DANGEROUS WATERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20958, 22 August 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

DANGEROUS WATERS.

DARK DAYS OF THE WAR. MAURETANIA DOES HER " BIT." WORK AS AUXILIARY 1 CRUISER. The experiences of the Cunard steamer Mauretania in the days of the Great War are told by Sir Arthur Rostron, late commodore of tho Cunard line, in one ojffis articles in the Sunday Express. The Mauretania was commissioned and armed as an auxiliary cruiser in 1918. Her first voyage" was made to New "York, and it was a record—of slowness. She took over eight days to make the pas. sage. , Sir Arthur Rostron says:—"Prom the time we left our escort of destroyers off the north-west of Ireland we experienced a series of westerly gales, with tremendous seas, which delayed us. Before we moored in New York, indeed, we had an attack of what is known as ' coal fever.' " The Mauretania at that time was fueled with coal, and, naturally enough, theie is little room to spare for much more than the necessary quantity to makctho crossing. On this being half as long igain as usual on tho trip, we were down to '.he dregs, and when we were at last puttir»g into port the stokers were scraping the bunkers for. sufficient power to finish the journey. " My ship in all conveyed about 35,C00 United States uoops, including the last uniformed men to leave tho United States. Wo also landed the first to return after tho armistice. Feeding the Troops on Board. ■" You may wonder htw we handled so great a number, for on each voyage there were more than 5000 officers and men, as well as the ship's company of 992, making five times the usual quota of peace-time passengers. Well, we could feed the lot in three-quarters of an' hour. I had fixed eighteen cafeterias in Various parts of the ship which, in a way, were like quick-lunch counters in America. The men passed along in line with their plates and mugs, and these were filled as each one passed the service window almost without a moment's pause. " I have often been asked how these Americans behaved—and the question sometimes has carried a sort of expectation that my reply would bring a shrug of tolerant criticism. My answer' is that I could not have had a better lot of men on board. They wanted to ' get at' the enemy, to finish the job oft. " I remember the men' 6 excitement during a glimpse--we had of an enemy submarine—their first actual peep at the real thing. We were fired at, but fog closed in and the submarine submerged before we could bring our guns to bear. " There was another occasion which brought a genuine thrill off the south coast of Ireland. We had been picked up by our destroyer escort," and consequently any attack lost something of the potentialities of disaster likely in mid-Ocean. All the same, every one, I dare swear, gave a little breathless pause as a heavy jolt seemed to strike the ship. Tha tremor obviously came from under water. But it was not a ' tin dish,' as we termed a torpedo : it turned out to be the exploding of a depth charge dropped by one of the destroyers that had traced a layer of surface oil. Mystery of the " Tuber Hose." " By the way, we were not officially known as the Mauretania at that time! Not that I was informed of the fact. The knowledge came to me in a remarkable manner. We were lying alongside the Liverpool landing stage after one voyage, embarking our passengers for New York, when a naval warrant officer —a special messenger—brought me a service letter from the senior naval officer of the port. It was addressed: 'The Commanding Officer, H.M.S. Tuber Rose.' " I looked at the envelope and said, ' This isn't for me; you've made a mistake.' " ' I think it's for you, sir,' he answered obviously a trifle shy of contradicting me. " ' One of the other ships here, no doubt,' I said, waving- a hand at several that were near the stage. "' I am sure it's for you, sir,' he urged. " I had a feeling that he knew he was right, but did not like being too insistent in correcting me, so in the end I accepted it, gave a receipt, and opened it. It was for me all right. *' The Mauretania was the 'Tuber Rose.' That was the first time I knew the secret camouflage name of my ship—or that such a name even existed. Why the secrecy toward me? What was the use of my being kept in the dark? It might have led to all manner of inconveniences and misundertand ings." Speaking of faith, Sir Arthur says:— " It was not fear that caused me to stand a moment silent beside my cabin desk in those dark days of war when we were setting out across dangerous waters. That moment of communion was both thanks and commitment of the future, and it stimulated one for whatever lay ahead."