The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-05
Passengers on Liner Tell of
a Spectacular Naval
Battle.
MEET THREE IN ONE DAY
Third Submarine Also May
Have Been Destroyed,
Say Witnesses.


after one OF the U-boats had sent a tor
pedo into the vitals Of tho British trans
port Orisea. one of q convoy OF eight
vessels, Including tho Ener. bound for
America.
The fate of another U-boat which at
tempted later to attack the big Brton
carrying III passengers, is left In doubt
but that she was disabled by depth
bombs discharged by the liner and a
destroyer was the prevailing opinion.
The conclusion due to the simultane-
Gus crashing of whole batteries OF
depth charges shook the liner like sea
that he feared the rivets had been torn
from her plates. 1t was the mightiest
upheaval OF geysers and rumble of sub
aqueous thunder. combined with the
barking OF six Inch guns from seven es-
corting destroyers, one cruiser and the
conveyed merchantmen, ever heard, felt
and seen outside a big naval fight.
Depend on Depth Bombs.
The 1T passengers were glad to be in
port alive. but they said they would not
have missed the experience, trying as It
was on their nerves while 1t lasted, for
II gave them a taste of what real war
fare on the ocean might be like.
II was said by the best informed pas
sengers that every merchant ship In the
s1uadron was equipped with devices for
hurting depth bombs, and the big liner
depended chiefly on these for protection.
although she still carried guns. This. it
10 understood. Is the case now with all
the big and little ships. whether trans
ports. cargo carriers or liners.
The story OF the incident has not been
made public by the British Admiralty.
A~..s - =. -, tryan
pretty much all about It, and they were
quite eager to tell It yesterday.
II was P. N. Tuesday. June IS. about
a day out on the Atlantic, in pleasant
weather that the periscope OF a sub
marine was seen by lookouts on one OF
the seven destroyers nearest to the two
steamships at the stern Of the squadron.
steaming two abreast. The big liner
and a transport headed the procession.
Commotion Plainly Visible.
Presently the liner shivered. The hrst
depth bomb. launched from a destroyer.
had exploded. Then the fireworks and
waterworks began in earnest. and siren
alarms sent passengers to their stations
at the lifeboats.
It was clear daylight and they could
see the tremendous commotion in the
feet Of transports. merchantmen and
berths or In public rooms of the ship
thought the liner had been torpedoed or
was being torpedoed, shelled or other
wise Hutilated, SO vast and awe inspir-
ing were the upheavals OF sea and the
thunder OF bombs and guns.
After the coolest of the passengers
had chance to look around and size
up the seascape they noted that the
sternmost ship OF the convoy. the Orissa,
a-n ~ tkay,
a mile off, but could be seen plainly with
the naked eye. She settled by the stern
and soon her after main deck was awash.
Twenty minutes after she was hit her
bow reared and she vanished in a whirl-
pool in 100 fathoms or more.
Several Are Killed.
The passengers learned later that the
torpedo had pierced the Orissa's engine
room. smashing through her quarter.
and had killed seven or eight OF her
crew. The rest of the crew were seen
abandoning her in their own boats
They were picked up by destroyers and
placed on other vessels OF the merchant
and transport squadron. The big liner
received no survivors but heard indirectly
from some of them. II was said also
that one OF the destroyers had mega
phoned to another that the submarine
that sank the Orissa had been destroyed
The squadron sailed along serenely
thereafter until about p. NJ, when a
U-boat appeared on the port side of the
transport that was abreast of the liner
both heading the convoy. The lookouts
Of the liner saw the submers!ble and the
big ship hurled a depth bomb toward
her. simultaneously destroyer began
Smelling the U-boat. Other depth bombs
were launched. and several passengers
declare that they are sure that the sub
marine was smashed. Their impression
was confirmed later by an official an
nouncement which said also that the
first submarine shared the others fate.
third submarine that had made its
appearance during the fighting and dis
appeared. also Is believed 20 have been
destroyed by the depth bomb.
Pianist Calm. the Crowd.
The nerves OF the excited voyagers
were vibrant and when In the late tw.-
light about two hours later the siren
gave the alarm nearly everybody who
was not on deck tumbled out in life
belts and ran to stations. II was the
moment for the arrival OF a heroine, and
she was on the Job. She is Marjorie
Hast. l6, pretty and dainty and a
pianist. She had somebody-maybe II
was her press agent--pull over a plano
in the lounge toward the door and she
sat down and began Raging and jazzing
That helped several to feel a bit
ashamed OF cipltancy that bordered
on panic and they went into the lounge.
The liner kept on her course. and the
ragtime music inspired a group of the
voyagers that had gathered around the
piano TO sing. This was the p9oper cue
20 play The End OF Perfect Day."
and quite naturally Miss HAST was equal
10 the demand. Her father, Walter
Hast, London theatrical producer. who
IL here to put on recent overseas sue
cesses In conjunction with the Shuberts
and Al Woods says the little girl is go
ing into the movies In America and that
she Is cultivating nerve for the ordeal
And the siren signal was a mistake.
screening for z projecting bit Of wreck
age that LOOKOUT mistools for a peri
scope.
Transport Rams a Submarine.
A passenger told tho story Of tn.
transport which recently rammed and
sank one U-boat and forced two others
60 submerEe to avoid being sunk by
shell fire off the Irish coast. The trans
port had aboard 400 American troops
and was proceeding very slowly. lust
under Storage way. through a dense
fog There was sudden rift and the
Transports commander and officers were
startled to see dead ahead a German
submarine. her superstructure entirely
out of water. To port there lay another
saSmersibie spd to starboard still an
The commander rang for full speed
ahead and got It In q 1lfry. He had