HUGE LINER SUNK

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 14017, 21 October 1918, Page 7

HUGE LINER SUNK

GUNNERS TIGHT IT-BOAT FLOTILLA. HUN CREW CAPTURED. The third largest liner the Justicia, 32,000 tons, was sunk close to the Northern Irish coast on Saturday. July 20 (says the London Daily Mail), after one of the most extraordinary sea fights of the war. Once more gunners and crew behaved with great valour. The Justicia was being built at Belfast when the war broke out by Messrs Harland and Wolff. Called the Statendam, she was intended for the HollandAmerika line, but she was completed for the Admiralty last year and was being worked by the White Star Line as a transport. She was outward bound and had no troops. Of a crew of about 500, 11 were killed. The German attack was systematic. From 3 to 8 U-boats are mentioned as having taken part. The fight began at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and lasted intermittently until Saturday morning. The vessel sank at 1 p.m. after 9 torpedoes had been discharged. The first torpedo was seen coming on Friday afternoon. The gunners were at their stations but could not prevent it from striking. It crashed through into the engine-room, where an engineer officer and .10 others were killed. The liner quivered, stopped dead, and took a slight list. Destroyers which accompanied her raced to attack the enemy and dropped many depth charges, while patrol boats stood by the liner and a naval tug took her in tow. DEAD SHOT AT TORPEDO. At about 5 p.m. the second and third torpedoes were fired., but both missed, one passing ahead and the other aft. About two hours later a fourth was seen coming. When it got close a gunner in the Justicia fired and, with extraordinary aim, hit it clean. It exploded without further hurt to the ship. All was quiet till about .10 p.m., when a fifth torpedo was sighted. The gunners fired immediately, placing shots so near that it was deflected and missed. Most of the crew had by this time been tranferred to other ships, which remained near the liner all night. - On Saturday morning the Justicia was well on her way to port, but towards 8 a.m. the gunners were again hard at work. A sixth and seventh torpedo went past. Two hours later a submarine dared all, emerged in the midst of the convoy and fired an eighth and a ninth. One struck forward and the other aft. The crew of the submarine was captured, but the blow had been fatal. The rest of the liner's crew were got safely away, and shortly before 1 p.m. she. went down by the stern. The Justicia had the strongest double-bottom of any liner built, 11 water-tight bulkheads, 9 decks, 3 funnels., 3 propcllors;.she could carry 3000 passengers. The first-class accomodation had several marble staircases. Her length was 770 feet and her beam 86 feet.