The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-07
REPORT
SHOWS U-BOATS
LOSING GRIP
Many British Merchant
Ships Reported Unsuc-
cessfullY Attacked

London, June 7.-(Correspondence
of The Associated Press. lin the
weekly return showing the number Of
British merchant vessels attacked by
submarines occurs the phrase Brit
tsh merchant vessels unsuccesgfully
attacked" The Admiralty records
show that hidden away in that phrase
Is many story Of gallant seaman
ship.
During the north from March Is to
April Is Of this year, sixty-four Brit
ish vessels were attacked unsuccess-
fully by U-boats.
The submarine which attacks de-
fensively armed merchantmen has no
longer a "sure thing" During the
past month there were several cases
in which even two U-boats were un-
successful in an attack on a single
steamer. There are several cases,
also, In which the steamer complete
ly turned the tables on the German,
and sent him to the bottom instead.
Even sailing ships frequently give
g. good account of themselves against
the submarine, although in the ma
ture Of things they are much less
easy to manoeuvre than a ship with
steam power. The following is one
such case reported to the admiralty:
"A sailing ship was proceeding
letsurely on her course when the look
out sighted a submarine on the star
board quarter. She lay quiet until
the U-boat came within range, and
then opened fire. The gun crew knew
their business, for they soon found
the target, and out of thirteen shots,
eight direct hits were scored. The
U-boat, which had been vainly twist
ing and turning to get out Of range,
suddenly went down by the bows,
and her stern stood clear Of the water
for nearly half minute. Then she
dived perpendicularly, and came up
again at an angle Of thirty degrees
above the water. For a short space
of time she remained in this position
and then disappeared like a stone"
Early one afternoon the captain
Of q steamer in ballast saw the track
Of a torpedo coming direct for his
ship. By quick swing he succeeded
in avoiding it. Then the U-boat came
out OF the water and opened fire, one
of his shells piercing the deck and
Wrecking the second cooks cabin. The
steamer replied valiantIy and the en-
counter continued for four hours, the
steamer going at top speed all the
time and keeping the submarine dead
astern. A shot from the steamer
struck the submarine amidships but
failed to do sufficient injury to force
the German to discontinue the ac-
ton. But after four hours, the
steamer got the submarine into a
smoke cloud, and a shell appeared
to burst close to the U-boats bow,
after which the enemy quit the
chase.
In another attack, which was sue
cessfully beaten off, the merchant
mans gunners were handicapped
owing to the deck giving way under
the gun early in the action. Every
time the gun kicked the platform
under it jumped. The'nnan who was
sighting it was injured, but the crew
continued firing and eventually
forced the submarine to discontinue
the action. One of the first shots
from the submarine broke the wire
less aertals Of the steamer, but the
wireless operator repaired the dam
age under fire and got a message
through to the nearest British de-
stroyers.