A NORTH SEA FIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 180, 29 July 1916, Page 15

A NORTH SEA FIGHT.

HOW A GERMAN DESTROYER WAS

SUNK,

A letter from Lient. Peter, R.M.A., sent to the "Comhill Magazine" by Mr. Bennet Copplestone, . recounts the young gunner officer's singular luck in sinking a German destroyer in the North Sea by a lightnlngqnlck action fought "on his own." The destroyer, which bad blundered into the British ship, instead of bolting, came chargiug down full speed so as to get home with a torpedo. "It was either the maddest or the bravest thing 1 shall ever see in my life," says the lieutenant, who was on bis platform commanding a battery or six 6in. gnns below. He continues:—

"I gave my gunners 1,000 yards, rapid curtain fire from the whole battery, and you should just have seen those darlings pump it ont ... no quick-firing cartridgeloaders could have been worked faster than were my heavy beauties. 1 suppose that it took that destroyer about GO seconds to reach the edge of my rideau de feu, and every 10 seconds my lovely battery spat out six great shells! On came the destroyer, and round came our ship facing her. I swung my guns the opposite way as the ship turned, keeping them always on tbe charging destroyer. I could see them leaping backwards and forwards on their slides just like automatic pumps. Tbe enemy reached the edge of my curtain! I seemed to have been hours since I began to tire, hut it couldn't really have been more than a minute; for even German destroyers will cover half a mile in that time. He reached tbe edge of my curtain, flung bis bows straight towards us, and loosed a torpedo. At that very precise Instant a shell, rlcochettlng upwards, caught bim close to to wateillne of his high forepeak and burst in bis vitals. I saw instantly a great flash blaze up from his funnels as the high explosive smashed bis engines, boilers, and Ores Into scrap. He reared up and screamed exactly like a wounded animal. It sounded rather awfnl, though it was only tbe shriek of steam from the burst pipes; it made one feel'how very live a thing is a ship, how in Its splendid vitality it is, as Kipling says, more than the crew. He reared up and fell away to port, and two more of my shells bit him almost amidships and tore out his bottom plates like shredded paper. I could hear the rending crash or the explosions through my ear-protectors, and through the continuous roar of my own curtain fire. He rolled right over and was gone! He vanished so quickly that for a moment my shells flew screaming over an empty sea, and then I stopped the gunners. My battle had lasted for one minute and 40 seconds! 'But what about the torpedo?' you will ask. I never saw it, but the Officer of the Wntch told mc that it bad passed harmlessly more than 100 feet away from us."

The young artillery lieutenant describes the sequel with justifiable self-satisfac-tion:—

"What I most love about my battle is that it was fought so quickly that no one— and especially none of those tiresome folk colled superior officers—had any opportunity of kicking mc off the stage. I was On, rigbt in the Front, and 6tayed there till all was over. All was over, quite over, and my guns bad ceased firing before the Lord High Captain had fallen out of his bed in the Admiral's quarters—we do not run to an admiral—and, best of all, before my own chief of Blue Marines had any chance to snatch the control away from mc. He came charging up, red and furious,* while the air still shook with my curtain fire, and wanted to know what tbe devil I was playing at. 'I have sunk the enemy, sir,' I said, saluting. 'What enemy?' cried he; I never saw any-enemy!' 'He's gone, sir," said I. standing to attention. "I bit him with three C-lneh shells, and he Is very dead indeed.' 'It's all right, major,' called out the Oflicer of the Watch, laughing.. -This young Pongo here has been and gone and sunk one of Fritz's destroyers. He hurst her all to pieces in a manner most emphatic. I call it unkind. But he always was a heartless young beast.' Then tbe major, who is a very decent old fellow, cooled down, said I was a luc_y young dog, and received my official report. He carried it off to tbe Lord High Captain— whom tbe Navy people call the Owner— and the great man was so very kind as to speak'to mc himself. He said that I had done very well, and that he would make a note of my prompt attention to duty. These high naval officers have tbe most charming manners; they are much more agreeable to speak to than are even Lord High Pongos. I don't suppose that I shall ever again fight such a completely satisfying naval battle, for I am not likely to come across another one small enough to keep wholly to myself."