The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-16
How British Used Ruse
 To Sink Hun Submarine. After Patient Waiting
Naval Officer Gives Stirring Description of Battle as Broadside of Yellow Flame Poured Into
 U-BOat at Close Range

set off in pursuit of a fresh victim and escape. Wlthal was the consciousness
 that single movement on board. so
 much as finger raised above screen
 or coaming, would betray their true I cha1acter and bring the game of bluff
 lto a swift and tragic conclusion. The
 periscope of the submarine had brolx en tsarfaoe quarter of an hour after the lleftedo struck, about s(0 yards dis
 eant on the port beam It turned after
 ta Whlie and steered towards the ship. But .Fe captain and sgnalnan. prone al
 each end of the bridge with their eyes
 Blued to the observation s1its alone
 ere aware Of their qua rvs movements
 It was in the tense stiffness of those
 moments, stiffness only disturbed by
 the tapping of the waves round the
 Waler-loSged hull, and by the hiss ot escarlng steam, that from the littie
 group of prostrate figures round the foremost gun rose mans whistle, exc. leutlng gay, if somewhat tremulous atty Of the sea. For moment those Tn the immediate vicinity of the per- former listened to the eerie music with. out comment. Then a motionless off. cer, moved by sense of what was seemly, and what was not at such
 tune, rebuked the minstrel T dusn't stop, sir said the boy--he was only lf-"cos if l stops whistlin' I gits scared" AS the submarine drew nearer to the
 ship the commander on the bridge of the
 disguised an-of-war cast swift glance
 round to see that all was well, and saw the old and trusted quartermaster lying
 face downwards beside the wheel For
 Gods sake he called, don't show
 yourself, he's nibbling ;" Ave. aye, Sir said the faithful seaman. And
 then, so ingrained apparently had become
 the habit of disguise on board, he fur lively dragged a lifebelt over the most prominent part of his anatomy.
 When 50 yards off the ship the peril scope vanished, to reappear a few min- utes later directly astern. Very delib- erately, as cat plays with mouse, before dealing the last stroke, the peri scope traYeled on to the starboard quar- ter, turned, and came back round the | stern to the port beam where the boats l were lying. The stage management of | the drama then passed into the hands | or the navigator in charge of the boats. | HIS task was not frightened by dispo- sltlon on the part of the panic party'' to regard the affair in the light of high | comedy despite the cold Scrutiny of the | perlseope. In no measured terms he re-
 minded them that they were presumed by the Teutonfc intelligence beneath the waves to be terrified mariners not a poatload of grinning buffoons; and then
 of the shortness of the visibil- [ ltys ana the known weakness of the II enemy for light banter with castaways fl in boats, he began pulling towards the II ship. As he had foreseen, the subma- rlne promptly rose to the surface. clos Ing to within few yards of the masked guns on board. An angry Hun shouted E, abuse through megaphone from the -op of the submarines coming tower, md was reinforced a moment later by m equally abusive and impatient gentIe- man of the good old Prussian school. f elasping Maxim in his hands.
 A SUCCESSFUL RUSE l. < The prospect of being shot by either party at this Juncture of the perform fhce was none too remote. Yet the boat i continued pulling as if manned by deaf nutes until the submarine had been lured nto the desired position. Then suddenly he eagerly awaited white ensign shot / ID to the masthead. Screens clattered i town along the length of the ships l, lde, and broadside of yellow flame :, capped out over their heads The sub- ' marine was suddely plastered by burst a ng shell and half hidden by leaping r vaterspouts, as she slowly listed over to T Ter side, with oil spouting from rents in {, Ter hull. Her crew scrambled wildly ut of the coming tower and waved ! heir hands above their heads in token of T. urrender Fire instantly ceased on II oard the British man-of-w war, when un- S xpectedly the crippled enemy her stern f upmerged, shot ahead and made off at |, igh speed. The would-be "KameraAs" II her deck were swept into the sea by f CT last wild rush through the water, p nd the British guns broke out again
 VengeIul chorus. Fire was continued s1 ntil she blew up and sank, one wretch a lnging to her bows as she disap- u cared. T In spite of the heavy sea, the boats W lcceeded in rescuing two prisoners iron, te le water before returning to the ship. al F American destroyer arrived a few se ours later, accompanied by two. sloops. p' 1ith their assistance the shin was fc ought safely into port, and of all who q' ad passed through the soul-stirring le ents of the day none exhibited greater fl -tisfacton or surprise at living to see of
 close than the late upholders of Ger to an freedom of the seas sa By command of his majesty, the Kinr flo le officer and one man were selected ht ballot for the honor of the Victoria or 'oss from among the ships company s2;
 recognition of the fact that, where all w ayed so valiant part, the distinc- II 'n was earned by the ship rather than m e individual Yet theira task, the task ot qulred or them by the England which
 ads these lines at wel-found break-l , st table, was still unfinished. They oo fled again in another ship, Knowing VI, Il well that they alone could never ac- vo mplish it entirely. But the name of ,,e at ship shall be household word some as q y ~ 'as .isn toisue IS spok- be, raa tah,rs v m .. 'iese men en- as glands sake. "
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