Captain’s Adventure

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 43, 21 February 1936, Page 12

Captain’s Adventure

CAPTIVE IN U. BOAT YEARS IN A PRISON CAMP Ouo of the most thrilling sea adventures of all tirno was experienced by Captain Cartwright, master of the Federal Company’s 8000-ton City of Dieppe, which is at present unloading at Wellington a cargo of motor-cars from Now York. Skippers generally aro modest men and little given to talking, especially when there is work to bo done. Such a tale Captain Cartwright could tell that London publishers probably would pay him royalties in advance for the undertaking. But Captain Cartwright is a modest man and all the persuasive powers of a reporter were exercised in vain so far as gaining the full story of a certain torpedo-submarino drama, concluding after several years’ coniinement in a German prison with t.ho witnessing of a bloody rebellion on the part of German soldiers. Captain Cartwright, was located in the offices of his company. A big, broad man about sixty yca'rs of age, yet with scarcely any grey among his line golden hair, he impressed as being bluff and businesslike. ‘‘How do you do? What can I do for you?” asked the skipper. ‘‘l should like to hear the story of your sea adventure and your experiences in a German prison camp during the war.” “It’s too late in the day for that. Why, that was years ago! Anyway, what do you know about it?” parried the skipper. Skipper Puzzled Informed that the story had been heard about when the City of Dieppe was sailing from Auckland for Wellington, Captain Cartwright was puzzled more than ever. ‘‘l never mentioned it to anybody in Auckland,” ho said. ‘‘l’m afraid it’s too late in the day now. Besides there’s no interest in war. People want peace now and don’t want to hear about war.” The captain seemed to be thinking of other days for several moments and then turned his attention to the issue. ‘‘No, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be giving anything for publication. Besides, it’s a long story,” added the captain. ‘‘This,” continued the reporter, ‘‘is all I have heard of .the experiences you had. Would you allow me?” The captain made no objection, so the interviewer continued. ‘‘You were second in command on a vessel which was commandered for troopship service during the war. The captain became ill and you assumed command just before the troopship sailed on its last voyage. ‘‘When about to enter an Italian port the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine and went down in halves,” continued the interviewer. The captain was listening attentively. ‘‘The engine-room officers and staff were ail lost. You and some of the crew managed to get. away iu a boat. Suddenly a U-boat appeared and the German commander called for .the captain. When you made no response the German threatened to sink the lifeboats. You thereupon accepted the inevitable and surrendered. Torpedo Boats Attack ‘‘You were ordered aboard the submarine and proceeded below. The manhole was closed and the submarine quickly began to submerge. It was just in time, because iu the same interval a Japanese destroyer and two British torpedo boats opened lire on the U-boat. ‘‘A terrible ordeal then followed. The attacking vessels dropped series of depth charges in such close proximity to the U-boat that it was rocked and shaken bodly by tho explosions. That mado her very difficult to handle. She sank rapidly—down, down, down. It was an agonising experience. For several hours tho exaaustcd crew were literally gasping for breath and, in spite of tho release of oxygen supplies, the very walls began to ‘sweat.’ After a great struggle against tho weight of water, the U-boat reached tho surfaeo ten hours after being crippled by the depth charges. ‘‘With the others, you reached Germany and spent the rest of the time in German prison camps, existing on a diet consisting of little moro than one loaf of black bread a week. You saw something also of the rebellion of German soldiers, including the shooting of several officers. It must have been a great adventure, captain!” “How on earth did you get that?” exclaimed the captain. The interviewer explained that he had been informed that that was tho gist of the story Captain Cartwright could tell. Tho captain declared that ho had never written a book about his experiences and that he had never heard of his experiences having been published. Like a man who wished to forget what the interviewer wished him to recollect, the captain gave his linal dictum: “No, I’m afraid I wouldn’t tell the story for publication now.”