New-York tribune., 1919-08-20
Submarine Chaser
aceFrOmBernluda
Is Won by the l31
68O-Mile Dash in So Hours
81 Minutes Sets Record:
20 Little Fighters Helped
to Destroy Austrian Base

|.
the Submarine Chaser 131 slipped into
the harbor early yesterday m vrning, the
winner in the ocean race for submarine
chasers from Bermuda to New York.
which started last Saturday, The
chaser was in command of Lieutenant
Joseph L. Day, of Portland, Me- "A
new record for the trip from the ISL
ands for gasolene driven craft was set
by the speedy little boat. The official
time, as given by Lieutenant Day. for
the voyage of $50 nautical miles. from
st. Davis Head, Bermuda, to the Statue
of Liberty, was SO hours and 32 min
utes, and the average speed 11.O6 knots.
The 131 passed the Statue of Liberty.
the finish line of the race at 2: SO, hav-
ing hailed the Ambrose Channel Light
ship at 2:19. Within an hour the PIT
and the 35l came past the lghtship,
the former at 3:0l and the latter at
3;34. Others of the fleet did not show
up until 10 in the morning. when the
80 came along, followed by the 224, and
the PIT, which had laid to an anchor
after passing the lightship, passed
Sandy Hook Is minutes later. At II
o'clock the remainder of the fleet Of
twenty chasers and the conveys which
left Bermuda with the racers came
along in cruising formation.
Beat Their Welcome
SO we'll did the 11O-foot navy boats
= that tboyo
feet down the bay for the vessels
which had seen service across the At
antlc for more than a year. The main
body Of slower moving chasers got
their share of tug and ferry boat whis-
ties and cheers as they came up the
harbor at noon, but the winners, living
at anchor in the Hudson of 135th
Street, were gazed at in silence.
Lleutenant Day was complimented by
Captain Charles L. Courtney, senior
captain in command of the recruiting
bureau in West Thirtv-ninth Street
who came out to the DESTROYER Ellis,
and by Lieutenant Commander c. f.
Van Meter. son-in-law Of Vice Admiral
Gleaves. who brought the Ellis in from
across the seas four days ago. Lieu
tenant Day said he understood that he
mad beaten the best time made by the
Allsa Craig in her New York Bermuda
run seVeral years ago, which was
sixty-seven hours.
Good Weather For Trip
The 131 met good weather all the
way except for fog on the last leg of
the trip and had no trouble with her
three engines. One Monday night.
while nearing the United States. the
chaser ran into one of the most bril-
liant electrical storms its officers had
ever seen. It was continuous display
OF sheet or cloud lightning which
bothered the 131 considerab bly, in pick
ing up Naveslnk Light, big flash that
can be seen twenty-five miles at sea.
We all came out of Hamilton Har- |
Dor on Saturday afternoon with the
exception of the tender Hannibal"
twenty four hours before It was
rather pleasing to pass her thirty-six
hours later. which we did by giving
the officers and crew farewell greet
ing as we went by. The racing feet OF
SIX sub-cnasers came outside Of St
Georges Harbor OFF St David's Head
and jockeyed for position while await
ing the signal to start from Vice
Admiral Morgan Singer of the Royal |
Navy IN command Of the feet in Ber-
muda and the West Indies"
Helped Destroy Durazzo
The fotilla which arrived yesterday,
under the command Of Captain c. p. /
Nelson played an important part in the
destruction of Durazzo, the Austrian
naval base, on October ?. 1913. The /
l3l and two other chascrs were the
Amerlcan representatives. at Cattaro
when the Austrian feet was turned
over to the Allies. and the l31 also was
on duty at Fiume, lara and Spalato
when feeling ran high between the
Amercans and Jugo- Slavs on one hand
and the Italians on the other. The 129
one cf the racing boats, commanded by
Lieutenant Naclear Jackoby, wears a
gold star for sinking submarine in
the Durazzo battle. All of the sub
marine chascrs were commended bv the
Italian and British naval forces for
their work at Durazzo.