New Britain herald., 1928-01-13

commandant of the fisst naval dis trict. who was one of the observer on the Monaghan. WAS the trst te take the stand today. Captain Cook. said he had been in the navy 27 yearz, had commanded destroyer, for two years and ten months. and had for . period commanded . d. vision of destroyers.
 Captain Cooke. describing his ob. servations during yesterdays tests said that with seven-power siassea he had observed the periscopes oi the S-S It . distance of $500 yards. After discarding the giasses he wal able to sight the pertscopes at . distance of 500 yards, although it had been possible to zee something moving through the water at 2 con- siderably greater distance.
 The visibility was excellent. sea smooth. weather fair. and the wind slight northeast breeze.
 The witness said test to deter mine the time required for the de- stroyer to slow down from . speed of IS knots to one knot or less had shown that this operation required one minute IF seconds.
 To put the helm of the destroyer full right required seven seconds. After five seconds the bow had moved two degrees and after 50 seconds the change was 22 degrees.
 Visibility Distances
 In response to questions by Con- mander Leslie E. Bratton, judge advocate, Captain Cooke said that under the weather conditions pre- vailing on December IT he probably would have been able to kght the periscope with glasses at. . distance of from 500 to 800 yards and with out glasses at a distance of from 300 to 500 yards. In each case, the es- innate depended on whether he ac- tually was looking for periscopes at that time. If he had not been looking specifically for periscopes, he said. the distances would be cut in half in each case.
 The witness said that if he were in command of . destroyer making IS knots and suddenly noticed the periscope of a submarine 200 feet away one point off the port bow, he would back full speed, first giving the order full right rudder." He would feel that . collision was in- evitable unless the submarine sub merged before the destroyer reached her.
 Veteran Also Called
 Commander w. H. Lassing. of the staff of the first naval district, who also was an observer on the Mona ghan. followed Captain Cooke to the stand. He gave his naval experi- ence as 26 years and eight months, for three years of which he was in command of destroyers.
 From the starboard wing of the bridge of the Monaghan. the witness said, he picked up the periscopes of the S-6, 21 minutes c5 seconds after the trial run started. Immediately afterward he was able to distin- guish the feather" of the periscopes with the naked eye. He estimated the distance of the submarine as about 1000 yards. A check later placed this distance at about 5000 yards.
 Commander Lassing said that conditions prevailing on December 17 would have affected the visibil- ity of the periscopes materially.
 It would have been difficult to see a Heather" at all. An observer would have had to see the periscope itself before he could determine . submarine was there.
 The witness said he would not es- innate the distance at which he could sight periscopes in rough weather If he were not looking for them.
 Commander Lassing differed from Captain Cooke as to the manner in which he would act if he suddenly saw 6 submarine a point on the port bow heading across the bows of his destroyer 200 feet ahead. He said he would order the rudder hard left and back at full speed. A collision would be practically certain, he said.
 To Rear Admiral Richard H. Jackson, president of the court, the witness said that in covering 200 feet at IS knots after the rudder had been thrown hard right the destroy CTS bow would have changed only three degrees. The collision would have been just as certain whether the ridder had been thrown right or left.