"A PRETTY LITTLE FIGHT"

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 55, 6 March 1916, Page 7

"A PRETTY LITTLE FIGHT"

CLAN M'TAVISH AND MOEWE

PIRATE A HUGE FLOATING

BOMB

LONDON, 4th March.

It is reported by the Daily Chronicle, that eighteen of the crew of the Clan Mactavish have reached Tilbury. They state that Count yon Donah is commanding the raider MoeAve.

The vessel is described as a huge floating bomb. She has vast stores of torpedoes and shells, AA-hile mines and bombs are lashed on every deck and in all the rooms. The Germans state that they arc determined not to be captured. The MoeAvo can be blown up at a moment's notice. The crow are a fine set of men. but became paralytic drunk when they crossed the Line, except the sentries.

Mr. M'lntyre, a. canny mariner from the Hebrides, who was second in command of the Clan Mactavish, gave a. thrilling narrative of her fight- with the Moewe.

" We were a hundred miles south of Madeira on 16th January, when we sighted what appeared to be two ordinary merchantmen," he said. " They were apparently steering a course parallel to that of the Clan Mactavish, but gradually converged on her. The vessel which we afterwards discovered was the Moewe signalled, 'What ship?' We were suspicious, and did not reply.

" When the Moewe came .abaft our •beam she signalled ' Stop at once, I am a German cruiser.' Captain Oliver instantly ordered the engines full speed ahead, while I bluffed and signalled to the Germans, 'We are stopping.'

"The Moewe signalled that she was sending a boat. She stopped her own engines, and the result Avas that slie was left astern. Discovering the deception, she fired across our bows, and then the fun began.

Gunners Recce and Angus got our 6-pounder busy, and we fired back. Their next shell struck the forecastle, smashing the windlass and killing a. Lascar. Reeco and Angus fired as hard as possible, and we could- see that- they were hitting the German.

"The MoeAve was only two hundred yards away. Nearly all her shots missed, until the fifth struck our engine-room and another hit us below the water-line. Captain Oliver then ordered the gunners to cease firing, and stopped the ship. The whole1 ihing was over in fifteen minutes. It was*a pretty little fight.

" When we got aboard the Moewe we found that our 6-pounder had done a deal of damage. It had also killed four tiien and wounded two. Count yon Donah asked Captain Oliver why he had fired, and Oliver replied, 'My Government put a gun aboard which was not for ornament.' "

Mr. M'lntyre also states that the Moewe carried six 7-mch guns ingeniously concealed, two torpedo-tubes, and one 4.7-inch Etui.