U-BOAT EXPLOITS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 130, 1 June 1917, Page 7

U-BOAT EXPLOITS

TALES

SUBMARINES DISGUISED,

LONDON, 3rd May.

American citizens landed during the last few days from vessels which had been sunk by German submarines tell remarkable tales of the strenuous exploits of the U-boats. In one case three under-sea boats appeared simultaneously alongside the ship, one being a submarine cruiser 300 feet long and the others old-fashioned submarines with a, length of about 120 feet.'

In another case a submarine wore an elaborate disguise of a fishing boat. This submarine carried a gun which had a range of nearly five miles. In at least two cases the crews of vessels sunk by submarines were rescued from open boats by a passing ship, only to suffer a repetition of the disaster when the ship on which they had taken refuge fell prey to an under-water boat. A seaman from Pensacola, who was one of the crew of a Swedish sailing vessel, said:-^

"We were almost within sight of land late in the afternoon when we observed a Norwegian sailing vessel in an encounter with a submarine eight miles away. Apprehending that our tnrn would corns next, we prepared a lifeboat. A 3Q(Moot submarine came vp to us in due course, and fired three warn* ing shots from its heavy gun. We pulled our boat over to the lifeboat from the Norwegian ship previously sunk, and twelve hours later were picked up by a British steamer. We had only a brief stay on the British boat, as "she was torpedoed the same morning. After a few hours in the boats we were found by 4 British patrol and landed." A Baltimore seaman from a D*nish vessel said :—"We abandoned the ship in response to three shots from a submarine. -Thereupon the submarine fired 22 shots into the hull of the ship, sinking her. We tried to speak with the submarine commander, but ho told us he was in a hurry, as he had to attend to a Norwegian barque whicrt was waiting a short distance off. ' We pulled for the nearest land, and all our twenty-five men got ashore safely, although both lifeboats were badly smashed np i n the surf as we were beaching them."

A Philadelphian described the manner in which bis steamer escaped being sunk. "We were attacked by a submarine disguised as a fishing vessel," he paid, " She opened fire on us at five miles, sending fifteen shots at us, and smashing our wireless. She pursued us for an hour. We did not use our gun. Finally a British patrol boat appeared. The sul> marine submerged, disguise and all, presenting a ludicrous sight as the carefully prepared equipment, simulating a fish-ing-boat, sank beneath the waves."

The captain of an American sailing ship which was sunk ten days ago said:

''Submarines are lying along the aea lanes in regular nests, They keep well under the water roost of the time, coming up now and then for perisoopic observations, or on hearing the approach of merchant craft, which often can be identified readily by the sound of the engines. By thus conserving fuel the submarines are able to remain away from their base a long time, and also they find means of renewing their stores from ships which they sink.

" The U-boat which sank us had been out for six weeks. She had one British captain on board. She renewed all her supplies from our boat and took all the nautical instruments. The submarine gave us a sharp signal to halt with a shell from a distance of two miles. It was good markmanship. The shot hit the ship squarely, but caused no casualties. We stopped and took to the boats. The submarine came up in leisurely fashion, sank the ship with bombs and passed tho time of day with our boats. She had a crew of 37, and was 250 ft long. ." We were picked up by a Norwegian sailing vessel, on which we spent six days. She. w. as. then aH-acped. by a 120----foot submarine. We all took to the, Norwegian's boats. The submarine commander declined to look at the Norwegian captain's papers. We had another twenty-four hours in open heats, and then were picked up by a British patrol and landed."