The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-09-13
CHAPTER x.
Hell At oaIIIpoII.

The boys aboard the Cassard give
me a hearty welcome, especially Mar
ray, who had come back after two
weeks In the trenches at Dlxmude. l
was glad to see them, too, for after all,
they were garbles and always feel
more at home with them than with SOL
oilers. Then, II was pretty rough stuff
at Dlxmude, 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 MS soon as possible. and
crews were working day and night.
There were other ships there too-su-
perdreadneughts, and dreadnaughts,
and battleshlps, and armored cruisers,
all being oyerhaulsd.
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 u and 14-inch
guns. A 14-inch shell can tear hole
through the heaviest armor plate at
1900 yards, and will do more damage
tlan you would think.
When we had coaled and had got
our stores aboard. we dressed for ac'
tton--or rather, undressed. The decks
were clear; hatch covers bolted and
dnyits folded down furniture, chests,
tables, chairs were sent ashore, and in.
flammable gear, like our rope ham
mocks, went overheard. You could
not find single wooden chair or table
In the ward room.
When the ship is cleared for action
a shell bursting inside cannot fine
much to set afire, and IL one bursts on
deck, there is nothing to burn but the
wooden deck, and that is covered with
steel plate.
Finally, we had roll call-all men
present. Then We set sail for the
Dardanelles as escort to the Duplex,
which had on board territorial and
provincial French troops- Gascons
Parlslans, Normans, Indo- Chinese
Spahls, Turcos-all kinds. When we
messed, we had to squat down on the
steel mess deck and eat from metal
plates,
There had been q notice posted be.
fore we left that the Zeppelins had be
gun sea raids, and we kept I'VE eye
out for them. The news proved to be
fake, though, and we did not see q
single cigar while we were out. :
We made the trip to the Dardanellas
without sighting I'm enemy craft. keep.
ing In close touch with the Duplex,
end busy every minute preparing for
action.
was made gun captain and given
charge of the starboard bow turret,
mounting two 14-lnch guns. had my
men at gun practice daily, and by tie
time we neared the Dardanelles, after
FIVE days, they were in pretty fair
It was about 8 a. m. when we drew
near Cape Helles and hook stations
for action. The Duplex was In front
Of us. The batteries on the cape
opened up on us, and in a few min
ptes later those at Kun Kaleh Joined
In.
As the Duplex made for "V" beach
aud prepared TO land her troops, we
swung broadside on, raking their bat
teries as we did so, and received a
shell. which entered through gun
port in the after turret and exploded.
Some bags of powder stored there
(where they should never have been)
were fred and the roof OF the turret
was just lifted of. 1t landed on deck,
tilted up against the side OF the tur-
ret.
On deck the rain of fire was simply
terrific. Steel few In all directions,
1t was smash, crash, slam.bang all
the time, and I do not mind saying
never thought we would come out
of 1t.
Some of the heavy armor plate up
forward was shot away and after that
the old Cassard looked more like a
monitor than anything else to me. As
we drew nearer the shore they began
using shrapnel on us and In no time
at all our tunnels were shot full of
holes and sieve was watertight com
pared to them.
Naturally we were not Just taking
all this punishment without any come
back. Our guns were at It fast and
from the way the fire slackened IN
certain places we knew we were max
Ing 1t effective. My guns did for two
enemy pieces that / know of, and per
haps several others.
The French garbies were a good
deal more excited In action than II
thought they would be. They were
lodging around below decks, trying |
to miss the shrapnel that came
aboard. shouting. swearing, singing
but fighting hard, at that. They stood |
the gaff just as well as any other
garbies would, only In their own
sweet way-which is noisy enough.
believe me.
One of our seamen was hit 100
times by fragments of shrapnel, so
you can see what they were up
against in the lodging line. A gun
turret In action is not exactly the
best Mace on earth for nayvnua