Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1921-11-10
British Captain Testifies to
Submerging That Cost the
Lives of Crew.
THREE SHIPS ARE TORPEDOED
German Commander to Be Put on
Trial for Brutally lnhuman Acts
at Sea-captaln Is Ships
Only Survivor

I.ondon.-A graphic account Of the
torpedoing Of the British steamship
Torrington in April, 1917, and the sub
seQuent fate of the crew was given by
the only survivor at Bow street police
court, says the Daily Telegraph, when
Sir ChartreS Biron sat for the purpose
of taking evidence on commission in
support of charges which have been
formulated against the submarine
commander, q Captain Wilhelm Wer-
ner.
Mr.. V. NJ. Cattle conducted the pro-
ceedingS on behalf OF the British gov
ernment and Doctor Bunger represent
ed the German government.
Mr.. Cattle explained that Werner
was one of the German officers against
whom 1t was proposed that proceed
ings should be taken at Leipzig. He
had not yet been arrested. but 1t was
thought desirable that, while Captain
Starkey, the principal witness, was In
London his deposition should be taken,
so that in the event of the accused
man being apprehended there need be
no delay in his trial.
The charge against Werner was that
he, being in command Of the submarine
U-55 on April s, 1917, in the North
Atlantic, $50 miles southwest of the
Scilly Isles, tOrpedoed the British
steamship Torrington, and afterwarG
wilfully murdered, by drowning, "a
members of the crew. That was the
vessels total complement other than
Captain Starkey, who was the only
survivor.
The Torrlngton was owned by the
latham Steamship company of Car
diff, and was proceeding from Gibral-
tar to Cardiff. She was an ordinary
merchant vessel, not war vessel at
all. and carried one gun for purely
defensive purposes, as many ships did
during the war On the morning Of
April s the second mate reported that
there were some lifebOatS on the port
bow, and the course of the Torrington
was slightly varied with the object
of rendering assistance If necessary.
Insulted by German Captain.
Suddenly Captain Starkey noticed
the wake Of torpedo which was COM
ing towards him. He maneuvered,
but was unable to avoid it, and the
torpedo struck the ship, which did not
Immediately sink but was consider
ably damaged. Soon afterwards the
submarine came to the surface and
opened fire on the TorringtOn. APP
parently the firing was not very sue
cessful, for nobody was killed and the
vessel was not further damaged. See
ing that there was no possibility Of
saving the ship, Captain Starkey gave
orders for the crew to take to the
lifeboatS. The port boat left with
some of the men under the first mate,
and Captain S:arkey took command
of the starbOard boat
When the latter was about q quar-
ter of mile from the TOrringtOn the
submarine drew up close, and Captain
Starkey and the men with him we're
ordered TO go on bOard. 1hey OOeyeu,
and Werner took Starkey below and,
after asking some questions, told him
he was d pirate and would be taken
to Germany and shot, while as for the
crew they could swim. Directly af-
terwards Werner went on deck, the
alarm rang for stations, and the sub
marine submerged and remained so
for twenty minutes. Everyone Of the
twenty men who had been left on deck
was washed off and drowned, and as
regarded the men in the other life
boat, the only assumption was that
they were disposed of in some way or
other. They were never seen or heard
Of again, although the sea was per-
fectly smooth and their boat was IN
perfect condition.