New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-26
Explosion on Subma-
rine as Shell from
Navy Gun Lands
Caught Craft
Rising to Surface
Had Stern Battery Trained
After Attempt to Ram
Submersible Failed

Frclish coast lhc il"'i -N"' ~''i"'
,,r,d fired the first American shot In
., war with Germany, and instantly
~ a hostile U-boat. This happened
.,s.24a m.. April 70. on the 142d an
.,r,,sarv Of the Battle Of Lexington.
The American steamship Mongolia
a., approaching the southeastern
...,t of England. It was a hazy morn
:, Cap.sin Rice. who had not taken
- HE clothes for five days. had just
,,,,,,d ou, Of the chart-rOom with
Naval Gunncry Lieutenant Bruce Ware
U.SN -
Wis. followed:
we suddenly heard an exclamation
,.,n ,be chief officer; There's sub
,,,ine of the port bow Immediately
:. ,usbed for the bridge. where we
Ia .nent most Of the voyage, and
,,,,seallv simultaneously we saw
,rbmarine periscope on the port SIDE
about sVN a. t4o e''e-.
Tried 10 Ram U-bOat
4o,lv about three feet Of the peri
,,ocs showed, but ! realized instsn-
,,,sously she had only 70 fire once 10
blow US sky-high. with our 500 iee' o.
,.,,.t e,possd Automatically swung
bs helm right around and bore down
-. b.r ..arboardwise. hoping TO ram
y. Tbi. seemed our only chance Of
-, being hit amidships. thought 'ne
.,,,edo might pass alongside
sSbe realized my intention ins'anug
e.. dived and also swung srOU"o'
~,,,ber 10 avoid our attack or "
800 -. into a better position lot
,,,,esoinr. ] can't say. Al any q a.
toIloved her around, watching 'ne
,';,line wave caused by her motion as
4, periscope disappeared
.Th,r she came up, expecting 10 De
,p, 10 attack us on the port ''os'
b, we were going full speed a"'4u'
,s =, the two minutes before s",
,r,,rsd we had put her thousand
80 hack Of US. The stern gun was
,,ip.s full on her. and almost the III
,.,,t she reappeared Lieutenant Bruce
-. ~. range order and then-'flre'
We saw the six-inch shell MT '"'
water clean and fair on the peris'Ope'
Shell and submarine disappeared,
Th,,. was an explosion. OF course anu
fer some minutes the surrounding area
"a, covered with smoke We d'dn
Ere again.
Shot Hit Hull OF Periseope
Naturally, there isn't any ae'ua'
ag,l proof that we got the O-0O"''
we didn't recover any wreekage .,
bodies. but there was the telI-taie Oh
On the waters. believe we either nv
u, psriseope directly OF struck 'He
kul almost at the water level.
a can't praise highly enough the
COL. essv way Lieutenant Bruce nan
G,a his gun crews. It was about 'he
has. .,bib;+io, Of efficiency | have ever
us.n There as no guesswork aoout
lat shot-iust a Case of applied ma'h-
saa.ies Lieutenant Bruce knew before
IL, shell struck that it would reach
tsne. for he had computed the speeo
Il which we were travelling ana our
erection with tie speed and direction
u the submarine. In the two minutes
,ha, elapsed from the moment we hrs'
hv the enemy the Lieutenant had tha'
Tn trained TO an inch.
"0ur crew just howlod with delight
Hstn they saw the splash, and the gun
crew we're proud men. We certainly
Ait sOme fine guns and gunners. On
1s way over the crews practised daily
en oil cans and barrels which they
afew over the side. The second day
esl they hit can a mile and half
asay on the second shot.
Named Gun for Roosevelt
Our guns forward were named the
D'oTse and Martha Washington and
we one aft. which scored the hit, had
es'a ehristened Teddy Roosevclt-so
iseoy fred the first shot OF tho war
After all.
aust before We saw the submarine
had been taking soundings. as VIC
,ie getting into shallow water.
k she was probably lying on the
se1'om and came up when she heard
~ pfopellers. ] can assure you we
NJ lnger 20 rcconnoitre the spot
steamed away at full speed. send
wireless meanwhile that a sub
ioe had been seen imagine there
KY have been another Of those T.
- ~ that neighborhood."
Nspsin Rice smiled reminiscently as
uqnhed his story, adding: "And
80 nome in Allston, Mass, where /
- from. the felix's were celebrating
anniiVersary Of the Battle Of Lex