Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-10-29
CHAPTER xI-continued.

10
During our eighth trick off Cape
Helles / was amidships in the galley
when l heard our two 14-pOunders go
off almost at the same time. Every
body ran for his station. Going up
the main deck ito my turret man told
me 1t was sub on the port bow, but
i only caught glimpse of the little
whirlpool where her periscope sub
merged. / do not know WHY she did
not let loose a torpedo at US. The
officers said she was trying to make
the entrance to the Dardaneltes and
came up blind among our ships and
was scared off by our guns, but L
thought we had just escaped by the
skin of our teeth. Later on our de-
strOyers claimed to have sighted her
off Gaba Tepe.
At noon we were at mess when one
of the boys yelled, "She's hit" and we
all rushed on deck. There was the
British ship, Triumph, tOrpedoed and
listing away over to starboard. She
was ready to turn over in few min
utes. One battleship is not supposed
10 go to the assistance of another one
shat has been tOrpedoed, because the
chances are the sub is still in the
Reighborhood laying for the second
III the British trawlers went to the
assistance of the Triumph to pick up
the crew.
We could see the crew jumping into
the water. Then we breezed out
toward the horizon, full speed ahead.
AN about the Triumph was cloud of
black smoke, but when we looked
through the glass we could see she was
going down. Then our guns began to
lombard the Turkish positions and 1
had to get busy. When l saw the
Triumph again she was bottom up.
She must have floated upside down
FOR almost half an hour, then she went
down as though there was somebody
on the bottom pulling her.
When she went our Old Man banged
his telephone on the bridge rail and
sWOre at the Huns and Turks and
fifty from the Triumph were lost.
1t was decided that the place was
600 hot for us with that sub running
loose, and when they reported that
Afternoon that she was making her
way south from Gaba Tepe to Cape
Helles all of the feet but the Majestic
got under way, and the Majestic was
1nf off fhr
They said the Majestic was then the
oldest of the ships in that campaign,
but she was the pride of the British
Gleet just the same. She was torpedoed
off Cape Helles later on, when there
were a number of men-Of-war off the
cape. The sea was crowded with men
swimming and drowning l saw life
boat crowded with men and other men
in the water hanging ONO her. and
there were so many hanging on that
they started to pull her under. OF
their own accord the men in the water
let go to save those in the boat. Most
of them were drowned.
The Majestic listed so that the men
could not stand on deck, and the sides
were covered with men hanging on
30 ropes and not knowing whether
TO Jump into the sea or not. We low
cred all our lifeboats and steam
IEaunches, and so did the other ships.
We picked up number of the crew
and were pretty close to the Majestic
when she went down like rock. AS
she went down she turned over and
n garby ran along her side to the ram
at her bow and got on it without even
being wet. A boat picked him up off
che ram, which stuck out of the water
after the ship had ceased to settle.
She had torpedo nets on her sides.
aud many of the crew were unable to
ret clear of the nets and went down
with her. Quite a lot were caught
below decks and had no possible
chance TO escape. There Was a big
explosion as she went under-probably
the boilers bursting. Thousands of
troops on shore and thousands of
sailors on the ships saw the final
psunge, and it was a sight to remem-
Der. When the ship started TO so. the
Old Man rushed back to his cabin,
got the signal book and destroyed it,
Also. he saved the lives of two of his
men.
We gave dry clothes and brandy and
coffee to the Limeys we rescued, and
though they had just come through
something pretty tough. they were
calm and cool and started talking right
away about what ship they would
nrpbably be assigned 10 next.