Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1919-01-17

NOMluN uuIh rum hhN
a gold stripe sent for me and asked
me whether l thought there were
other ex-navy gunners In the States
that would serve with the French.
I told them the country was full OF
rood gunner and he wanted me to
write to all l knew and get them 20
come over. He did not mem by this,
and neither do l. that there were no
good gunners In the French navy, be-
cause there we're lots OF them. But
you can never have too many handy
boys with the guns and he was very
anxious for me 10 get oil l could. I
had no way Of reaching the ex-garbies
I did know, so had TO pass up this
| opportunity 20 recruit by mail.
While we were In Brest ! got per
mission 10 go aboard a submarine
and n petty officer showed me nround
This vas the frst time I was In the
interior OF n sub and told the oflce
that I would like 10 take a spin In the
tub myself. He introduced mo TO h
commander, but the petty officer said
he did not think they would let me
stay aboard. I showed tho COM
mander my passport ana talked to
him for a while, and hS said he
would take me on their practice
cruise two days later II the Old Man
gave me written permission.
So 7 hot.footed II back to the Cas-
sard and while l did not promise that
I would get any American gunners for
him in exchange for the written per
mission, he was free 20 him h a X
he wanted to. 1t seems as though he
did take Il that way, for he gave me
a note to the sub commander and sent
him another note by messenger. l
wanted Murray to 20 too, but the OLD
Man said one was. enough.
SO, two days later, l went aboard
In the morning and had breakfast
with the sub crew and n good break
fast II was. too. After breakfast they
took stations and the commander went
up on the structure nmldshlps, WI On
. was Just under the coming tower, aud
l squntted down on the deck Jeneath
a the structure.
{ Then the gas engines started ny
Q and made an awful racket and shooH
n the old tub from stem to stern.
/ could tell that we had cut loose from
the dock and were moving. After Z
i while they shut of the gas engines
I. and started the motors and VIC Degai
g 10 submerge. When we were all TN
way under l looked through the peri
scope and saw n Dutch merchantmen
We stayed under about half an hou
T. md then came back to the surface
q. One OF the gnrbles was telling IN
II Inter on that this same sub had gon
70 out of control n few weeks befor
70 and kept diving and diving until sh
4, struck bottom. / do not know nov
many fathoms down II was, but II wa
ID further than any commander woul
ir take n sub II he could help It. TIL
garby said they could hear the plate
ly cracking and It was a wonder thi
they did not crumple up from II
ed pressure, but she weathered It, pre-
1e sure button and all, and In n quartz
Nc OF nm hour vas on the surface. Will
ht on the surface they sighted smok
to submerged ngtln, and soon, over II
horizon came eight battleshlps, 9
ng corted by Zepps and d%estroyers.
hit They tested their tubes before tn
70, got In range. Finally they let so. III
on first shot missed, but after that tn
to got into II good and the gnrby said {
tie you could neal was the knocking
lp- the detonated guncotton.
About Ave minutes later they slgl
OF ed Ave destroyers, two on each DO
ter and one dead ahead. The sub steer
be- in at right angle glgzags and the {
ear stroyers stayed with their convoy. t
M sub launched two torpedoes at IL
YER than a mile before diving, to get aw
ere from the destroyers and the gar
am. said at least one OF them was J
lev These ships must have been so
,ey of the lucky ones that came do
us from the North sea. The garby 81
he thought they were Off the Du'
an coast at the time, but he was
~ sure.
But this cruise that I was on v
only n practice cruise and we did
~. meet with any excitement IN the sh
o.. time that we were out.