CONVOY ATTACKED.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 115, 21 May 1918, Page 6

CONVOY ATTACKED.

J SUBMARINE FRUSTRATED.

NEW YORK, May 4

4rhe sCommittee of Public Informationhas received the following message from, the London office:— Veritably Ulfibthered J>y * barrage of depth charges the first -German submarine «&t succeeded in getting inside intor■nation of the United States troop conwv bound for France gave up the onise. SA dozen depth bonihs were dropped ou her track in a few minutes. The loaded troopships were under a destroyer escort at the time. One troopship signalled "submarine sighted; From the middle position a troopship opened fire to port. Instantly destroyers turned simultaneously and cfearged full ispeed abreast of eacn otner upon the ;spot where the submarine was sighted. They fell astern • -■transport, which signalled that a periscope had twice popped up and disappeared. The first destroyers oyer tie point indicated dropped a string of. depth charges. The next followed ■bit, as did a- third and all the rest, •while more were launched by destroyers following behind the convoy to note th* resuJt?. The results were not Positive. owing to th e water being greatlv disturbed, but it was much discoloured and streaked with oil, whicn •was partly from the destroyers. Tne attempted* attack had been thoroughly and quickly frustrated. AMERICANS IN THE AIR. NEW YORK, May 6. ; -" The Committee of Public Infomation ] has received the following message from ■te /London o&ce -.—The American iNavy U Snakiiur tfie same fine record in the j air as by its destroyers and patrols in European waters. Two recent attacks opon submarines by -Americans "• British seaplanes wo n official commendation- An ensign in the Naval Reserve, attached to the avia'tion service reports as follows:—"With a British observer I left for patro? work m a Bntasfi seaplane. Half an hour later Ij aighted a periscope directly ahead, lj Iftimedialtely opened my engine full and , attacked, dropping a bomb which land-; md a few feet ahead of the periscope. Great quantities of air bubbles came te the surface of the water after a moWent. The surrounding water began fe .boil. I turned and attacked again.. Ths time dropped a bomb twice the •fee of the first. It landed near the centre of the first disturbance A mass of oil appeared on the surface, the debris left by the bomb lt»%lf. The second disturbance contained for some time. I flew in a circle for two hours before returning -o the case, warning merchant ships near fcy." The British Admiralty forward «d the report to Admiral Sims, and stated that it .believed that *the sub marine -was damaged. It expressed auipreeiatijon .-of the American officer's action. Sometimes exasperating luck enters into the matter. For example, another Naval Reserve airman reports as foi£}WS; —"Flying from a British base in *'seaplane, we sighted an enemy submarine of a very large on the •nrface. I dropped two bombs. 'One fell lOf't astern, the other the same distance ahead. Turning, I loosed a •third bomb, which landed directly on deck, but failed to explode. The sub marine dived immediately." .-•■'■ American naval flyers are not limited •£o sea activities. A lieutenant in the United State Navy joined a British tombing squadro n in the Dunkirk area ter flying service in Italian waters. f*JBLe repeatedly penetrated the enemy's air barrage over Flanders' aerodromes Skd took part in a bombing exploit in a"' great battle which began on March 2JL The mnchine was repeatedly hit "•'it." a raid over Zeebrugge. One wing Md part of the rudder "was sTiofc away, 6nt he several times drove away macliines which were attacking him at ("close quarter"-.