Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-07
BABY" EXPLODES:
sinks SUBMARINE:
CROSS FOR WOMAN
British Seamen Meet German
Craft and Cunning and
Take U-Boat Toll

London, Aug. Interesting reve-
lations regarding the work of British
mystery ships which have played an
important part in anti-submarine
warfare are made by the naval cor
respondent of The Times. They show
how British seamen have met Ger
man craft and cunning with craft
and cunning.
Until this week the public has
known nothing about the mystery
ships, called in the navy 20" ships,
although several officers, notably
Captain Gordon Campbell. have
been decorated for their services on
these vessels. Details now can be
made public, as the Germans are be-
coming aware through bitter expert
epce of the methods used against
them.
How "a woman and a baby" ac-
counted for U-boat is told by the
correspondent. The submarine order
ed a vessel to surrender and fired a
few shells into her. The boats then
left the ship, leaving on board
woman, who ran up and down the
deck with a baby in her arms as If
mad.
The U-boat came alongside the
vessel and the woman hurled the
baby into the open hatch. The
bdpN GAplOutuT anu bltW OuN NilO
bottom of the submarine. The "wom-
an" was decorated with the Victoria
Cross.
The correspondent says that the
first mention of a mystery ship was
in the case of the Baralong, which on
August 10, 1915, sank a U-boat after
the torpedoing of the British liner
Arabic. 1t will be remembered, he
says, that the German government
protested that there was nothing to
indicate the Baralong's warlike char
acter. The Baralong case was prob
ably not the first in which a ruse
was used, and since that time the
Disgusting of armed vessels as inno-
cent merchantmen for dealing with
submarines has attained considerable
dimensions.
'Howls and moans," adds the
naval correspondent, went up in
Germany about the treachery of
British seamen, but the German al
legations curiously ceased at the be-
ginning of 1916. These allegations af-
forded a typical example of German
mentality, for they ignored the fact
that in every case the U-boat was an
actual or potential assailant. and any
ruse of war is considered legitimate
by them except when employed
against Germany"
1t should not be forgotten, he con-
tinues. that the German designed
mystery ships for commerce destruc-
ton.
The British commanders showed
much ingenuity in devising plans for
trapping submarines. In addition to
the woman and baby case. the cor
respondent mentions the story of a
retired admiral, serving as a captain,
who placed a haystack on board an
ancient looking craft When the u
boat ordered her to surrender the
Germans were astonished to receive
a broadside from the haystack.
On another occasion seaworn
tramp steamer was crossing the
North Sea when 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
around the coming tower. The COM
mander of the tramp steamer by
careful maneuvering brought the
submarine within range of his con-
cealed armament so that it required
only a she'll or two to explode the
bombs and blow the U-boat out of
the water.