The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-05-29
Depth Bombs Which Look
Like Ash Cans Finish
Them.
BURKE Tells ABOUT EN-
Many a Submarine Crew
Wiped Out Without
any Warning.
Oy Seaman R. w. surk. Of tn. U. S.

s. -"
A U-boat that's sighted by a look.
out on a destroyer is almost as good
aS done for.
II We see en- We &c; EN-" is what
We say.
American. British and French de.
ptr0yers-all are working together
now, and It is pretty hard Tor Fritz 10
snow his periscope above water. They
used 70 operate a lot above water
Now they don't.
The lash cans" have done il.
Ash cans" are the depth charges
that We drop overheard. and we call
them ash cans because they are about
the size Of q big ash can and look very
much like one.
remember one day-it was very
tOggy-When II seemed as though
something was lin the air" We we're
cruising on patrol when we heard
number Of shots close by. We could
not see where they came from, but we
could hear the direction; the fog was
% thick We could only see a few feet
on either side Of us.
Suddenly, right out OF the fog an.
other destroyer shot across our bow
and missed US by about % yards
Then we heard more shots.
We had been cruising slowly.
had Just gone aft on the deck house
% stand watch and / had hardly TAX
en- my position when we heard a loud
explosion right of our stern.
Z shook US all over and nearly
bounced Us out Of the waer. Officers
and men came running aft they
thought We we're torpedOed-or that
one Of our lash cans" had fallen over
and torn our stern on.
Everybody was relieved to find we
were intact. BY that time We all
knew what had happened One Of our
destFoyeFS had dropped a depth
Chafge and we we're over the explo.
sion. We turned about Immediately
and rung up full speed. We had not
zone back many yards when we came
upon d tp0t where there we're many
bubbles coming to the surface-oil
end grease which spread over the wa.
Ger Cor q great distance.
The oil was so thick II Just chung
b our sides. We knew then that
somebody had got a submarine.
These depth charges are the great.
est things ever invented to get sub.
marines. You hardly ever get a U.
boat On the surface now. They are
very last. You cannot see the peri.
ecope very far; It may be a foot or
20 out Of the water, or only q couple
% inches, and II Is painted light green
and gray,
A periscope is very hard 10 distin.
Euish IN the sea unless you see them
running through the water; then they
sec up q little wake-but even then
you cannot see that very far. But II
We can get near the spot where a
submarine goes down, the depth
charge will do the business.
You Just sit on the stern and roll
them over! AZ the touch Of a button
On the bridge, too, they can be releas.
"a 90 they just roll on. They are set
% explode at q certain depth.
Many U.boats are destroyed that
are never seen by the destroyer that
gets them. II we get q report Of a
submarine IN q certain spot, We pro
coed there at full speed and are some.
times able 10 locate it by the bubbles
and the streak Of oil on the water.
We follow that streak OF oil-gO
from one end to the other and see
which q moving. and drop q couple
81 lash cans" on that end.
We have often followed a streak Of
Oh for miles and miles, only to come
10 the end Of It and see nothing there.
Then we knew we had gone 10 the
wrong end.
Turning We would then 90 up 10
the ether end and find the streak NOV.
ING, drop q couple OF lash cans" and
10 came the bubbles and OIL
The U.boat never knew what hit
him; we never saw him; but We
knew We had got him.
We never captured q submarine,
but We saw one captured by our sis.
Ter ship. She dropped a depth bomb
% q ana the submarine came to the
surface. When they saw the two de-
sirOyers they surrendered. 1t Is very
seldom q submarine is captured; they
generally open the seacock and let
them 60.
Our sister destroyer brought in the
Germans ana put them onto our flag
hoat-abOut thirty or forty Of them.
Fhey were about 10 or 20 years old,
BIZ, sturdy blond Germans. with blue
eyes, blond hair and very military.
The captain Of the submarine was a
young man who had been in the I'm
tied States. The hrSt thing he asked
nb0ut was the United States.
j q . mistake TO give the impres
kion that the submarine crews are
Old o. inefficient men-Or that the en-.
emy q worn ont. That isn't 80 at all
You have something to contend with
when you are up against the sub.
olaTine.