The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1919-01-30
EXPERIENCES or LOCAL SAILOR.
Art Byrnc, Son fNIr. and Mrs Peter
Ryrne, on Nine aver,

Byrne, on Mine-Layer.
Mrs. Peter Byrne, who resides with
the family west Of this city, recently
received the following letter from her
son, Arthur, who has been doing his
bit for Uncle Sam aboard the u. =. =.
Shawmut. The Shawmut is mine
layer, ana up to the time the armis-
lice WIS signed WAS engaged in that
work. Sailor Byrne describes in an in
teresting manner the work they had
to perform and also tells If the differ
cnt place; visited He wrote as fol-
lows:
This is Sunday afternoon and
haven't much to do. Just ran across an
account of what we had been doing last
summer, that | had written while we
were in Scotland, so thought | would
copy it for you.
I'VE left Boston June 18th, for Base
II. 1t took us II days 10 make the trip
across; going by the northern route
At one time we were as far north as
the south coast of Greenland. The
weather was real cold. although we en-.
countered no icebergs 1t Was pretty
hard trip on the crew, as we stood six
hours Oh, watch and watch, and had to
90 through our regular drills and bat
Wv Hidtioh anu aNtttIA W llic SLIP . WOIh
besides, so that we never got over five
hours sleep night, and some times not
that. There were three ships crossed
when we did, they were the Shawmut.
Acoostic and Saranac ine-layers. and
the Black Hawk, n supply ship.
we saw no subs on the way over, al
though one morning they sighted
floating spar and mistook ii for peri
scope and fired on ii with the forward
three-inch gun. We were glad that ii
wasn't L sub. although the boys hit it
once out of three shots.
I'VE met one English tramp steamer
about half way over, that we mistook
for German raider. She wasn't show
ing any flag so the SaranGc started
after her and overhaulcd her In about
half an hour. She showed the IT, s.
flag after the Sarlnac fired on her.
Some OF the Saranac officers went
aboard her and found that she was an
English tramp and that she had mis-
taken us for German raiders. We came
in sight of the Orkney islands on the
morning of June Both. The same morn
ing we met a convey of English de-
stroyers that conveyed us the rest Of
the way in We arrived at Base II that
night Base II is at Invergordon, Scot
land. 1t is on little harhor called
Cromorty. Firth of Firth of Moray, on
the northwestern coast OF Scotland.
Base Is Is ut Inverness, Scotland. Il
miles south of InvcrGordon, on Mon.
Jockey bay That was where we were
most of the time In port our home
base in other words Inverness il quite
good sized town. | think the popu-
lation is about 10000.
'"I'hpIn SbinG al h,
the mine force operating from Bases
II and is They were the Black Hawk.
San Francisco, Canandague, Cannon
icus, Quinahague, Saranac Histronic
baltimore, AcrCstic and Shawmut.
We made II trips laying the North
sea mine-tields, which reaches across
the channel from the southwest coast
OF Norway, to the east coast of Scot
land. The first few trips we made were
not very successful as we lost good
many mines; they would explode short
ly after they were laid
The way these mines are arranged
they have an anchor that is built like
car and is used as carriage in
handling them; ana there is a float SO
arranged that il holds them from sink
ing below n certain depth They are
supplied With storage battery that il
connected with copper points that pro
1ect on the outside of the mine and
when any steel object comes in contact
with these points II causes Il short cir
cult which causes tie mine To explode.
They were set ut different depths SO as
to catch both the subs and the ships on
the surface. They were laid six rows
wide ana three rows clear across the
North sea.
In fha EaI.1 al, 1.
fore the Huns discovered il, but after
that they kept us pretty busy. | think
they were Il little afraid to torledo us
when we We're loaded with mines. he.
cause ii they did the explosion would
have sank Il sub as well as a shin
But they bothered us rs much rs they
could
During the latter part of our ex
petition we were laying mines on the
Norway end OF the field. aud we had to
20 up tlrcu-n Il certain channel in the
orkney island To ger around the end
of the field. There were several suhs
That laid III wait for us in the channel
ana sevS.al times they attacked us.
hnt dld ne damage because they were
afraid 10 get close enough. We saw
the subs there SO often that the bows
named the channel Submarine Alley.'
1t wasn't possible IL tell exactly
how many subs were sank in these
mine fields. but there were seventeen
that We were certain about for which
we hSve seventeen stars painted ON The
front Of our deck house
On the 9th Of October we went into
dry dock At New Castle England. 1t
i city Of Il little over 100000 paDu-
ln''"" ana l. located on the Tyne river
i'll .-=-.h England