Crittenden record-press., 1918-05-02
BRITISH NAVAL RECORDS HOLD
TALES OF FIGHTS With U-BOATS
Stories in Brief Form Reveal German Savagey and Fghuness
With Occasional Touches of Comedy-Many Describe
Hairbreadth Escapes and Gallant Defense
by British Sailors

London.--In a big room In Whitehall
tkere are Kept all the records OF Brit
ish merchant ships encounters with
U-boats. There they are, volumes and
volumes of the most damnlng evil
dence, indelible for all time. OF Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since Germany's cold-blooded
frightfulness at sea began these rec
ords have been plling up In this room !;
and only now are they being allowed
TO see the light.
They tell Of all kinds Of ships. from
big liners down to tiny schoOners. All
are short, but realistic, testifying to
the British merchant sailors behavior
against the ugliest methods OF German
warfare. They tell Of fights with
submarines, often against enormous
odds, and OF hairbreadth escapes; OF
gallant rescues and perilous adven'
lures In small boats on the open seas
Of German submarine crews VINO
jeered at their victims, and OF some
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here Is q typical story OF hght
between a merchantmen with a little
gun and a U-boat. 1t is perhaps one
Of the longest OF the records.
There was n heavy sea, with squalls
Of rain, and the time was five minutes
to three in the morning. The captain
says:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
almost Immediately I sighted a
submarine right ahead. crossing from
starboard 10 port. II was very big
one, and there were four or five mer
around the coming tower. put helm
hard a-starboard and tried to ran
him, but missed by feet, as ! could
hear the men shouting aboard her. A'
soon as / saw I had missed her
sung out to the guns crew: Look out
close on port side there" and l pu'
the helm hard aport to bring the enc
my astern.
almost Immediately afterward
heard the report Of my gun, and, turn
Ing round. saw big bright flareup II
the water In the port quarter like
big explosion. This was verified by
the guns crew. the second officer ant
the mate, who was the spotting officer
About ten minutes afterward no
ticed what appeared to be the wax
OF a torpedo passing along the por
side, and I shouted the guns crew
Look out port quarter againv ant
put the helm to port: but as ! wa
calling out my orders second office
and guns crew observed the bow ant
stern wake Of a submarine on por
quarter steering parallel to US an
coming on at good speed.
1--WE fred on him. but made no hi,
and I ordered the men to cease flre
as I hoped to escape In the darkness
and the flash OF the gun was YER
brilliant. II being dark night.
then ordered the chief engineer TO ge
his men down the stokehold and drtv
the vessel to his utmost. and ordere'
the guns crew TO stand by gum an
every one TO put n llfebelt on"
The captain continues with a fin
touch OF unlntentional bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
"As the officers had not yet ha
their coffee | told the steward to &c
II for them and went back to tn
bridge and spoke TO the second Office
about keeping sharp lookout, as
felt somehow that the enemy wa
chasing u.s."
He was, sure enough, for adds tn
captain:
about twenty minutes past 81
o'clock went below TO the chart ROOF
to get our position again, and almos
Immediately l heard terrific expl'
sion on the port side. | ran up o
the bridge and ordered all boats OF
and called the wireless operator I
send out nm s o s and give our pos
tion. As his machine broke down a
most Immediately We got no reply.
few seconds after the first explosio
haord ,ha haoyy duiI pxnlnsInr