LOSS OF THE HAWKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15768, 17 November 1914, Page 9

LOSS OF THE HAWKE.

SINKS IN FIVE MINUTES. IRISH.MEWS CALM COURAGE. The attack on the British cruiser Hsuvke, vim h was sunk by a (ierman submarine on (he (by that the British sank four German destroyers by gun fire, came as a great surprise to those aboard the ship. Nothing wjg .-•■...., In indicate the presence. m ,i submarine until after Lin' explosion, when the pcrisrope. of the boat was de-l-ted riKiviiiSf away at some distance. 'I lie H.r,\ke sank in five minutes, and bnndr-d? of men. some of them in cork j.i'kets and others hanging to pie: of " .1. kage wen? scattered about in the Water. "I '•' i J "ii the forenoon watch," said on.' of the ."inker*, " and we were enjoy- "'■' "ni'srlveu, Someone was ringing mid tile otlieis had joined in the chorus when fhe Hauke was struck. The ship vibrator] \iiilcntiy and immediately started to heel ever. When I reached the deck the raptam Hits calling, ' It's everybody for himFelt ' " ! jumped overboard and managed to t>f-p afloat, although the water win hit - terly cold, until jinked up by the only 1m....i that there was time to launch. For n t.me we rowed about picking up men, but the bunt wa.s .won overcrowded, and l.ey.md throwing lifebelts to the men in! th" w.i|i i . we could do nothing more. A • N< i"' f.-i in steamer came u]> and picked up a few men, but for the majority she '''- '1.., hie. Due man evidently was suf bung severely and kept repeating 'all my ! p.'U aie (.'one'.' " _ | Another survivor said: The torpedo mi!-' have struck the magazine, fur there v ■.'!" a teirili' explosion and the ship J"-|' as it she had ijone mi a rock. Kvrrvli in.; was destruction arid the fittings went i lb :ng . verhnanl. Boats and rafts were! rendered useless, even if there had been time In launch them. The submarine hung around in- snoie time, probably expecting that there might be a repetition of the Al.r.iikir, Hngiie, and Creasy affair, but the;,, v >s nothing of the kind possible. A great number of men must have been il.ifl by I he explosion." I ■'" tn.-n of the engineroom staff of th" Hawke said that the torpedo found lis inaik between the two funnels, close to 'ii- of |],rt magazines. The explosion was terrible The ship listed immediately. ' hey had never seen a vessel so equipped with a life saving apparatus, but, the way tin- llawke heeled over made it almost impnssdii.- In eel the small boats out. A .-in. ill . ntl<r was launched, but was "eaily drawn down by the suction. A small steam pinnace and a raft prepared 'or Midi emeigencies floated off when the llawke .ml;, lint the men crowded them bo that the pinnae* went down while those on the raft could not possibly survive owing to the cold. " We never saw the submarine," said one man. "until after the explosion where something like a broomstick appeared over th'i water Tie new was composed for the most part of Irishmen, owing to the fact that the Hawke was stationed at Queenstown at the i.lit break of the war. Still another survivor said it was impossible to man the, guns owing to the Deary list, though an attempt was made to do so. The captain, commander, and * midshipman were on the bridgo giving orders as calmly as if at fleet manoeuvres. ii They disappeared when the ship took her ;. v final plunge. <14--''