New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-13
Tlvo Fishing Boats
Believed Sunk BY
Tluo Submarines

BOSION, Aug. 1.-Two submarines
raided the fishing fleet on Georges
Banks Saturday, and the crews of the
fishing schooners Oldtime and Cruiser
probably were lost when their boats
were sunk by gunfire without warning
according to the crew of the fishing
schooner Mary Sennett, who were land
ed here tonight. The Sennett was also
sunk by gunfre. and shells were fired
at the boats when they were putting
away, the fishermen said.
The Sennett, Oldtime and Cruiser
were fishing in the same neighborhood
when the Sennett's lookout noticed two
submarines several miles away. AS the
underwater boats apparently were pay
ing no attention to the fishermen at
the time, the Sennett's crew continued
fishing, after putting water and pro-
! visions in the boats as a precautionary
measure.
AS they kept an eye on the strangers,
thinking they might be American boats,
one of the submarines submerged and
the other took wide circle around
the little group of three fishermen.
The first intimation the fishermen had
that the submarines were hostile was
when shell suddenly crashed into
the side Of the Oldtime. She heeled
over and sank SO quickly that the Ben
nett's crew were certain the men could
not have escaped At any rate, thew
saw nothing of them.
! The Oldtime had hardly disappeared
when shell dropped alongside the
cruiser, Immediately followed by an
other shot, which exploded on the water
line. The little craft crumpled up and
went down before the crew had chance
/ to jump for their lives.
The Mary Sennett's men did not wait
for similar end. Thew threw over
their dorics and tumbled in just as a
/ shot crashed into her. She was heavily
loaded, and sank like stone. But the
German apparently was not satisfied
He sent four other shells at the small
boats pulling away, but all the shots
went wild.
The Sennett's crew rowed for twenty
four hours before they were picked up
:sHeventy-tiye miles off Highland Light.
They said they were fired on without
warning, the first shell crashing
through the schooner's side just below
the water line. She was on her way to
/ the Boston market with a heavy catch
and filled so rapidly the crew had no
time to save personal effects. As they
were rowing away from their vessel
they stated the submarine fired four
shots at their small boat. All of
which missed by considerable margins.
AN ATLANTIC PORT, Aug. 1.-THE
number Of fishing vessels destroyed bv
German submarine in it's raid on the
fleet off Georges Banks last Saturday
night was nearer score than the nine
already reported, according to men
from one of the vessels brought here
today. This is the belief of Andrew
St. Croix, mate of the schooner Kate
Palmer, who says that from the cross
trees of his vessel he saw the sinking
of seven other schooners by bombs, and
that before the submarine came into
view he had counted eleven other ex-
plosions at intervals of fifteen minutes
or half an hour. Reckoning that one
bomb was used for each vessel. the
mate believes that the eleven distinct
explosions he heard represented the
sinking of that many vessels, in add
ton to those he saw 60 down. The
submarine did not use its guns as far
as ne observed
According to the mate, there were
from twenty-five to thirty swordfshing
vessels operating on the banks, and he
believed that the greater number of
these were sunk. AS each of them car
rled at least two dory crews. he esti
mated that at least forty boatloads of
men we're set adrift on the banks 40 n
result of the raid