Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-11-22
CHAPTER x.
He'll at GallipoIi.

Hell at Gallipoii.
After was discharged from the hos
pital, / was ordered to report to my
ship at Brest for sea duty.
The boys aboard the Cassard gave
me hearty welcome, especially Muir
ray, who had come back after two
weeks in the trenches at Dixmude.
was glad to see them, too, for after all,
they were garbies, and 1 always feel
more at home with them than with SOL
diers. Then, it was pretty rough stuff
at Dixmude, and after resting up at
the hospital, was keen on going to
sea again.
The Cassard was in dry dock for re-
pairs after her last voyage to the OAR
danelleS as convoy to the trOopShip
Duplex. Everything was being rushed
to get her out as soon as possible, and
crews were working day and night.
There were other ships there too-su-
perdreadnaughts, and dreadnaughts,
and battleships, and armored cruisers,
all being overhauled.
We received and placed guns of
newer design, filled the magazines with
the highest explosives known to naval
use, and generally made ready for a
hard job. Our magazines were filed
with shells for our big II and 14-inch
, guns. A 14inch shell can tear hole
through the heaviest armor plate at
} $4,000 yards, and will do more damage
7 than you would think.
When we had cOaled and had got
our stores aboard, we dressed for &C.
tion-Or rather, undressed. The decks
t were clear; hatch covers bolted and
davits folded down; furniture, chests,
D tables, chairs were sent ashore, and in
D tiammable gear, like our rope ham
f not find a single wooden chair or table
in the ward room.
t When the ship is cleared for action
5, shell bursting inside cannot find
|, much to set afire, and if one bursts or
e deck, there is nothing to burn but the
Il wooden deck, and that is covered with
It steel plate.
e present Then we set sail for the
y Dardanelles as escort to the Duplex
o which had on board territorial an(
provincial French troops-Gascons
Parisians, Normans, Indo-C Chinese
Spahis, Turcos-all kinds. When W.
messed, we had to squat down on tn
steel mess deck and eat from meta
plates.
There had been notice posted be
fore we left that the Zeppelins had be
| gun sea raids, and we kept a live ey
out for them. The news proved to b
a fake, though, and we did not see
! single cigar while we were out.
\ We made the trip to the Dardanelle
i without sighting an enemy craft, kee1
Il ing in close touch with the Duplei,
\ and busy every minute preparing fC
l action.
I was made gun captain and give
IA charge of the starboard bow turre
81 mo hitting two 14-inch guns. had m
men at gun practice daily, and by tn
81 time we neared the Dardanelles, afte
I five Gays, they were in pretty IA
shape.
1t was about 5 a. m. when we Dire
N near Cape Helles and took station
for action. The Duplex was in frol
of us. The batteries on the cal
opened up ON us, and in a few mi
utes later those at Kun Kaleh joine
in.
AS the Duplex made for ''V'' bea,
III and prepared to land her troops, '
swung broadside on, raking their bs
nd teries as we did so, and received
TO shell, which entered through a q
an. port in the after turret and explode
Some bags of powder stored the
nv (where they should never have bee
nat were fired and the roof of the turr
to: was just lifted off. It landed on dec
saw tilted up against the side Of the tt
cur ret.
. is On deck the rain of fire was simI
ans terrific Steel flew in all direction
his It was smash, crash, slam-bang
civ the time, and I do not mind saying
never thought we would come {
9ve Of it.
ard Some of the heavy armor plate
nan forward was shot away and after tt
YER the old Cassard looked more like
lat monitor than ANYTHING else to me.