Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26

7 HOPE II Bob Rings eyes far on
this story of the terrible night he
L and | spent together in q Sunken
4 submarine he will send me a line
to let me know he is still alive.
The last thing he ever said to me WAS:
No more Navy for me-not after
that"
For more than 20 hours he, and
four others of US, faced certain death.
~, We went adrift in a submarine. 1t
sank We struggled. with every
ounce of energy and will-power we
possessed. to raise her. But we failed.
Bob Ring stopped one man from COM
hitting suicide And none of us was
ever the same 1gain.
Dying Blind" they call it, in the
torpedo fleet.
Curiously enough. I wasn't on sub
marine duty at the time. But l had
just got word that ! was to receive
orders to the duty. l was on leave
when l learned this, and thought l
saw a chance to pick up the rudl-
ments of summarizing and be some
what less Of q novice before reporting
to the Newport Torpedo Station.
Right away l sent word to my An
napolis classmate, Alfred Eide. asking
If | could ship with him for few days.
Eide was having his first training in
submarines. He was attached at the
time TO the DIS. tThe poor fellow was
lost with his boat, the IA, and his
whole crew of q men on March 26,
1915. in 2f5 feet of water during ma
neuvers off Honolulu. Five months
later the F-4 was raised and the skele-
tons of the brave men aboard her
were give a military burial with all
honorSl
Glad to have YOU" he wired back.
"Join us at Hampton Roads and make
the trip to New York. -
/ jumped at the opportunity am
took the night train.
We had an uneventful run up the
coast until the night before we
reached Ambrose Channel Llghtship.
The sea was in fiat calm. But cold,
clammy fog slipped in out of the east
and obliterated every landmark The
tender called her boats alongside and
anchored. Three subs moored to port
and three to starboard. The D-3 was
the outboard boat on the port side
Guess I'll have look before turn
in" Eide said to me. THAT big irish
machinist's mate, Bob Ring, is on
watch over there, and I'd like to give
him q word of cheer. He's good egg,
and it's a rotton night to spend on a
submarine"
All ftSHl, ASito"' N0AN AAAAAA'
go. too
Little did I dream what I was let
ting myself in for.
We picked our way out across the
slippery gangplanks that had been
thrown from one sub to the other. The
pale standing lights We're paler still in
the heavy vapor that lay like blan-
ket upon the surface of the sea.
y y X
WE found Bob Ring swathed in oil
'" skins, standing on the coming
tower. He was distinctly uneasy.
DIRTY weather coming" he growled
when Eide threw him CHEEKY word.
Ring had been in the merchant serv-
ice for many years, and knew thing
or two about the sea. Il can smell
wind"
'.Stick your nose down here and
you'll smell something sweeter than
that, old man." called Eide cheerily.
He had brought thermos Of Java.
That's the kind of thoughtful officer.
Al was.
Ring came down and joined us. He.
walked his two watchmates and
brought their bowls while we had
mug up.
Suppose you have to cast OFF,"
said !.
EIDE chuckled. Don't worry, mate,
we've got anchors in submarines, just
as you have in regular ships. Haven't
we, Bob?"
Ring damned his sou'wester down
over his eyes and started for the lad
der that led to the topside from the
control room, where we crouched
about in the dim light of one electric
bulb, fed by the boats batteries.
anchors, yes" said Ring. Two of
'em, but"
But what?" called EIDE, as Rings
long legs disappeared up to the hatch.
The answer came a few moments
later and startled us out Of our COM
posture:
But We'll have to work lively if
we're going to make 'em hold to-
night
Eide sprang for the ladder and I fol-
lowed. A gust of wind nearly took my
head off as 1 emerged. Rain stung my
cheek. In the few minutes We had
been below a bad squall had made.
Now 40-nile gale swept across the
tenders bow and drove the rising sea
halfway up the low deck of the sub