Evening star., 1921-04-29
BY JOsEPHUs DANIELS.
Former Secretary OF the Navy.
ARTICLE is.

ARTICLE 10.
Facing death and danger, men OF
The Navy displayed the dash and dar-
ing, the courage and quick action that
are the best traditions of the service.
There were heroes in the ranks, as
we'll as on the bridge. and scores of
them performed deeds that deserve to
20 down in history.
There were several cases in which
plain American sailors saved ships
from damage or destruction. But
there are few stories of the war more
thrilling than that of John Macken-
zie, chief boatswain's mate, and the
Remlik.
The Remlik, an armed yacht taken
from it's luxurious career at the be-
ginning of the war and converted into
a submarine fighter. was at its duty
on patrol off the coast of France. A
terrific storm was raging and the
Remlik was having all it could do to
hold it's own in the heavy weatheE.
U-Boat Is Sighted.
Suddenly there was a cry from the
lookout:
Submarine. 400 yards to starboard,"
General quarters" alarm was sound
ed. and all stations were manned. Two
periscopes had been sighted. The aft
er-gun's crew stayed at its post. try
ing to get shot at the U-boat, in
spite of the fact that big seas were
breaking over the vessel.
Before they could, fire, however. the
submarine submerged.
Then followed one of the queerest
situations that could arise at sea. The
Remlik and the submarine\were both
SO tossed about by wind and wave
that neither could use it's weapons
against the other.
The Remlik's gunners kept their
guns trained in the general direction
in which they suspected the C-boat
was lying: the U-boat presently bob.
bed up again, but at once submerged
as the guns turned toward it; twice
more ii poked it's periScopes above
the surface, only to withdraw them,
as a scared snail withdraws its horns,
when the guns swung into line for
q trial shot.
On board the Remlik there was
an intense eagerness to drop depth
bomb.
Bomb Breaks Loose.
Could this have been done the L.
boat would have Joined those which
never returned to Germany. but as
long as it was impossible for the
Remlik to make more than two
knots. it was impossible to drop a
depth bomb without running the dam
ger of almost as much damage to
herself as to the enemy.
IhEOuSn ali tne peFliS ana excite
ment of this encounter John Mac
kenzie did no more than his duty,
which was neither more nor less
than anybody else did.
But the greater danger was yet to
come.
The depth bombs which the Remlik
crew had itched to drop in the l.
boats neighborhood were kept in
boxes lashed near the stern of the
boat They were big, bulky things,
filled with high eKplosive-safe
enough while held in leash, but dead
1y if the two pins that held the
firing mechanism were removed.
The waves breaking over the ships
stern tore one of the boxes loose,
toppled it over. rolling the bomb
out of il. The box went overheard.
but the bomb slid and sloshed and
rolled about on the deck.
The safety-pin's come out" some
one shouted.
Every man of the crew realized
the danger. for every shift of the
bomb threatened destruction and
death.
Captures Rolling Death.
To venture into that part of the
ship, with the waves dashing over it,
meant TO risk being carried over