Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-05-02
BRITISH naval RECORDS HOLD
TALES Of FIGHTS With u-BOATS
Stories in Brief Form Reveal German savagery and gtfuess,
With Occasional Touches Of Comedy-Many Describe
Hairbreadth Escapes and Gallant Defense
by British Sailors

London.-In a big room In Whitehall
there are kept oil the records of Brit
tsh merchant ships encounters with
U-boats. There they are, volumes and
volumes of the most damning evil
dence, ihdelible for all time. Of Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since Germany's cold-blooded
frightfulness at sea began these rec
ords have been piling up In this room
and only now are they being allowed
to see the light.
They tell of all kinds Of ships, from
big liners down to tiny schooners. All
are short, but realistic, testifying to
the British merchant sailors behavior
against the ugliest methods Of German
warfare. They tell Of fights with
submarines, often against enormous
odds, and Of hairbreadth escapes; OF
gallant rescues and perilous adyen-
lures In small boats on the open seas.
Of German submarine crews who
jeered at their victims, and of some
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here is typical story of a fight
between merchantmen with a little
gun and a U-boat. 1t is perhaps one
Of the longest Of the records.
There was heavy sea, with squalls
Of rain, and the time was five minutes
to three in the morning. The captain
says:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
almost Immediately sighted a
submarine right ahead, crossing from
starboard to port. 1t was very big
one, and there were four or five men
around the coming tower. put helm
hard a-starboard and tried to ram
him, but missed by feet, as I could
hear the men shouting aboard her. AS
soon as / saw / had missed her I
sung out to the guns crew: Look out
close on port side there! and I put
the helm hard aport to bring the enc
my astern.
almost Immediately afterward I
heard the report Of my gun, and, turn
ing round, saw big bright aereup in
the water in the port quarter like a
big explosion. This was verified by
the guns crew, the second. officer and
the mate, who was the spotting officer.
About ten minutes afterward / no
ticed what appeared to be the wake
OF torpedo passing along the port
side, and shouted the guns crew /:
Look out port quarter againp and
put the helm to port; but as was
calling out my orders second officer
and guns crew observed the bow and
stern wake Of submarine on port
quarter steering parallel to us and
coming on at a good speed.
1--WE fired on him, but made no hit,
and / ordered the men to cease fire,
as 1 hoped to escape in the darkness
and the flash of the gun was very
brilliant. 1t being a dark night.
then. ordered the chief engineer to get
his men down the stokehold and drive
the vessel to his utmost, and ordered
the guns crew to stand by gun, and
every one to put lifebelt on"
The captain continues with fine
touch of unintentional bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
"As the officers had not yet had
their coffee / told the steward to gel
It for them and went back to the
bridge and spoke to the second officer
about keeping sharp lookout as
felt somehow that the enemy was
chasing us"
He was, sure enough, for, adds the
captain:
about twenty minutes past 81,
o'clock went below to the chart room
to get our position again, and alnos
Immediately I heard terrific explo
sion on the port side. I ran up OF
the bridge and ordered all boats on
and called the wireless operator II
send out an s OsS and give our posi-
Hon. AS his machine broke down al
most Immediately we got no reply. 4
few seconds after the first explosion
! heard the heavy, dull. explosion