East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-08-12
BABY" DROPPED BY
FRIGHTENED MOTHER
ON SHIP SINKS Sub
Thrilling Ruses Adopted by
British Described in Of
ficial Record.

I
Violations regarding. the work of Brit
ish Ministry ships which have played
an important part in anti-submarine
warfare are made by naval correspon-
dent. They show how British seamen
hav met German craft and cunning
with craft and cunning. Until this
week the public has known nothing
about the mystery ships known i'm the
navy as the "Q' ships, although sever
lal officers notably Capt. Gordon
Campbell, have been decorated for SER
wise on the vessels. Details can now
be made public. as the Germans are
becoming aware through bitter ex-
perience of the methods used against
them.
How a woman and baby" ac-
counted for a U-boat is told by the
correspondent. The submarine or
dered a vessel to surrender and fired
Ia few shells into her. The boats then
left the ship,leaving on board a wo-
man who ran up and down the deck
with a baby in her arms as il mad.
The U-boat came alongside the ves-
sci and the woman hurled the baby
into the open hatch. The baby" ex-
ploded and blew out the bottom of the
submarine. The woman was decorat-
led with the Victoria Cross.
Light on the BaraIong Casc.-
The correspondent says that the
first mention of u mystery ship was
in the case of the Baralong, which,
on Aug. 10. 1915. sang a U-boat after
the turpedoing of the British liner
Arabic. 1t will be remembered he
says, that the German government
protested that there was THthing to
indicate the Baralon's war-like char
lacter. The Baralong case probably
was not the first in which a ruse was
used, and since then the Disgusting of
armed vessels as innocent merchant
men for dealing with submarines has
attained considerable dimensions
"Howls and moans," adds the ma
val correspondent. went up in Ger
many about the treaehery of British
seamen, but the German allegations
curously cease at the beginning of
1915. These allegations afforded a
typical example of German mentality,
for they ignored the fact that in any
case. the U-boat was an actual or po,
tentil assailant, and any ruse OF war
is considered legitimate by them ex-
cept when employed against Ger
many
It should not be forgotten, he con
tinues. that the Germans designed
mercy ships for commerce destruc-
tion. The British commanders
showed much ingenuity in devising
plans for trapping submarines.
In addition to the woman and
baby case the correspondent men
tions the story of a retired Admiral,
xarnn nj a
hay stacy on board an ancient-looking
craft. When the U-boat ordered her
to surrender, the Germans were aston
ished to receive a broadside from the
hay stack.
On another occasion a tramp
isteamer was crossing the North Sea
when a submarine ordered the crew
to abandon ship. So sure was the
German of his prey that the bombs
with which he intended to sink the
vessel were brought on deck and
placed around the coming tower.
The commander of the tramp steam
er by careful maneuvering brought
the submarine within range Of his
concealed armament so that it re-
quired only a. shell or two to blow
the boat out of the water.
Capt. O. /. Campbell, then com
mander, was decorated with the Vic
toria Cross and the d. 5. o. in 1916,
being the first to receive the orders
without the nature of his heroic deed
being made public. 1t was announc-
ed early in 1917 that the reason for
his decorations would be made public
after the war. He was given special
promotion over the heads of about
700 officers and current rumor in
London in June. 1917, ascribed his rap
id rise to work against the subma-
rine.
Capt. Campbell gained the military
cross for bravery in handling a tank
when that weapon was first used by
the British in the summer of 1916
In the Baralong case alluded TO in
the above dispatch, a German sub
marine was shelling the Nicosian, an
unarmed merchantman, when tho
BaraIong, a British ship, said to be
flying the American flag. suddenly
appeared upon the scene, Apparent
~ an unarmed vessel, it approached
very near the U-boat. opened fire on
her and quickly sent her to the bot
tom. This was the famous case in
which the Germans charged that ma
rines on the Baralong shot the mem |
bers of tse U-boat crew while thay 1
were struggling in the water.