The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-09-20
CHAPTER xl-continued.


During our eighth trick off Cape
Helles l was amidships in the galley
when I heard our two 14-pounders &C
off almost at the same time. Every
body ran for his station. Going uI
the main deck to my turret a man told
me it was a sub on the port bow, but
/ only caught a glimpse of the little
whirlpool where her periscope sub
merged / do not know why she did
not let loose a torpedo at us. The
officers said she was trying to make
the entrance to the Dardanelles and
came up blind among our ships and
was scared off by our guns, but l
thought we had just escaped by the
skin of our teeth. Later on our de-
stroyers claimed to have sighted her
off Gaba Tepe.
At noon we were at mess when one
of the boys yelled, "She's hit" and We
all rushed on deck. There was the
British ship Triumph, torpedoed and
listing away over to starboard. She
was ready to turn over in a few min
utes. One battleship is not supposed
to go to the assistance of another one
that has been torpedoed, because the
chances are the sub is still in the
neighborhood laying for the second
ship with another torpedo. But one
of the British trawlers went to the
assistance of the Triumph to pick up
the crew.
We could see the crew jumping into
the water. Then we breezed out
toward the horizon, full speed ahead.
All about the Triumph was a cloud of
black smoke, but when we looked
through the glass we could see she was
going down. Then our guns began to
lombard the Turkish positions and 1
had to get busy. When L saw the
Triumph again she was bottom up.
She must have fioated upside down
for almost half an hour, then she went
down as though there was somebody
on the bottom pulling her.
When she went our Old Man banged
his telephone on the bridge rail and
swure at the Huns and Turks and
broke his telescope lens to bits. About
fifty from the Triumph were lost.
1t was decided that the place was
too hot for US with that sub running
loose, and when they reported that
afternoon that she was making her
way south from Gaba Tepe to Cape
Helles all of the feet but the Majestic
got under way, and the Majestic was
the only shipsleft off the cape.
They said the Majestic was then the
Oldest Of the ships in that campaign, !
but she was the pride of the British |
fleet just the same. She was torpedoed |
off Cape Helles later on, when there |
were a number of men-of-war off the |
cape. The sea was crowded with men /
swimming and drowning. / saw life |
boat crowded with men and other men I
in the water hanging onto her and
there were SO many hanging on that
their own accord the men in the water
let go to save those in the boat. Most
of them were drowned.
The Majestic listed so that the men
could not stand on deck, and the sides
were covered with men hanging on
to ropes and not knowing whether
to jump into the sea or not. We low
launches, and so did the other ships.
We picked up a number of the crew
and were pretty close to the Majestic
when she went down like a rock. AS
she went down she turned over and
a garby ran along her side to the ram
at her bow and got on it without even
being wet. A boat picked him up off
the ram, which stuck out of the water
after the ship had ceased to settle.
She had torpedo nets on her sides,
and many of the crew were unable to .
get clear of the nets and went down !
with her. Quite a lot were caught ,
below decks and had no possible {
chance to escape. There was a big t
explosion as she went under probably t
the boilers bursting. Thousands Of
troops on shore and thousands Of !
sailors on the ships saw the final i
plunge. and 1t was a sight to remem- +
Der. When the ship started to go, the +
Old Man rushed back to his cabin, :
got the signal book and destroyed it. q
Also. he saved the lives Of two Of his /
mem q
We gave dry clothes and brandy and a
coffee to the Limeys we rescued, and q
though they had just come through
'omethins pretty tough, they we're t