The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-05-24
RECORDS TELL HOW AMERICAN
DESTROYERS SINK SUBMARINES
Vessels Guarding Convoy Forced Germans Surrender After Depth
Charge and Shell Fre-"MOsquitO Fleet" With Crews Of
Youths, Does Great Work in Danger Zone-Nelson
Touch in One Fight.

London. Often the question ha,
been asked. what are our submarines
doing? Are they active at all in hunt
ing the German U-boats which are sink
Ing our mercantile shlppingi" occa.
slonally cases are heard OF German
submarines being sunk by destroyers
The weekly Admiralty reports tell Of
a certain number Of merchant ships
"unsuccessfully attacked" from which
one concludes TINT In some cases u
boat may have been 'bagged" by the
merehantman's gun.
Nor has the American mosquito
fleet been long in learning the game
OF u-hoat hunting. Keen as mus
tard,' said a British naval officer re-
Gently In talking about the American
navy. They simply love scrap when
they can get II. but the Germans are
not 80 keen.
| There IL no end OF stories about
the sinking and destroying of German
U-boats hidden away In the very brief
reports Of commanding officers which
from time TO time reach the Admiralty
II one could only get at them. OF
many of the highly successful meth
DDS OF hunting and destroying the u
boat II IL, OF course. impossible to tell.
but the Admiralty has permitted the
publication OF some recent records In
which American destroyers, British de-
stroyers, motor launches and subma-
rines have played distinguished parts.
Most Are Mere Boys.
The brave fellows engaged In the
work are, for the most part, mere boys,
fresh-faced, clear-eyed youngsters, de-
void OF nerves, always alert, cool and
conhdent, who have to make up their
minds and give their orders on the
Instant, and who, in true navy style.
perform their allotted tasks and say
nothing about them.
Here Is d story OF successful en-
gagcment fought by two American de-
stroyers which were escortlng CON
voy Of merchantmen. They sighted a
perlscope, which however, quickly dis
appeared. Rushing to the spot the de-
stroyers dropped depth charge and
then wheeled back. The perlscope
again appeared. as though heading for
the convoy aud off went the destroy
ers full speed.
Once more the periscope dlsap-
peared, but not before three rounds
had been fired by the leading destroy
err. who also dropped depth charge.
The enemy's bow then came up rapid
ly. and II appeared that he was lying
ut an angle OF thirty degrees, stern
down.
German Crew Surrendered.
lie managed to right himself and
tried to get away on the surface, but
again the Americans opened fire, and
then the Germans came on deck, held
up their hands and surrendered. The
U-boat sank just afterward, the sur
vivors being taken on board one of the
destroyers.
Here Is a tale OF an English com.
mander OF submarine just as Il
reached whltehall:
40 a. m.- Sighted hostile submarine.
Attacked same.
10 03 n. -Torpedoed submarine.
Hit with one torpedo amldshlps. Sub
marine seen to blow up and disappear.
Surface TO look for survivors. Put
down Immediately by destroyers who
fired ht me"
But this young commander was a
little more explicit In his footnote, as
he might well be. for, having kept to
sea aud his appointed duty under cir
cumstances OF extreme dificulty and
hazard, he took his fate In both hands,
stalked the enemy and destroyed him.
During my attack" he wrote,
"there was just enough sea to make
depth keeping dlfticult. fired two
torpedoes, aud one hit at forward end
Of coming tower. A large column of
yellow smoke. about one and a half
times as high Rs the mast, was ohserv4
ed and the submarine disappeared.
The explosion was heard and felt In
our own submarine. On the previous
day the perlscope had become very
stifr 10 turn, and In the dark hours |
attempted To rectig same. but while
doing so | was forced to dive, and
thus lost all the tools aud nuts OF the
center bush.
while attacking II took two men be-
side myself 10 turn the periscope. For
this reason | did not consider Il pru.
dent to attack the destroyer after hav.
Ing sunk the submarine.
Lay or settom Amid Enemy.
After torpedolng submarine pro.
eeeded four miles northward aud lay
on the bottom. Many vessels through.
out the day were heard in close prox.
Unity. Several explosions were heard.
especially one very heavy one. II must
have been close as the noise was con.
hderably louder than that OF the tor
pedo, ON one Q ,asion wire sweep /
scraped the whole length OF the boat 1