Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-08-06
Submarine Com !, .,ders
Outwitted by CS ~ of
"Mystery' : ats.
BRITISH y s:slNUITY
OvERCL, .Es MENACE
Details Of Methods Employed to Rid
Seas Of Hun Pirates Made Public
woman and Baby" Accounts for
One submereibIe in Dramatic Man
ner-Hayeoek on British Craft Hides
Battery.


tons regarding the work Of British
mystery" ships which have plSyed an
important part in anti submarine war
fare are made in the correspondence
OF the Times. Tney tell how British
seamen have met German craft and
cunning with British craft and cum
ming.
Until this week the public has
known nothing OF the mystery" ships.
known in the Eavy as the 20" ships.
altho several officers, notably Capt.
Gordon Campbell, have been deco
rated for their services on these yes
sells.
Details nov can be made public as
the Germans are becoGrng aware thru
bitter experience OF the methods used
against them. How \. woman and
baby" accounted for U-boat is told
ty the correspondent. The submarine
ordered q vesoA to surrender and fired
a few shells into her. The boats then
left the ship leaving OF board q
woman who ran UP and down the
deck with baby in her arms Al II
mad, The U-hoat came alongsife and
the woman threw tie sbab- into an
open hatch. The baby exploded and
blew out the bottom Of the subma-
r.ne.. The woman" was decorated with
the victoria cross.
Haystask conceaIs Battery.
In addition to the woman and
baby" case the correspondent recalls
the case OF u retired admiral serving
as captain who placed q haystack on
an ancient looking craft.
When the U-boat ordered her to
surrender the Germans were surprised
:o receive broadside from the hay
stack.
At another time a submarine or
dered a tramp craft to stop. Bombs
were brought ON deck to sink the ves-
sci. The commander of the tramp
steamer by careful n1aneuyering
brought the U-boat within range of
his concealed armament so it required
only Q. shell or two to explode the
bombs and blow the U-boat out Of tn.
water.
6aralons First '-Mystsry Ship" ).
The correspondent rays the first
mention Of q mystery ship" was in
the case q the BaralonS, which on
Aug. Is, 1915. sank q sU-boat after the
torpedoing Of the British liner Arabic.
L will be remembered, he says, that
the German government protested
there was nothing to indicate. the Bar
along's warlike character. The Bara-
long case probably was not the first in
which ruee was used and since then
tho ddisguising of armed vessels as in
nocent merchantmen for dealing with
German submarines has attained con-
siderable dimensions.
"Howls aid moans," adds the naval
correspondent, went up in Germany
about the .treachery OF British seamen
but the German allegations ceased at
the beginning of 1916. These anega-
tions afforded typical. example of
German mentality for they ignored th,
fact that in every case the U-boat was
an actual or potential assailant and
any rules of var are considered legiti-
mate except when employed against
Germany"
1t should not be. forgotten, he con-
unues. that the Germans designed
mystery ships" for commerce destroy
ers. The British have shown great in
genuity in leyisiDg traps for subma-
rines.
[Captain Campbell. then com
mander. was decorated with the Vic
toria cross and the D. 8 O., in 1916,
being the first to receive these orders
without the nature Of his heroic deed
Being made public. 1t was announced
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 roo
officers and current rumor in London
in July, 1917, described mis- rapid rise
to work against the submarine.
Captain Campbell gained the mill
tary cross for bravery in handling
tank when that weapon was nrst used
by the British in the summer Of 1916.