The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-06-24
Submarine Comes Up
Under Troop Ship

A letter written by Walter
Smith of Raymond to his home
folks gives much interesting de-
tail of his voyage to France. lie
writes:
The next to last day out a sub
marine came up out from our
port side-the destroyers claim
they soon put him out of working
order. Shortly after one of the
English ships reported something
coming up underneath. We have
no proof that it was a sub, but
what else could it have been-out
in the ocean? Surely nothing
from the bottom could have
touched the bottom of his ship.
The sentiment of all the convoy
was that 1t was sub and she
intended coming up in our midst,
but miscalculated. That she sank
all are certain, for the transport
she hit was built of much heavier
metal than the sub
THE next day our convoy di-
vided. Twenty ships went the
English route and nine (westward
included) started toward the
French coast. Early next morn
ing we were skirting the coast,
about five miles out, and after
not seeing land for twelve days
it is beautiful sight. The bluffs
came down to the ocean all coated
with green and looked so homelike
one could not imagine it was
France.
About noon we dropped an
Choir in Brest-no one permitted
to 60 ashore. The next day-after
an early start-found farther
south. While in Bordeaux we
heard that an American ammuni-
ton ship had blown up there.
Chat is where we anchoredD. Out
of a crew of 10, so were saved.
The reason for the ships de-
struction was time bomb, set by
n spy somewhere in the u. S. A.
To be destroyed by submarine
is not half as bad as to be an
ehored in sheltered little harbor
and then be destroyed. The for
ward part of the ship was blown
away-captain, mates and all
were snoozing at the time and
never knew what happened.
THE gun crew or sailors sleep
ing aft were the ones who were
saved. but they suffered, for the
ocean was covered with burning
oil and the men were tortured
fearfully. Our destroyers went
right up thru the flames and res
eued them. The flames assembled
in the air 800 feet or more
I'VE left this bay, which I shall
always remember, and proceeded
to La Paulic. Went inside of the
net; the harbors from Colon,
Panama, to Halifax all are pro-
tected at night by large wire nets
stretched across the entrance
and all of the French ports we
entered have these large nets
stretched across the entrance. We,
as you notice, anchored at night
and travelled by day. One more
days run and we almost ended our
Voyage. We entered Zerone river
and Bordeaux is about SO miles
up. But we spent one and a half
days fussing with pilots, tides and
also the river just permitted us
to go up-had six inches to go on.
Noon on April / ) we were moored
at dock in Bordeaux.
ut is a city Of 100000, more
or less. Completely built of stone
buildings. Napoleon built the
bridge that I travelled on and
flirted with the French girls. One
thing / must say, the good girls
were all right, but the bad ones
are all wrong. The war has hit
French morals heavy and hun
dreds of boys and girls are IA.
therless and motherless too. No
one to take care of them: they
were soon in the mouth OF despair
and are now selling their bodies
--go on the streets and ask us a
We walk around to 60 with them
To be cOnafd0rinr All n France