The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-29

The extracts are taken from the logs of destroyers Gncluding some United States destroyers), submarines trawlers, and motor launches. This is how a submarine commander, who himself had his vessel scraped along it's whole length by wire sweep, de- scribes the sinking of an enemy yes sel:
 10 a. m.-Sighted hostile subma- rine. Attacked same.
 1O:o3 a. m.-Torpedoed submarine. Hit with one torpedo amidships. Sub marine seen to blow and disappear. Surface to look for survivors. Put down immediately by destroyers who fired at me.
 By way of note, he adds:
 During my attack there was just enough sea to make depth-keeping difficult I fired two torpedoes and one hit at forward end of coming tower. A large column of yellow smoke, about one and a half times as high as the mast, was observed, and the submarine disappeared. The ex- plosion was heard and felt in our own submarine"
 On the previous day our mans periscope had become "very S to turn" so he explains:
 Tn the dark hours I attemptlu to rectify same, but while doing so l was forced to dive and thus lost all the tools and nuts of the centre bush. While attacking it took two men be- sides myself to turn the periscope. For this reason I did not consider it prudent to attack the destroyers after having sunk the submarine.
 After torpedoing submarine I pro- ceeded northward and lay on the bottom Many vessels throughout the day were heard in close proximity. Several explosions were heard, es- pecially one very heavy one. It must have been close, as the noise was considerably louder than that of the torpedo On one occasion a wire sweep scraped the whole length of the boat along my port hide, and a vessel was heard to pass directly overhead.
 Dumping in Shallow Water.
 Another submarine commander describes as follows a duel with the enemy in the course of which he fire uuently bumped the bottom heavily" ,:
  hours one of our submarines succeed ed in sinking her quarry, an enemy submarine. The hostile vessel had evidently just come to the surface, as men were noticed on her bridge spreading the bridge screen. While manoeurvring to attack our subma- rine had to pass through shallow wa ter and as the sea was rough at the time she frequently bumped the bot tom heavily, but, fortunately, avoid ed breaking surface
 "At range of $50 yards both bow tubes were fired. On firing, the peri scope was dipped in case the boa rose, and another tube was brought to bear so as to be ready in the even of a. miss. Fifteen or 20 seconds after firing dull report was heard. Or the periscope being raised after { short interval nothing was seen of tho enemy submarine, but there was { great disturbance in the water whert she had been. On proceeding to thu spot where she was last seen it wa observed that the water was covered with an oily substance which stuck t the glass of the periscope, obscurin; vision.
 Although the vessel was not actu ally seen to sink, there is little doub that she was torpedoed, as it is i'm probable that she could have dive while steaming on the surface in tn brief space during which the Britisl submarines periscope was lowered"
 A fight with a U-boat, which san very rapidly after being hit by, tn torpedo is thus described:
 "A British submarine which sighte a U-boat one morning dived and al tered course so as to get into nor favorable position, and 15 minute later she again picked up the Ger man by means of her periscop' Twenty-two minutes later after hay ing first sighted the enemy, the Brit ish boat discharged a torpedo, an about 60 seconds later a sharp explc sion was heard. The British boz then came up to look for results, an sighted patch of oil right ahead an three men swimming in it. Two these men were picked up, but u third sank before he could be re, cued.'
 The following is a typical examp of a successful hunt by destroyers:
 -Four destroyers were cruising company when an enemy submari1 was sighted Course was altered, tl enemy dived, and a depth charge w dropped on the spot. After the e plosion large dark object broke su face about 50 feet astern of one d stroyer. Further depth charges we dropper, and soon pieces of cork al white painted wood appeared f1oatil on the water"
 The report adds that "the positit was swept and a submerged obje was located" The rest is brief, b eloquent: More depth charges we dropped, when a great deal of came to the surface"
 Another destroyer sighted a pel scope about two miles distant al headed for the enemy vessel, whi dived. A depth charge was dropp fin what was guessed to be the e emy's course" but apparently wit out result. An hour later, however, dull and heavy underwater expl sion was heard" and then "quan ties of oil rose to the surface; nothing more of the submarine W