THE SUBMARINE PIRATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15948, 19 June 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SUBMARINE PIRATES.

ATTACKS UPON TRAWLERS.

BRUTAL GERMAN METHODS. - i • <■

NEUTRAL VESSELS SUNK.

The activity of German submarine pirate* continues, and details have been received fiorn England of many more outrages. The steam trawler Queenstown recently returned to Grimsby and landed the master and six of a crew of nine of the steam trawler St. Lawrence, which was sunk by A German submarine on the Dogger Bank.

An exciting story of the incident was furnished by Master J. Hines, of the St. Lawrence, who .said that he was trawling upon the Dogger Bank at ° 11.30, when he heard the report of a gun, followed almost instantly by an explosion in the vicinity of the trawler. Other reports and other explosions all round the ship followed, and it dawned upon him that the vessel was being shelled by some unseen foe. He gave orders for the gear to be got on board, and while the crew were hauling in he kept a sharp look-out. and eventually sighted a submarine running awash and' distant about two miles. ' The gear was got up, and the St Lawrence given full steam, but the submarine came along in pursuit at a high speed, firing all the while froi a gun mounted forward. Shells burst above ai d around tho trawler, and splinters trashed on the deck, but none of them stnek the ship direct. The submarine, however, overhauled the trawler rapidly, and a shell fired at less than 500 yards' range burst aft, and a fragment cut open the master's head. Forbidden to Rescue Comrades. "It seemed to clear then." said the master, 'so I ordered the chaps into the small boat. Seven of them got into her, but the third hand, William Hanson, and a deck hand, P. Dodgers, went down to the cabii to get their oilskins and sou'v esters. The submarine had got quite close now, and her commander waved us away from the trawler, while the gun's crew continued to bombard her at short range. We had to cut the. painter, and pull out of the way. Then Hanson and llodgers came on dcck, and I wanted to go and pick them up, but the Germans ordered us back ana menaced us with, guns, making it clear that they would sink the boat if ive proceeded further. "They continued firing at the trawler, and we shouted to the two men to put on lifebelts and jump overboard. They did so, but when we mado to pick them up the Germans again threatened us.

Explosives Placed Aboard.

" The continued firing didn't seem to - have much effect on the old St. Lawrence, and the submarine commander steered his ship alongside of her eventually. Here was my chance, to try and rescue the two . : v men. We pulled towards where we had ' seen them last, but when we got there . the •' lifebelts > were afloat empty. ' Apparently the exhausted men had , fallen from :v • .them,:and been drowned.. , 3 " - v'.. "Several of the Germans boarded the St.' Lawrence with explosives, and after y .; arranging a charge "and » fuse they exploded 1 it: on hoard, doing such damage • : that the ship foundered.:.' She sank _at • half-past' one, two 1 hours after the firing ' of the first shot." V • i . • The master of the • Queenstown stated ; that lie had been fishing in company with / the : St.; Lawrence : earlier in the day. Probaklv a mist on the water proved his : salvation, for they escaped attention from the Germans. :

Two Men Killed, Seven Wounded.

" : Two" men were killed and seven wounded "■ by an explosion which caused ; the Grimsby stsam trawler Becolo to founder in • the .. North Sea. • - > . ;• The Becolo had been at sea for a week, v and at two oclock one afternoon the fishermen were, working a last haul before stowing their.gear, and starting for home, - when there was a terrific explosion amid- - ships. Every • man •of the nine on board : was ; injured • by it, while half of- the trawler's side was torn away, ;The. engineroom was .wrecked,v; and the second ; engineer, Fred. Smith, who was on duty " • ' there, was killed instantly. .-"VWater poured in through; the ..hole: in the .ship's hull, and she began to settle down. : . " Master Gladwell ordered the crew aft to launch-tie boat. ■. The task was; m- ■ dered more i difficult - by the condition of the men, not one of whom but had gaping wounds in cither head, face, or - chest, ■ " caused by fragments of metal which struck them after the explosion. , The boat, however, was pot afloat, and into it the least; ' * V injured helped their suffering comrades ($-. yi just as the trawler sunk. ' , ... ' Norwegian Vessels Sunk. I '* j

'V" The crews of two Norwegian vessels v y arrived at Burntisland on the_ Danish ' steamer Anna, both vessels having been . -.'fired upon by a German submarine. The . vessels are Oscar, barque, of Fredrikstad, , and' Eva, Norwegian barque. When about ' 170 miles' north-east •of the Longstone, v the submarine came, first alongside the ■ ■ , Eva, and demanded production of ( the ' , ship's papers. 1 The Oscar was next visited, '. '''■ and a similar demand made. Both crews • were given 10 minutes to leave the vessels, and the Anna' was stopped by the submarine and ordered to take" the crews on board. " Both the * captains agree that 10 or 12 shots were fired at the vessels, ' which began to sink. The captain of the Oscar -thinks his vessel would sink, 200 I 'tons Stone ballast being in the hold. The V' Eva, when last seen, was settling down, and smoke issuing. Both vessels were V\ loaded with pit props, and bound for a '* Firth of Forth port. The Danish steamer. Nadaros, which was ; arrested by the Germans while on a voy•age from Aarhus to Grimsby with dairy produce,, and was subsequently released, Vr. arrived at Grimsby safely. • ■ " ' The submarine U3B, which stopped the >' »■ Nidarosj is a vessel of the newest design. Her commander ordered Captain Goth•v. aidt. of the Nidaros, to throw overboard ' the food intended for England. "It you don't, I'll torpedo the ship," he said. The Danish captain flatly refused to obey the I. order, and defied the German to sink the 'f ■ vessel. Eventual!v, instead of doing so, the Germans aiTested her. They demanded to be supplied with food from theNi- " daros* cargo. The captain let them have *' one barrel of butter; but got a receipt for it, and said he should expect payment.