New-York tribune., 1918-08-06
U-Boat Sinks
u. s. Tanker of
Virginia Coast

WASHlNGlON, Aug. 0.-German
submarines now are operating at two
widely separated points along the At
lantic seaboard-one in the important
sea lane off the Virginia coast, where
the American tank steamship O. B.
Jennings was sunk Sunday, and the
other in Canadian waters, where fish
ing smacks and other unimportant
craft have been destroyed.
Presence of another raider in the
waters off the middle Atlantic coast,
where in May and June upward Of
twenty vessels were sunk, became
known to-day, when the Navy Depart
ment announced the sinking of the
Jennings and the landing of thirty
members of the crew at Norfolk by
an American patrol boat.
Tonight the Navy Department an
nounced that the captain and thirteen
more members of the crew had arrived
safely at Norfolk This accounts for
all the vessels complement.
Shelled by U-Boat
Full details Of the sinking of the
Jennings were lacking tonight, but
from the fact that the steamer sent
wireless message saying she was being
shelled and asking for assistance off,
cials assumed that the submarine
opened fire without giving the crew
time to take to the boats, though there
was the possibility that the steamer
had undertaken to make run for
safety.
Patrol boats answered the radio
calls, but neither the Jennings nor the
submarine was in sight when they ar
rived Sunday night at the position
given by the steamer. Later survivors
were found.
The submarine which has been oper-
atlng for several days in Canadian wa
ters is believed by officials to have
ure picked up off the coast of Long
Island after the armored cruiser San
Diego was sunk near Fire Island, New
! York, July 19.
Cruiser Sunk by Mine
Belief OF officials that one of these
mines caused the destruction of the
cruiser was confirmed to-day by the
report of the naval court of inquiry,
which expressed the opinion that the
loss of the ship "was due to an exter-
nal explosion of mine"
The court found that the San Diego
was steering proper course to mini
mize the submarine and mine dangers
/ in those waters, with a careful watch
maintained and the ship zigzagging at
speed of fifteen knots. Loss of the
vessel, with the death of six men, was
in no way due to any negligence, fail
efficiency Of Captain H. II. Christy OF
any Of the ships personnel, the report
says.
This is the second appearance of the
o. b. Jennings in the marine casualty
news this year. On March "a the
tanker collidcd off the British coas
with the British steamship War knight
also oil laden, and thirty.seven lives
were lost. All but one were burned tc
death on the decks Of the War Knight
set afre by the collision, and one oil
the Jennngss crew was drowned
The Jennings, a menace to shipping
with it's cargo of oil afire, was shellcc
by British warships until her deck:
were awash, cxtinguishing the fire. The
ship then was towcd into shallow water
and salvaged by wrecking tugs in tn.
service Of the United States force:
abroad. Temporary repairs were made
and she was on her way to a United
States shipyard when sunk. The value
of the ship is said to have been more
than 81 ,000, 900
Passengers on an Italian steamship
which arrived at an Atlantic port Sun
day night reported that the wireless!
operator had received messages shortly
after noon of that day from an AmeTi
can freightcr saying that she was bein.
attacked by guntire from submarine
1t was said that the battling freightcl
was then about 40 miles southeast o.