New-York tribune., 1918-06-06
Captain of French Tanker
Tells of Destroyer's
Timely Arrival
Tried to Conceal
Warship's Approach
Raider, of Great Size, Near
Sailing Ship When
First Sighted

WASHINGTON, June 5.-The story
Of the captain of the French tanker
Radioleine, attacked by a submarine off
the Maryland coast yesterday, reached
the Navy Department to-day, showing
that the raider had fired fifteen shots
at the Frenchman from long range be-
fore en- American destroyer, answering
sn 81 o S, appeared.
The captain said the submarine was
so big that when his lookout sighted
her SIX miles away he reported her AS
an American destroyer.
Following is the Navy Departments
summary of the Frenchman's story:
"The submarine was so big that at
first the lookout thought it was an
American destroyer. He was about six
miles distant from the Radioieine. The
submarine when sighted lay about two
lengths from a three-masted sailing
ship (probably the schooner Edward f.
Baird, jr., which later was bombed and
sunk), and the lookout reported it to
the captain as a destroyer. But the
captain with his glasses recognized it
as submarine. The captain was in
doubt as to the nationality, so did not
fire, but manned his guns. He changed
his course from east to west and the
submarine opened fire, but the French
man still held his fire until the sub
marine fired q second time. Then he
fired; range, about $4,000 metres.
"The French ship fired in all three
shots. He kept a direct course and did
not zigzag. The submarine fired be-
tween fifteen and twenty shots The
Frenchman heard two shots about fif-
hnf J., ,rl+ &ho
submarine. He believes that these
were fired to stop the sailing ship
"The submarine lay broadside to the
Radioleine when the captain sighted it.
Apparently some one from the sub
marine was on board the sailing ship.
Whether or not their boarding party
was taking stores he was uncertain. At
no time was the submarine closer than
six miles to the Radioleine. The Ra-
getting away. No shots hit her. No
damage was done and there were no
casualties.
Submarine Showed No Flag
"No flag was visible on the sub
marine. Before the Radioleine fired
she hoisted the French colors. The
schooner mentioned was three
masted schooner, with all sails set. No
flags were discernible, therefore the
name and nationality were unknown to
the Radioleine.
cat 9:15 a. m. June 4 the Radioleine
saw an English smokebox adrift, and
later passed a large quantity of appar-
emily recent wreckage. At 1:40 p. m.
he heard three shots at the head and
to the northward of his position. He
heard one more shot at 2:05 and one
more shot at 2:15. At 7:15 a. map
parently the time when he sighted the
submarine-he sent an S o S, and short
ly afterward some one unknown en-
tered X S o S. At 1855 a. m. he
sighted destroyer.
"The destroyer made all speed, head
ing in the direction of the submarine
Apparently the destroyer did not see
the submarine until the Radioleine
changed course to starboard, as the
captain of the Radioleine purposely
kept between the submarine and the
destroyer so the submarine would not
see the destroyer.
GAS soon as the submarine saw the
destroyer he submerged. The captain
did not see the submarine again and
is unable to tell what the destroyer
did, because the Radioleine was too
far away when the destroyer reached
the spot where the submarine disap-
peared."