DUEL ON THE LONE SEA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2309, 17 November 1914, Page 6

DUEL ON THE LONE SEA

- CARMANIA'S FIGHT WITH CAP TRAFALGAR HOW THE CERMANWENT DOWN. The following account of the action between tho armed merchantmen Car2iaina and Cap Trafalgar; in which the latter was sunk, is given in a letter written by-ono of tho men of the Car.mania to liis wife: — H.M.S. Carmanla, Cibraltar, Sept. 29. We left Liverpool on August 15, went round the British Isles, and sailed to tiio westward. Somo days later we had Righted land ahead/ and wore sitting down to dinner Iwhen /'action" sounde a ofE. As it was a usual thing on sighting a ship to sound off we thought it was tho usuai turn-out. However, we got to tho guns and then began to look for tho ship. We saw straight ahead of us a • large liner something like ourselves, but better looking. Sho had a collier each. 6ido of her coaling. On seeing us she evidently cast the colliers off, for they took different directions, sho going ahead. Wo thought she was trying to got away, but after she was well clear of the colliers she turned brcadeide on to us and waited. Our captain ordored a gun to be fired, but to. bo careful not to hit iior. This vas done, and immediately the shot left the gun she replied with a'whole broadsido surprising However, there it was. It was her or us, 60 we immediately started pasting her, sho in return sending her shot, which was uncomfortably close, right over, us while vve .wore putting ours into her water'line .with good effect. Howover, 6he began to get our range and let us have it hot ana strong. For the first quarter of an hour ehe was-firing four or five shots to our one, not including her pom-poms. Our Wptain had his wits about him, and manoeuvred the.sbip, which is a huge one, so that she always presented a much ' smaller target—that is,' bow or etern on. By this method he was able to get tho four' foremost guns in action at once, and when stern on the four aft guns. After about twouty-nvo minutes there was only one ship in it, and that wa6 not her. Sho broke out in flames forward, mid tho fire seemed to. spread like lightning. Smolco was coming from her from end to end. She, howover, continued firing, although wo noticed eho wa3 not firing so many guns.

-. .About this time she decided to-i run. away,, but this was.useless, as she had ■ taken a slight .list to etarboard iri the ifirst;quarter of an-hour, and. this had .corffinued to increase. . Consequently,, ;wheri ~ she decided , ,to ; run ; she : could, hardly budge. The list continued," and: we ■:■ etill"■;:■ kept: Ton, - showing no ■mercy.v" .It was then noticeable that only, one gun.: was ..firing, : "the starboard ;. aft-er/''.; The ; list - lad -increased to. such ah'-', extent -by this'time that,she seenied.as if 'die was going. to turn'turtle. We Jiad practical-' lyi-ceased- firing by.now, L -watching her, :when the:gun-layer at.the starbo'ardafi gun must have elevated, his .gun'and jfired; at :-us in; his last effort,Vfpr;,-we' saw thejgun flash, "and ' the projectiles dropped about what -appeared to us 20 yards'ffdmhis own ship, but I expect it was three or .four hundred yards. She theii began to settle—you could see her prop'ellors. _ '■■':■ ■'■'.■ ' '-■■'''■'■' '• . '■•-'■"' ' The captain, seeing that she had not hauled, down , her flag, ordered' three rounds to• be : fired_ into her, -which' -was done on-the port side. She then gradually heaved over, until you could, see right in her funnels, which were;level .-with the water. There ivas then a.sort 'of an explosion, and her bows disappeared, bringing .her stern oivfc of the water; Then , there seemed,a. second oxplosion,- ■ ?jid_she.disappeared altogether,' leaving ' five i^boats; full, which' -were picked up iby one of "the colliers. *.' ■<"'■'■ Before we went into action the Germans sent out -wireless .that she; was; engaging'a ißritisK 'cruiser, 'aid' later' just as "the engagement had .terminated a. wireless in German was picked up on board, and as it was from a warship it was: deemed advisable to run, as weJiad Tipt escaped ■soathless. :. . Wβ 'then ran as hard as ■Wβ could that is not a' snail's pacs—-for the whole day, and again the next .day, until W|9 were picked up by onejof-flur cruisers, who 'escorted' uspart of the way here. ■.- .' . •" ■•' ■'.'■ I expect .we will Temain here for a ;Week or,-ten days to refit, Jor the Gei> mans;;got v 73 direct bits, which made ■380/h'ples,so wehave a bit to patch up. ■We only had two serious-shots in'our sido,aiid she is 675 ft .: long and . 60ft.^put of the water, ■so can .tell that" oh ;tte whole her very •poor. ; .r ; am thankful; it : was,; fpiv.if we: had'beeh-in, her. place we should have ■bee'rt unab]e to have got away inboats, as there was not a sound one aboard of us.- Every blessed ono had, been riddled. ,We opened'fire at 9000. yards and got as close as' 3200 yards, and finished up at 9600,-i-and: we -fired 417 rounds, : the actipnvtalcing one and a half hours from : start - to , 'finish.'.'.-, ■ , ' . '■:■'■■:■■

. I have just read-a message to the effect that-a collier had landed at Buenos iA.yr.es 279.officers:arid seamen from the Cap Trafalgar, which was sunk' by a British cruiser (that's us), most of .them seriously wounded, so I: don't know how many'went down bri her. >However, 'it was her;and. us and the prestige., of British shooting and, honour was at stake. -. ..'. -. .'. .■.'.'•"

MISCELLANEOUS

Tp: PASS THE WEARY HOURS,

:' '■/■_'■'.'.. (Rec. November 16, 5.15 p.m.) ■■".'"■ '.'"■';'.; London, November 15. , ■The British marines who aro interned ■ in Holland have subscribed for' ibhe pur- >. chase: of a, kincniatograph. for their '■ nightly amusement.—("Times" '; -and •. Sydney ''Sun" Services.) . . . : -. ; .' -' CHRISTMAS GIFIS FOR. CHILDREN .- IN EUROPE. .: (Rec. November J6, 7.15 p.m.) :. !-,:..:: .Washington,.November 14.'.: : :, The steamer Jason, laden.with Christ?' '. mas gifts for the children of all the ,-.;■.: belligerent countries, has been dis- : patched to Europe. American children . subscribed the entire cost of the ship-:.-,'merit -.'.;. • ■ 'gEEIIAN SEWING MACHINE . ;• ':■■-•■■< TRADE. (Rec. November 16, *7.35 p.m.) '.■;■■ -London, November. 15. The Vickers , Company is erecting a ■ fa'ctpry to capture the German sewing : machine trade. ■■.-..- .'. ... .. •HOW GERMANS DISCIPLINED THE ; V-".v ■ --NATIVES. • Sydney ( November 16. The "Sydney Morning.Herald's" Raoaul .correspondent writes: —The Germans used," too much cruelty in keeping ..'■ the' niggers in subjection. Toes cut oft for trivial-offences represent acts which are abhorrent to the English mind. Some, of the Germans were haled before a naval officer for ill-treating.tho natives OUR- NEW TERRITORY. Melbourne, November 16. Tho Wilhelmshaven (New Britain) wucless station is open for public communications, via Port Moresby GERMAN INTRIGUES AND THE POPE London,. November 15. Germans in Konio are working hard to infliienco the Pope, but judging by (heir ile\ectod appearance after their into, urns the results have- boon unsatiefacloij. •