The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-07-04
HOSPITAL SHIP
SUNK BY HUNS
ANOTHER SAMPLE OF GERMAN
FRlGHTFuLNEsS.
OVER 200 SURVIVORS FIRED ON
One Small Boat Containing "a People
Is All That Has Been Accounted
For From Wreck of Steamer
Llandovery Castle.

| Llanuovery Castle.
London, July "A Teuton subma.
4 rine sank the British hospital ship
Llandoyery Castle, 116 miles south
west of Fastnet, on June 7, the Brit
ish admiralty has announced.
The Llandovery Castle was home
ward bound from Canada. She car
ried 25S persons. This total included
eighty Canadian army medical corps
men and fourteen female nurses.
| One boat containing twenty-four
survivors so far has reached port.
The admiralty announcement fol-
lows:
I About 1920 o'clock on June 81,
ZIG miles southwest of Fastnet, the
hospital ship Llandery Castle was tor
pedoed by an enemy submarine and
sank in about ten minutes. She was
homeward bound from Canada and
therefore there were no sick or
wounded on board, but her crew con-
sisted of 164 officers and men and she
SdliiSu
calls and fourteen female nurses.
All Rules Violated.
"Of this total of 25S only one boat
containing twenty-four survivors has
SO far reached port. Search il still
being made and there is a bare pos
sibility that others may yet be found.
1T is to be noted that in this, as
indeed in all other instances, the Ger
man submarine had perfect right to
stop and search the hospital ship I'M
der The Hague convention, but she
preferred to torpedo the Llandovery
Castle"
Attack Was Deliberate.
Subsequently the admiralty issued
the following comment on the sinking:
"Germany's awful debt to the world
continues to grow. Another hospital
ship has been torpedoed, this time 116
miles from the nearest land, and her
people turned adrift in their boats to
sink or swim as best they might. And,
II IdJpClCQ1 BIC was IL Sdil-
adam hospital ship returning from
Halifax with no wounded on board,
the tale of crime reveals wanton de-
liberation on the part of the submarine
commander and almost suggests the
hope on his part that he would find
her full of injured and helpless men,"
The Llandovery Castle was 11,423
tons gross and was built at Glasgow
/ in 1914 for the Union Castle Mail
steamship service. The vessel was
500 feet long, 63 feet beam and 81
feet deep.
Offers Lying Excuse.
London, July 2.-Later reports, in
tensify the cruelty in the sinking of
the hospital ship. The submarine COM
mannder, who ordered tne cap
tair. several Of his officers and Major
Lyon of the medical corps aboard, said
he sunk the ship because she was car
rying American aviation officers and
others in the fighting service of the
allies. He added that the vessel was
carrying munition stores, because of
an explosion which occurred aft.
All lights were burning when the
Llandovery Castle was torpedoed.
These included a huge electric
cross over the bridge and strings of
white and green lights on either side.
The red crosses on the sides Of the
vessel were illuminated.
Slaughter in Engine Room.
According to Red Cross information
many were killed in the engine rooms.
There is hardly any doubt of this as
there was no response to Captain
Sylvester's signal from the bridge
after the torpedo struck AS the en-.
CINE men were either killed or left
their posts, there was no one to shut
off the power and the ship kept on her
way Notwithstanding the great holes
torn by the torpedo, not beginning to
slow down until the water rushed in.
to the boiler room, extinguishing the
fires.
IlaunCnlHB lHe lll6DOdIS. lHSTe WIS III
panic. By the time the ship lost her
momentum most of the boats were
over the sides. Many were unable to
reach the boats and the ship was sink
ing rapidly. They jumped into the
sea, and a few we're picked up.
Tortured Medical officer.
| According to information received
by the Canadian Red Cross here Major
Lyon. from the Llandovery Castle
was forced to stand in the connins
tower despite an injured foot while
the German submarine officers quest
toned him. The Germans insisted
that Major lyon was an aviation of
ficer, notwithstanding the officers
strenuous denials, The Germans ever
threatened to shoot Major Lyon. con
tending that he was an officer Of the
lighting unit not medical officer.
The admiralty report on the sink
{un dacorihas tho nrtal froatrnant M