SUBMARINE'S PATE

Evening Star, Issue 16909, 5 December 1918, Page 2

SUBMARINE'S PATE

SUNK BY A MERCHANT SHIP. By liis. very prompt action in altering his course the captain of a merchantman not only saved his ship bub inflicted what was probably very serious damage on a submarine—if, indeed, sh-o was not entirely destroyed. The enemy's periscope was sighted ((iKta close on the starboard bow, and at the s:ini'j time the track of a torpedo vrv.a seen. It waa coming straight for him, so the captain put his helm over, and as the ship swung round the torpedo passed 10 yard.3 ahead. A moment later thero was a crash as the bows of the steamer struck the submarine. What happened after that is doubtful, for the submarine never came to the surface again, but a great disturbance of the water marked the positron where the. collision had occurred. This is described by ono of the gun's crew: " I was on watch on the gun platform, 1 ' ho said, "and observed the 'feather' of a periscope. I"shouted to the captain: 'Periscope on the starboard bow.' Almost immediately afterwards the ship struck the submarine-. The was very plainly felt on the gun platform. Looking' astern I observed n great disturbance in the water 150 yards away and clear of the wake of the ship. Tho water waa bubbling' and boiling tip. Thero were a great many bubbles, and I saw a number of pieces of dark brown wood." Another of the gun's crow saw the- disturbance in tho iv-ater, " as if a submarine ware trying to break surface," and in the midst of" it pieces of wood that looked like broken' furniture. Such was the force of the impuct that tho officer on watch on xAio engine room platform declared that had he not been holding on at the time he would have been thrown down. Subsequently wlnjn the vessel was drydocked bits of metal, quite distinct from her plates, were found to be adhering to her bow 3.