The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-03-21
Awarded the Distinguished Serv-
ice Medal by President
Wilson.
SAVES 600 YANX SOLDIERS
Goes TO Assistance of Transport
Ctranto When She Was Sunk in
Collision OF irish Coast With
American Troops on
Board.
BY {. w. BARRETT.
Editor Birmingham Age Herald

II ever n man were entitled TO the
that young British lieutenant. Fran
els w. Craven Of the destroyer Noun
sey.
A dispatch from London announced
TINT President Wilson had awarded
hin this medal and that Nal Gen Bid
die, commander of the American
forces In the United Kingdom. had
presented II to him.
The medal WIS awarded. In the
words OF the London cable, ito Lieut..
Francis W. Craven. who commanded
the British destroyer Mounsey. which
saved $40 American soldiers from the
British transport Otranto, when she
was sunk In II collision off the Irish
coast on Oct. q. 1918, with the loss
OF 337 American soldiers"
Though the British, government con.
ferred no honor upon Lieut.. Craven for
his work. because II was not nm act
or val0r In war combat. no man In any
navy ever showed more courage nor
demonstrated more perfect seaman
ship than did Lieut.. Craven on this
occasion.
The full Story is worth telling, now
that the censorship is off and no fur
ther obligation rests upon the news
paper man who was In the ofiing, so
to speak. when this horror of the sea
occurred
Flagship Of Convoy.
The Otranto, " lich went down, was
the flagship Of convoy of fourteen
troop laden. influenza infected ships
which sailed from New York on Sept.
~ last She was Brltish-Australian
liner. with something like thousand
American soldier boys aboard On her
sister ship, the Orontes, nasty old
plague infected refrigerator freighter
with limited and dirty passenger nc
commodations. eighteen hundred sol
der boys, the writer and about fifty
other passengers We're crowded To.
gether Ike cattle.
We were accompanied from New
York by u hattleshlp, IL cruiser and
the north of Ireland ana down the
Irish channel 10 Liverpool. All sorts
of hard luck hit the convoy and par,
ticularly the, Otranto. She first ran
into fishing fleet aud cut down two
boats, but saved the crews. In doing
SO she fell behind, but caught up
when we ran into fenrful storm and
continued battling against 1t for sev.
crnl days.
Scattered In Storm.
Before reaching British waters
north OF Ireland. the American naval
vessels turned back or were scattered
In the storm. Our old ship was strug.
CLING and our captain wns begging Ia
wireless messages To Capt. Davidson
OF the Dtranto for more sea room.
lie feared going on the rocky shores
of North Ireland. Capt. Davidson
mnde no answer tn repeated calls.
Then our wireless went down, our
boats were crushed. the smoking room
doors and ports we're smashed In, the
galleys dining saloon aud many state
rooms were flooded. Only cold foods
were obtanable. 10 make matters
worse. 400 soldier boys were down
with pneumonia. They We're diving
Ike cattle IN the public rooms and
on mattresses strewn about wherever
there was enclosed room. Medicines
were exhausted, aud dead and dying
were all about.
IN the meantime every ship put
about to save Its own. heading into
the storm. The Otranto and other
ships not needing our captains warn
Ings we're almost upon the rocks OF
Ireland. A Seritahle hurricane was
Waves broke entirely over
The ships,
Tho otranto, In trying 10 get out of
It's prcdleament. turmoil across the