Evening star., 1919-12-28
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Whenever the opportunity offered The
Luckenback was armed but the fact
that the submarines guns easily out
Ranged hers made her armament use
less. Thus all the German had to do
in this case was 10 keep away at a
bafe distance and lombard the mer-
chantman. The U-boat had been doing
this for more than three hours when
the destroyer reached the scene of oper-
ktions; evidently the craftsmanship was
poor, for out of great many shots
fired by the submarine only about
dozen had hit the vessel The Lucken-
back was on fire, a shell having set
khame her cargo Of cotton; certain parts
tf the machinery had been damaged,
but, in the main. the vessel was intact.
The submarine was always heroic
enough when it came to shelling de-
fenseless merchantmen, but the ap-
bearance of destroyer anywhere in
her neighborhood made her resort to
the one secure road to safety--diving
Tor protection. The Nicholson imme-
fiately trained her guns on the u
boat, which, on the second shot, dis
appeared under the water. The de-
RStOs Ci oispaNNHtu W thC Nio-
hbled vessel, the fire was eXtinguish-
ed, necessary repairs TO the ma
thinery were made, and in few
hours the Luckenback had BECOME a
member of the convoy
Hardly had she Joined the mer-
rhant ships and hardly had the Mich
olson taken up her station on the
Hank when an event still more eX-
riting took place. 1t was now late
in the afternoon: the sea had quieted
down: the whole atmosphere was one
Of peace; and there was not the
slightest sign or suggestion Of hos
tile ship. The Drama. the British
Warship which had accompanied the
convoy from its home port as ocean
kscort, had taken up her position as
leading ship in the second column.
Without the slightest warning, ter
Fife explosion now took place on her
etarboard bow. There was no mys-
terry as to what had happened: in
Heed, Immediately after the explo.
Zion, the wake of the torpedo ap-
peared on the surface; there was no
periscope in sight. yet it was clear.
from the position of the wake, that
the submarine had crept up to the
side OF the convoy and delivered its
missile at close range
There was no confusion In the con-
Foy or it's escortinG destroyers, but
fhere were scenes of great activity.
immediately after the explosion,
periscope appeared few inches out
Of the waterr. stayed there only a
eecond or two and then disappeared.
Brief as was this exposure, the keen
eyes Of the lookout and several
sailors of the Conyngham, the nearest
destroyer. had detected 1t; 1t dis
closed the fact that the enemy was
IN the midst Of the convoy itself,
looking for other ships to torpedo.
The Conyngham rang for full speed,
fnd DASHED for the location of the sub.
marine. Her officers and men now
saw more than the periscope; they
paw the vessel itself. The water was
very clear; as the Conyngham cir
fled around the Drama her officers
ana men sighted green, shining.
figar-shaped thing under the water
~'~'AA shS SAoi UOdIu SlQc.. AS
ehe sped by, the destroyer dropped
depth charge almost directly on
top Of the object. After the waters
had quieted down. pieces of debris
FSre seen floating upon the surface
boards, spars and other miscela-
Eeous wreckaGe. evidently scraps of
{he damaged deck Of submarine.
al attempts to save the Drama
proved fruitless; the destroyers stood
py Tor fve hours. taking off survi-
fors. and making all possible efforts
70 salvage the ship. but at about 10
p'clock that evening she disappeared
hinder the water.
In rescuing tho survivors the seaman
ehip displayed by the Conyngham was
particularly praiseworthy. The little
vessel was skillfully placed alongside the
Prama and some three hundred men
Fers taken off without accident or cas-
palty while the ship was sinking.
One OF the things that made the work
Pt the destroyer such a thankless task
Nas that only in the rarest cases was
u possible to prove that she had. de-
etroyed the submarine. Only the actual
capture OF the enemy ship or some of
- Grew furnished irrefutsble proof
that 1t had really gone t. the bottom.
The appearance Of oil on the surface
8teor q depth charge attacl, MO. MT