The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-09-18
LOCAL BOY
HELPED IN FIGHTING
GERMAN U.bOATS
LYLE WRIGHT, ON LEVETHIAN,
BATTLES SUBS ALL WAY OVER
ATLANTIC OCEAN.


Lyle Wright, son of Mrs. Della
Wright, who is now in the United
States navy and who has made numer-
Gus trips to both French and English
ports, sends the following clipping
home. The clipping is from New
York newspaper and tells of return
trip which the big transport made re-
Gently:
Marked with submarine battles that
lasted in all more than two days and
nights, the last trip made by the
transport Leviathan, formerly the
Vaterland of the Hamburg-American
line, was the most eventful to be re-
ported from any Of the ships that have
been carrying Americas troops to
the battle front.
In spite of the fact that her pro-
gress was continually hampered by
U-boat attacks in which the mighty
vessel and her convoy of "chasers"
fought off in all 1S submarines, sink
ink five of them, the trip was made in
record time. The Leviathan accom-
plished the round trip in II days, two
of which were spent in a French port,
making at times speed of 26 kncts
per hour.
crew prepared to meet the submarines
having been warned that Won Tirpitz's
"tin fish" fleet was out to get them.
When she was nearing the French
coast on the eastern trip four U-boats
attacked her in the early evening. AT
ter lodging a school Of torpedoes the
big boat and her convoy opened ter
rife fire on the undersea boats and
n NH
successfully beating off the attackers
the Leviathan landed her complement
of II 900 troops at French port.
\ Although the danger of large loss
of life was not so great on the return
trip the U-boat commanders, SEEM
ingly ranked by their failure to sink
her on the way over made increased
ecorts to send the Leviathan to the
bottom. The Germans are apparent
ly straining every effort to sink their
former prize passenger ship. Right
outside of the French port the boat
was attacked by fleet of nine sub
marines. Torpedoes went past both
bow and stern of the boat and shell
fire from the undersea craft fell all
around her.
1t was on this occasion that gun
ners on the transport and conveying
vessels showed their worth. One of
the Germans had no more than come
to the surface and opened fire than
the stern gun of the Leviathan roared
and high explosive pierced the plates
of tn U-boat and it sunk. 1t is
thought that five Of the submarines
that were in the engagement were
sent to the bottom.
The morale of Uncle Sans sea-
fighters was indicated by the behavior
cf the crew in the action. While the
gunners were throwing shell after
shell into the fleet of U-boats, the
entire crew disregarding the danger
went UP as the gunners registered a
hit. Officers, telling the story of
the trip, say that the men acted as if
they were cheering at college boat
race and not witnessing one of the
heaviest engagements an Amrican
troop vessel has entered.
AS soon as the transport got clear
of the subs he set out at "fuI speed
ahead" without being able to stop to
pick up several members of the crews
of the subs who were seen struggling
in the water after their boats had
gone down. The French waters were
so full of submarines that it was nee
essary for the Leviathan to carry her
French pilot to the American port to
avoid the danger that would follow
any stop.
As far as could be learned no cas-
ualties resulted to Americans from
the battles and the mighty ship is safe
in her home port.