Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-06
j. s. TRANSPORT
SUNK BY U-BOAT
Covington, H o m e ar d
Bound, Destroyed Off
France Men Missing
FORMER GERMAN LINER
Efforts to Tow Damaged Nes-
sci Into French Port
Prove Futile
Washington, July 6.

Washington, July 6.
Submarines have pagged the sec.
ond of the big German liners which
were taken over by the United States
Government and converted into troop
ships.
The Navy Department announced
tonight that the Covington. vessel
Of 16.339 gross tons. was torpedoed and
sunk at 9I7 o'clock on the night of
July I. Six members of the crew are
missing. All officers and other mem
bers of the crew were rescued and
taken to French port No army per
sonnel or passengers were on board
Like the Presi1en. Lincoln, which
was the first German liner sunk. the
Covington was returning to the United
States after having carried American
troops to France. The Covington was
one of a convoy; the President Lincoln
! was alone.
! Sunk Near French Coast
! The Navy Department did not give
! the location of the attack on the Cow
| ington, which formerly was the Ger
man liner Cincinnati. but the fact that
efforts were made to tow her 10 a
French port indicated the vessel was
destroyed a comparatively short dis.
tanCe from France.
! The Navy Departments list of miss.
ing included three firemen. and it is
presumed they were killed in the ex
plosion. as the torpedo struck just for
ward of the engineroom bulkhead
The engineroom and fireroom. Admiral
Sims reported, were flooded in a very
short time.
with its motive power gone the
vessel was helpless. and facing the
possibility of the torpedoing of another
ship in the convoy the Covington was
temporarily abandoned" said the
Navy Department statement. "Thi!
was done in excellent order and tn,
officers and crew were taken aboard 6
seen. TIE statement adds:
At daybreak the captain. several
officers and a number of members
of the crew returned to supervise
salvaging operations. Another ves-
sci and two tugs took the Coving.
ton in tow in the effort to get her to
port. but she was too badly dam
aged to keep af1oat and sank.
All of the officers and crew eX.
cept six were taken to a French
port, none of those landed being in
jured seriously. Vessels have been
searching for the missing men, and
the Navy Department awaited the
report of the names of those miss
ing. which was not received until
today. before announcing the sink.
ing of the ship.
Names of Missing Men
The six members of the crew who a
: last accounts We're still missing are
EARNEST G. ANDERSON. fireman thir
class. L. 5. n: mother. Mrs. Mal! i
Hamm. Lynn. Mass.
JOSEPH p. BOWDEN, seaman secon
class. U. S. N; mother. Mrs. Ellie
Bowden. Mountain Lakes, n. ].
! AMBROSE c. FORD. fireman secor
e class. L S. n. r. f. !; mother. Mr.
: Elizabeth G Ford. Somervile, Mass.
$ WILLIAM HENRY LYNCH. Jr.. firema
first class. U. S. N; mother. Mrs. Mai
: garet Lynch. Manchester. y. II.
:. ALBERT S. PAYNE seaman secon
" class. n. n. V; mother. Mrs. Mar
Payne. West New Brighton. StaIt
Island. y. Y.
X LLOYD II. SlLVERNAIL. seaman SCI
ond class. L. $. N. father, Farion
Silvernail, Bainbridge. \. Y.
The Covington had been in the tran
: port service since being taken over b
= the United States and repaired.
The Covington, as the Hamburg
e American liner Cincinnati. vas laid u
I at Boston and taken over when I'll
S United States entered the war. ST
e was sos feet long, of 16,339 gross tor
n mage. and had a speed of fifteen an
= one-half knots an hour.
e The Covington is the third America
s troJpship to be destroyed. All wer
e homeward bound. The former Har
Il burg American liner President Lncol
e was sunk last May 81 and the Antille
,e formerly a Morgan liner, was sci
n down last October II.