Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-14

of thirty knots an hour. After
short rest he took her across the
Atlantic and made another record in
the war zone.
our destroyer boys went at the job,
and they kept it up until the last
horn blew.
Their skill in navigating, in 1ocat-
ing conveys or vessels in distress or
boats containing survivors was pos
itively uncanny When the President
Lincoln was sunk 500 miles at sea
the Smith and the Warrington hur-
ried to the rescue. Other ships in
the convoy had sent by wireless the
location as they hurried away to es-
cape the submarine. The two de-
scene. That wireless message was
all they had to steer by. The Lin
coin was sunk about o'clock in the
morning, and it was II o'clock that
night when the rescuers reached the
locality. But SO accurately had the
destroyer officers estimated the drift
that in the darkness they almost ran
into the RATS. Can you imagine
nicer piece of calculation than that?
Drop Bombs on Sub
AS they speeded toward Brest,
their decks crowded with the hun
Warrington discovered signs of a
submarine. Rushing to the attack,
they dropped depth bombs all around
the location. They had estimated it
so accurately that though the sub
descended to so great depth. that
sides, the depth bombs shook it like
an earthquake. And that undersea
craft hiding beneath them turned out
to be the very submarine that had
sunk the Lincoln, the U-90. She got
away at last, but that German GER
tainly had a narrow escape
A thrilling example of the courage,
quick decision and prompt action
that characterized the destroyer
force was that of the Shaw. Octo-
Der IL, 1918.
Escorting the big British trans
port Aquitania, the Shaw was just
completing the right leg of zig-zag
that brought her close to the convoy
when her rudder damned. AS the
huge transport turned the destroyer
was aimed straight toward it's side.
Commander William Glassford, cap
a collision was inevitable. Either
destroyer or transport would be sac
rificed. If the sharp-proWed de-
stroyer struck the Aquitania, the
big transport, with 5000 men aboard,
might be ripped and sunk, with heavy
loss of life.
Captain Sacrifices His Ship
Glassford decided instantly to sac
rifice his own ship. Unable to turn
astern!" A moment later the Aqui-
tania struck the destroyer and sliced
it almost in two, passing through it
without even slowing speed. Strik-
Aquitania cut off ninety feet of
Shaw's bow and raked the whole
length of her side, stripping open
the forward boiler room and tearing
out the mainmast, which, in falling,
damned the starboard engine.
Sparks ignited the oil in the for
ward tank, setting fire to the YES
sci. The Duncan and the Kimberly
went to the assistance of the Shaw,
the Kimberly rescuing the survivors
in the bow, which was floating zoo
yards from the remainder of the
ship.
Bring Vessel Into Port
That the vessel kept afloat at all
seemed remarkable; to get her to
port appeared almost impossible. But
those brave boys of the Shaw put
out the fire in the face Of bursting
ammunition. They rugged up her
engines and got them working again
and repaired the steering gear. And
they navigated that remnant of a
1880 in the afternoon. Two of her
officers and ten men were dead
killed In the colSlon. Inree officers
and twelve men were injured. Her
bow and most of the forward part of
the ship was gone. But what was
left of her was in port; and she
was taken to a ship yard, new
forward part built on it-and in a
few months it was again in commits
sion, and is doing splendid service
in the navy today
Could there be a better tribute
than that to the stanchness of our
destroyers and the undying spirit and
superb efficiency of their officers
and men?
Copyright, 1921, by John F; Ollie. Copy
light by National Newspaper Service. Copy
right in Great Britain, Canada and through
out France. All rights reserved, including
translation into foreign languages, including
the Scandinavian. Unauthorized reprinting
any nurnnse fnrhi1len.