New-York tribune., 1918-08-28
Patrol IL Mistaken for Sub
marine and Sent Down
by Shell6re
9 Survivors, 4 Hurt,
Are Safe in Ports
Daniels Orders lnvestiga-
ton; Censor Keeps De-
tails From Public

Mistaken for = U-boat In the dark
ness. the American submarine chaser
M. 2ns. with twenty-six Naval Reserve
men and officers aboard, was fired upon
and vunk by the merchant steamer
Felix Taussig fifteen miles off Fire
Ixland at 3 o'clock yesterday morn
inx. The commander, the executive
officer and fifteen Of the crew are miss
ing, according to statement issued by
the Navy Department.
Eight Of the crew were brought TO
New York by a destroyer, three so
badly wounded by shell fro they were
Immediately transferred to marine
hospital. Ono Of the chaser's quarter
masters, r. A. Corcoran, also injured,
was landed at Lewes, Del.
Outside of mcagre bulletin issued
after the survivors OF the chaser and
the crew Of the Taussig had been inter
viewed by Naval Intelligence officers, no
information was given by Admiral
Usher, commandant of this naval dis
trio, concerning the sinking.
An official investigation was started
by the Navy Department to determine
just how the error was made and find
out whether any blame for it attaches
to the gun crew of the Taussig. Re-
ports will be made directly to Secretary
Daniels.
The chaser, a converted yacht, was
cruising about sixty miles east of
Sandy Hook, on the lookout for u
boats, when the Felix Taussig, bound
from Boston to this port, loomed up
out Of the darkness. Its naval crew,
peering ahead, saw nothing but the
lights Of the scout patrol close to the
water.
The distinctive lines of the minio ture
chaser were cloaked by the gloom, and
the gun crew of the Taussig was sure
that at last they had run across Ger
man raider.
The gunners Immediately opened fire,
sending shell after shell in the direc-
tion of the supposed U-boat. Accord
ing to reports here only one shell took
effect. But that was enough. The first
shot from the Taussig's gun, it is said,
made clean hit, and before the Naval
Reserve men could signal or make
known their identity the small craft
was laundering.
Calls for help were picked up by a
destroyer, which sped to the spot, res
cuing eight survivors from safety
mattress to which they were clinging.
The censorship was Immediately
clamped down. The Taussig, which
was brought to Hoboken, was cut off
from newspaper men, and her crew and
gunners were warned not to talk
From Washington was issued the fol-
lowing statement, from information
furnished by the commandments office in
New York:
In the darkness the armed guard O:
the steamship mistook the submarine
chaser for an enemy submarine anc
opened fire. The commander and the
executive officer and fifteen members OF
the crew of the submarine chaser arc
reported missing.
Nine of the survivors have beer
landed, eight at New York and one. r
A Corcoran, at Lewes, Del
-Four Of those landed were wounded
lhomas Harran, chief boatswain
Claude Wilde, machinists' mate: Clar
cncc ). Evans, machinists' mate, ant
H. A. Corcoran, quartermaster.
Elmer +. Gleason, machinists' mate.
Elmer S. Kirby, electrician; Claud,
kalmey, quartermaster; Charles N
Thomas, seaman, and George B. Wei
gand' gunner's mate, were uninjured.
Vessels are searching the vicinit
Tor other possible survivors,"