Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-22
British Submarine
Steals Into Helgo1and
and Sinks Hun U-Boat

Washington. Nav o'-Thc world
knows the story OF Britain's fleets
the simple tale of the gaunt gray fight
ing hulks that swing ceaselessly in
circles from the Arctic down to Ostend.
barring effectively the egress from Ger
man ports of naval or merchant ship
ping.
Only the U-boats and an occasional
raider have been successful in slipping
thru the steel Gordon.
Altho much has been told about the
high seas fleets. but little has been
written-and less officially disclosed
about England's efficient submarine
navy.
Leaving the home harbors on Eng
lands east coast or perhaps dropping
down some Scottish firth, the sub
marines slip into the gray waters of
the North sea and pick their way thru
German mine fields so that they may
battle with the enemy even within the
confines of his own fharbors.
One of the most popular tales of the
exploits of British submarines deals
with young commander who audaci-
ously crept thru mine infested waters
into the very harbor of Helgoland, the
German Gibraltar
AS he allowed his perscope to show
above the surface for an instant he
caught a glimpse of an enemy Uboat
riding awash while the crew. lined up
on deck. smiled a greeting to the
crowds on shore and aboard harbor
shipping. who We're noisily welcoming
the heroes" returning from raid on
the Atlantic.
A torpedo from the British craft
summanly cut short the celebration
and eliminated the U-boat as future
menace to allied vessels.
The brilliant phase of the achieve
ment is the fact that the English ves-
sci succeeded in escaping and return
ing to port unframed.
How much respect for the British
underseas navy is entertained in Ger
many is told best in the official Brit
ish narrative which runs as follows:
"Venturesome as the enemy is with
his boats, he rarely allows his above
water craft beyond the confines of his
harbors He we'll knows that our sub
marines are ever on the prowl for him.
and how vigilant and thorough is the
, watch kept may be gathered from the
fact that tho so few opportunities are
afforded them our submarines have
successfully attacked no less than forty
enemy Warships.
While patroling between the east
ern Ems and the Weser river, a sub
marine sighted two lots of destroyers.
Two anxious hours were spent maneu-
vering for position to attack, and then,
at range of 500 yards. two torpedoes
were fred, one at the bow and one at
the stern of one of the destroyers Hav-
! ing fired the torpedoes, the submarine
dived to avoid being detected. but a
loud explosion told without doubt that
one of the torpedoes had reached Its
| mark. Eight minutes later the de-
stroyer was seen sinking by the stern,
| fifteen feet of her bows still standing
vertically out of the water.
"On another occasion two armed
auxiliaries were sighted in the Hell
| goland blight, and the leader the larg-
est of the two, was attacked and tor
pedoed and was seen to be sinking by
the stern.
"A submarine while patroling one
morning off the Ems, sighted an en-
envy destroyer and fired both tubes at
a range of $50 yards.
"As the submarine dived on firing
the result was not SEEN but after the
lapse of d few seconds there was an
exceedingly loud explosion, which was
distinctly heard twenty-five miles
away. A quick sweep around with the
| periscope two or three minutes later
revealed no sign of the destroyer which
hud been fred at"