SINKING OF THE PRIZE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 246, 29 September 1934, Page 6

SINKING OF THE PRIZE

“First Authentic Account”

A FAMOUS AUCKLANDER What is stated to be the first authentic account of the destruction of HALS. Prize, the mystery ship commanded in the Great War by the famous Auckland Victoria Cross winner, the late Lieutenant - Commander W. E. Sanders, R.N.R., is contained in the Dolphin and Guild Gazette, the official journal of the Imperial Merchant Service Guild. The story is told by Captain W. M. Williams, who was a captive on the German submarine U. 8.48, which had sunk his own ship, the Roanoke, on August 12, 1917. “The following day,” states Captain Williams, “being the only prisoner on board, 1 was given permission to go up on the conning tower, and about noon a sailing vessel was sighted far off on the southern horizon, about 100 miles west of the western coast of Ireland, the day being fine and clear, with a light breeze. The Germans took this vessel to be an American, and were pleased at having picked up an easy victim.

“On approaching io within four or five miles off 1 was ordered below and shortly afterwards the Germans opened tire and continued for 15 or 20 minutes while approaching, the masts and spars being badly damaged. Satisfied with this, the U boat then dived under and had passed to the southward of his victim before ho brought Ins periscope to the surface, at a distance of about a mile away. “THEN THE COMMOTION STARTED.” “The victim was found to be an iron three-masted topsalt schooner, flying the Swedish flag. It was then seen that the crew had abandoned ship and were in a boat about half a milo away. Believing that the schooner was abandoned, the U boat broke surface and approached broadside on to the schooner. Then the commotion started; the White Ensign was broken at the peak and both vessels opened lire at the sumo tune, great panic being caused among the Get mans. “1 anticipated that the U boat, its warriors and at least myself, were done lor, so kept waiting with a stiff upper lip, and felt 1 did not care how soon it came. That, however, had not to be; the commander soon realised the danger he was in, and decided that diving was the best action he could take and, indeed, from the time the alarm was given only a few seconds had elapsed before he had his boat under water in safety, and in order to try to deceive his enemy he at once ordered oil to be pumped out. ONLY TWO HITS MADE. “When the excitement was over and the crew, among whom, and the torpedoes, 1 had to make my quarters, had somewhat calmed down, I was given a description of all that had happened, Realising then that the schooner was a mystery ship and that the boat contained the panic party, and having knowledge of their tactics, it will always remain a mystery to me how the U boat escaped so easily, because 1 could hear the schooner’s guns booming at a very close range. “Only’ two hits were made, one taking away the flagstaff on the routining tower, the other clean through a strengthening angle bar fixed in a fore and aft line and flush with the deck. Thf.fj hit was made forward, and at a later date when I had the opportunity 1 took close notice of the damag • caused.

“I found that, had the shell struck three inches lower it could not have missed the pile of torpedoes that were stowed directly beneath, among which I was not politely told to be out of the way during the action. I was later approached by the commander, who was in a violent temper, and vowed vengeance on me as well as my countrymen in the schooner, a thing, he said, ‘too dangerous for others of my countrymen to be left afloat.’ WARNING IMPOSSIBLE. “During the evening the submarine being on the surface, 1 was again given permission to go on the conning tower, and from where 1 stood I could steal a glance at the compass just below. At a good distance away I could see the schooner heading to the south-east, the submarine following at a very safe distance; again, in passing through the officers’ quarters to go to my own luxurious ones, I a glance at a chart on the table, on which the ship’s position and course were marked, and found we were heading toward Cape Clear.

“Within a few minutets of midnight ‘action stations' was ordered; then I realised that an attack upon my fellowmen was about to take place. Thought of this and the feelings I had can bet ter be imagined than described. If it was only in my power to give them one word of warning! But I could do nothing but. stand by and watch the hateful operation, tortured with the thought of the destruction that was so soon to take place. THE FATAL TORPEDO. “It was close upon midnight when the torpedo was fired at the schooner’s broadside, at very short range; so near. I was told afterwards, that they could see the man steering, and he only, without any other sign of life aboard. 'The torpedo made a hit 3(1 seconds after it was fired, with a loud explosion which everyone listened for, and which unfortunately I heard myself too loud and distinct. It was described to me that, after the massive flames as the result, nothing more was seen of the vessel, not even a scrap of wreckage, owing, 1 suppose, to the blackness of the night. “The submarine, however, cruised in that vicinity during the night, expecting, as I learned, to pick up some object or document of vlauable information that might be floating about from the sunken vessel. All that was found was a man’s body with its lifebelt on, which was taken on board, searched, and thrown over again; also a long, narrow teakwood box marked in white block letters, ‘Gun sighting.’ I stared at that box for days; it was the only thing visible to me that was not German. ’ ’