South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-06

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have suited Germany's purpose bet
ter than 20 scare US into withdraw
Ing our forces from fthe European
hunting grounds. and perhaps
abandoning our mine barrage across
the North sea.
We were doing everything posi-
ble' but we realized that we would
nave 20 accept the likelihood Of
some small craft being sunk-pos-
sibly few steamers: but that at all
costs we must Keep the line Of com
munication clear by which troops
and supplies we're carried 10 the
fighting front
Must Keep Road Open.
Germany had sent her U-boats
across the sea mainly for the pur-
pose Of interrupting the transpcrta-
ton Of troops and supplies. Fail
ing in this their long and perilous
adventure would be without military
effect.
Our first duty" 1 said TO the
newspaper men that morning. lis TO
keep open the road 10 France. 10
protect troop ships and supply yes
sels.- We are doing all we can 10
protect all shipping and commerce.
but that must he our first thought"
And that policy was so well car
ried out that not one troop shin
or transport was delayed in sailing
a single day, and the months i'm
which enemy submarines were op-
Grating almost continuously off our
coast were the very months in
which we broke all records in troop
transportation.
There were six U-boats which
made the voyage from Wilhelms-
haven or some other German port
to the region Of American waters in
19lS-the U-151. the U-156. the
U-l4O, the U-177. the U-155 and the
C-l52. The U-155 was the Deutsch-
land, which, doubtless you remem-
Der as the submarine that arrived
in Baltimore on a July Sunday in
Tl916, and was hailed as a Marvellous
demonstration Of German enterprise
and intrepidity. Some Of us have
wondered since whether it was also
IA demonstration Of German fore
sight-in other words, an expert
mental voyage. in peaceful guise,
TO determine whether, should we get
into the war on the allied side, it
would be possible to do a little
sinking off our coast.
However that may be. when the
Deutschland returned as the U-155
she came armed with powerful guns
and carrying torpedoes.
Big Killing June ..
The U-151 vas playing about not
far from our coast for some days
before she disclosed her presence
Report had come to US that steam
ers had been gunned at sea. and
that an unfrienGly periscope was
headed in our direction. Prompted
by these we sent broadcast agspecial
warning on May Is. on May 10
the Nyanza was gunned 800 miles
from our coast. When the U-151
made her big killing on June .. she
had on board the crews of three
small schOoners she had sunk some
days before. Though she sank a
number of vessels. her visit was
brief. She began her homeward
pourney on June Is. and reached
her German port on Aug. l.
The Smelling Of the Perth Amboy,
"a tug, and three barges within sight
Of Cape Cod, Mass. was the work Of
the U-156, which left Germany
about the time the U-151 was
starting home. She began work in
American waters In July. Her ex-
plot in Smelling a tug and barges
aroused general indignation and
! contempt There were Al persons
on the barges. including three wo-
men and five children. The L
boats torpedoes missed their mark.
but her shells set fire 10 the barges
and they ultimately sank. The
U-156 did a good deal OF damage.
but we had our revenge on her
way back TO Germany she ran foul
Of the North sea mine barrage.
composed almost wholly of Ameri-
can mines laid by American vessels.
and was so badly damaged that she
sank. Twenty one Of her survivors
were landed on the Norwegian
coast: the fate Of the rest is un-
known.
U-BOat Sinks Light ship.
The U-140 left Germany about a
week later than the C-156, and
worked in American waters in July
and August She chiefly distin-
guished herself by the wanton sink
ing of the Diamond Shoals light
ship. off Cape atteras. Near the end
Of August, after a temporary Gis-
appearance. she came up again
away 10 the north. She sank the
British steamer Diomed and next
day attacked the Pleiades. The lat
ter returned her fire and the U-14O.
damaged and leaking. quit the
fight. The U-117, a more recent ar
rival. went TO her aid. and accom-
panied her back TO kieL where they
arrived or oct %.
The Deutschland. or the U-155,
arrived early in August. She made
a fair record for damage done be-
fore she returned home. 1t was the
Deutschland which fought a duel
with the L. s. s. Frank H Buck, in
which the U-boat got the worst Of
IL. The Buck reported that two Of
her shots took effect, and the
Deutschland submerged She was
not injured enough 20 Iut her out Of
commission. however. A few days
later we heard from her again sink
ing ships But on Sept. ID she ran
into another chosen victim which
declined 10 be victimized without an
argument. The British merchant
man. Newly Hall. returned her fire.
and n shell put her forward gun
temporarily out OF action The
C-155 made off