SEA MURDERER'S END

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 288, 24 August 1918, Page 6

SEA MURDERER'S END

FRIEND OF KAISER'S BROTHER. Particulars are Available of the fate o£ UC39, a ne« _ German mine-laying sub. marine, alter she had piled up the list of Hun crimes.- She was commanded by Otto Ehrentrau,t, a personal friend of Prince Henry ol', Prussia, the Kaiser's brother, and a.-frequent visitor to the castle, of Kiel, where ; lie-was a favourite, On one occasion when Ehrentraut was leaving Kiel Princess Henry went to the pier to wish the boat bon voyage. This U-boat's, last crime was the sink, ing of the Norwegian steamhip Ida. The Ida stopped immediately after the Ger. man's first round, bat "the Huns continued. firing under the orders of Ehrentraut. When tho gunlayer taw that tha ship had stopped and that he bad obtained several hits lie asked if lie should cease firing. He was told by Ehrentraut to. carry' on. When UC39 ceased fire one of the Ida's boats went alongside the submarine and said that two wound-) ed had been left oil board. The U-boat sublieutenant and three men wero sent on board and found the mate and a steward lying,dead on the deck. The Ida, was then sunk by, bombs and the two bodies were left lying on the deck, with less regard than is usually paid k a dead dog. |

A little inter-UC39 opened fire on another steamea', but her fire was almost immediately answered from a British destroyer. UC3!) dived, but a depth charge shook her so much (hat water poured into her comiing-tower and control-room, causing a panic among the crew. She cose sharply. The destroyer raked her. Ekrcntraut climbed out of the conning, tower hatch. 1 Ho was about to surrender when he was killed by a shell. The engineer and sub-lieutenant were nest on deck. The former was immediately wounded. The U-boat was still making speed 011 the surface and the destroyer continued to fire. Three of the orew jumped overboat and were' drowned. Three others on the deck were killed by gunfire and several were wounded. The destroyer hailed the U-boat by megaphone to stop. This she did and firing censed. Seventeen survivors were taken off toy the destroyer. A British shipmaster and chief engineer were also rescued from her.