats until 6 o'clock that
night The warship took them
aboard and landed them In France.
Bruce said he was told by an officer
OF the war vessel that he had heard
a wireless message from another
French cruiser, saying that IL had
sunk a German submarine in the
vicinity Of the place where the Cam
pana had been sunk. Bruce said ii
was only a matter OF conjecture as
TO whether this was the submarine
that attacked his vessel, but If true,
he feared il meant that Capt. oliver
and his gunners had persisted
When Capt. oliver and the other
prisoners went below on the sub
marine" said Bruce, they bid us
goodbye and the U-boat captain as
sured me they would be treated as
| prisoners of war and landed in a few
days at a German base, where the
captain SAID they would be given
every opportunity to send word
home 10 their families I was al
lowed 70 take a personal message
from Capt. oliver to be delivered to
his wife.
JackieS Eager TO Fight ON.
The bluejackets with us were a
game lot When the last shell had
gone they would have tackled the
Germans with their revolvers had
the word been passed 10 them. II
would have been a useless sacrifice
of life, however, as the Germans had
us at their mercy.
The captain said his instructions
were TO take all American gunners
and captains Of armed ships prison
ers. He said. however, he was sorry
the United States was in the war,
because he hated TO fight Americans.
as ne had always found them
friendly and good sports Ameri-
cans. he said, will always fight 10 a
finish. He had no use for the
French or the English though. es-
pecially the English
The names Of the gunners taken
prisoner were:
James Delaney chief gunners
mate; William Miller, seaman; Fred
Jacobs, seaman; Ray Roop. boat
SWANS mate. second class. and
Charles Kline, gunners mate.