Evening star., 1941-07-21

# M# MS nome as II IL.
sssssssss''sss'&s - assssa were a castle,
Henry MeLemore. and there was a
pride in his manner that Queen
Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana,
whose pictures looked down from
the walls, would have admired.
The Dutchman's home was sub
marine.
A 500-ton submarine that bobbed
like a giant gray cork in the waters
of the harbor.
Since October 2, 1889, the Dutch
man, a lieutenant in the Neither
lands Navy, and his crew of IS have
had no other place they could right
fully call home. 1t was on that date,
nearly two years ago now. that they
put out to sea from Rotterdam.
The ship was in the Netherlands
Indies when the Lowlands were over
run by the Germans. Word Of the
invasion sent the sub on TO the
Dutch West Indies, and some six
months ago it beat its lone way to
Nova Scotia.
Now the boat and men are attach
ed to the Royal Canadian Navy.
They are doing a job, too, and not
just lying in the harbor as a sight
seeing attraction, waiting for the
war to end. The sight of the subs
forbidding, sharklike body moving
down the harbor to disappear into
the Atlantic for patrol duty is a
familiar one to the people on shore.
Not much of a home, a subma-
rine, as you we'll know if you have
ever been aboard one. Living in one
is like living inside a giant clock.
There isn't a speck Of luxury space
to be found. A sub is simply
floating power plant and men are
fitted into it somehow. The crew
doesn't really live in submarine,
it exists.
The lieutenant, a big, handsome
blond of 80 or thereabouts. showed
us the quarters that have served
him as home since 1889 About
the size of an diversified phone
booth, its only decorations were pic
lures of his Queen, his wife and in
Vulnerable mechanical wheels and
levers vital to the operation OF the
submarine.
The men sleep on canvas devices
that have all the comfort of a fire.
mans net, and they are so crowded
together that they can all but read
one another's mind in their sleep.
The ships galley is a tiny cubby-
hole. and the cook must prepare food
for all on board on two miniature
electric grills and dollhouse oven.
"Our cook is an unbelievable
man." the lieutenant said with a
laugh. "One of the really fine chefs
of the world. On the surface or
fathoms down, he can prepare a
meal that is better than you get in
most restaurants"
No one is ever really comfortable
in a submarine.
IN the tropics it was very, very
hot" the lieutenant explained. "The
sun baked you when you were up
and the water boiled you when you
were down. Here, the water is very
cold, so the ship is always cold and
we are always a little cold. We have
a few small heaters but We use them
sparingly. We hate to waste the
power. Might need it, you know
1t was not hard TO believe him.
Even with the sub on the surface.
with a warm sun overhead, the in
terror was cold and clammy, and
you wondered what the temperature
must get to during dive in the
North Atlantic.
The lieutenant smiled when asked
about the spirit of his men.
''It is what you call AL" he said.
That's the same as tops, isn't it?
None of my men has seen his fam
lily since we left Holland in 1899,
but there are no complaints. They
know there is a big job to be done,
and they are doing it. They are
wonderful really. You might want
to know that this is not new sub
marine, and that she was built for
coastal waters. But already she has
made three return trips across the
Atlantic. And stood it we'll"
The lieutenant explained that a
good 80 per cent Of the Dutch Navy
was in active service in Britain's
cause.
"Only some 20 per cent was put
out of commission at the time of the
invasion" he said. The remainder
was at sea, and will stay at sea until
we win. The merchant marine is
active, too. Why, here in Nova
Scotia my government has built a
home for the merchant sailors, so
many of them are coming across
these days"
After talking to the lieutenant and
visiting him in his home" believe
I nave fuller appreciation of that
old saying, you can't beat the
Dutch"
Distributed BY McNaught Syndicate. Inc)