The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-23
Z MORE FORMER GERMAN U-bOATS
 REST AT BOTTOM
Are Sunk By Destroyers Fir ing From 5000 Yards, Registering 49 Hits
 Out of 79 Shots
Rx Assooiated rrree

On Board U S. S. Henderson, off Cape Charles. Va. June 22--Destrcy- CTS of the Atlantic fleet today even ed the score with the air force. which yesterday sent the former German submarine U-117 to the bottom by 6 celuge of aerial bombs, by sinking the U-140 and the U-14s by gun fire at range of 5000 yards. Both sub marines were riddled with explosive shells from the four inch guns of the deHroyers.
 Todays performance was lass spec tacular but just as effective as the aircraft attack yesterday. The ex- tcrior damage to the submarines from the gunfire was not as great as that caused by the bombs but the result vas the same.
 The U-14o was tho first vessel at tackled. The attacking forces con- sisted of division of five destroy CTS of the most modern type, headed by the Dickerson, comma nded by Commander c. B. Mayo. In the at tack on the U-140 only the Dtcker- son fired 39 shots being fired
 Racing by the submarine at a speed of 25 knots. the Dickerson pssired shells, into the u-140 for four minutes and forty seconds The first salyo went over ths target but the range was instantly corrected and shot after shot was pumped into the rusty hull, each hit sending a cloud of dust and smoke into the air.
 19 Clean Hits Made.
 At the conclusion of the firing. an inspection of the U-140 showed 1g clean hits with possibility of others too far below the water line O. tho sinking submarine to be noticeable.
 Although the former U-boat was mortally wounded in the first of the test it battled desperately to remain afloat as compartment after com Lartment filled with water. It was an hour and 8 quarter after the first shot that the U-140 finally listed heavily to starboard, rolled back to ED even keel, and, with stern lifted high in the air, slipped beneath the surface at an angle of 90 degrees few minutes later a swirl of oil and rush of air to surface indi- cated that the ex-commerce raider had reached the bottom.
 The U-14s was sunk by the de- 1 stroyer Sicard, commanded by Lieut. | Commander F. A. Laroche. just 2e minutes after the first shots were fired. The Sicard fired 40 shots l 10 from each four-inch gun aid was credited with 20 known hits but SC rapidly did the C-boat fill and sink ! after the attack that the observers l thought it probable some hits were not officially scored. The first salvo { from the Sicard struck the C-f4S on the water line, almost anidships. and settled the fate Of the vessel imlne
 iiately. So evenly were the Sicard' , hits distributed along tbe length ot the hull that the U-l4s sank on all almost even keeI with scarcely a whirl of water to indicate that the end had some. The remaining three destroyers did not fire
 Gun Crews Comm ended
 The performance of the destroyer gun crews in making score of more than 50 per cent hits won the com mendation of gunnery officers of the dreadnaughts of the fleet gathered on the destroyer Barney to witness the practice. Tn the opinion of the official observers the damage to the submarines from the early salvos in both cases would have been suffi- clent. under war conditions to have prevented the subs from diving and would have thus made them the help less targets of the attacking de- stroyers with surrender as the only alternative.
 The fourinch shells used In sink ing the U-boats contained five pounds of T N T and were equipped with fuse designed to cause the shell to explode after penetrating the outer skin and reaching the vi tals of the submarines. Naval off cers were particularly pleased with the performance of the fuse, as in every case the explosion did not oc- cur until after the shell had been propei lys penetrated
 The sinking of the U-t40 and the U-4s today ends the careers Of four former German submarines surren- dcrcd at Scspa Flow and turned over to, the United States for experiment. al purposes. Five other ex-German vessels, three destroyers. cruiser and battieship. will be used in later phases of the aerial bombing experi ments being conducted by the arms and navy jointly.
 The Henderson, with members O Congress. army and navy officers and newspaper correspondents aboard. left for Washington at the conciu- sion of the firing today.