Q-SHIP THRILLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22398, 20 October 1934, Page 22

Q-SHIP THRILLS

FIGHT WHEN BECALMED THREE ENEMY SUBMARINES | NEW ZEALAND CAPTAIN’S STORY ; A war-time story of bow' a British mystery ship lay becalmed while three enemy submarines pounded her with shells was told to a representative of the New Zealand Herald by Captain A. D. Blair, of Dunedin, who is visiting Auckland. The ship was the brigantine Helgoland, and Captain Blair, then a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, I was in command. His navigator was Lieutenant-commander W. E. Sanders, the Aucklander who subsequently won the Victoria Cross and whose exploits when in charge of the mystery ship Prize won him undying fame. Captain Blair said he took over the Helgoland at Liverpool about the middle of 1916. The ship was a brigantine of about 200 tons. , She carried no engines or wireless. They proceeded to Falmouth, where the vessel was fitted for its work as a Q-ship. It was at Falmouth that Lieutenant Sanders joined her, and thus two New Zealanders met for the first_ time m unusual circumstances. Besides being the navigator Lieutenant Sanders was in charge of the forward guns. HIDDEN ARMAMENTS. All the ship’s armaments were Concealed so that she looked like a little, inoffensive sailing ship. In a deckhouse aft, which had been the captain's quarters, were hidden two 12-pounder guns mounted and ready for use. Access was gained through a trapdoor in the floor. When the need arose bolts on the inside were drawn by hand and the sides of the deckhouse fell away, leaving the guns exposed for instant action. In each bow was a small deckhouse containing a concealed 12-pounder gun, making four in all of guns of this calibre. In addition two machine gnus were carried, as well as rifles for the crew. The complement was two officers and 25 men. but in the daytime only four men at a time were allowed on deck, this being the normal number _ to work a watch on a ship of this size. To have had a large number of men visible at one time would have been to invite suspicion. The first trip out was an eventful one, said Captain Blair, On September 7, 1916, the Helgoland found herself becalmed 10 miles south of the Lizard. She had not even steerage way. About 1 o’clock in the afternoon a submarine , was sighted on the surface abaft the beam on the starboard side. It started to draw near, opening fire as it came. One of the first shots carried away the Helgoland’s ensign halyards, whereupon one of the men got another ensign and climbed with it to the cross-trees, where he made it fast. Q-SHIP OPENS FIRE. When the submarine drew closer, the screens round the Helgoland’s hidden guns were lowered and the brigantine, her identity revealed, answered shot for shot. The man in the crosstrees asked permission to stay where he was to spot for the gunners, and in this exposed position he remained. Then, while the combat was proceeding, he reported the presence' of another submarine on the port beam and a drifter astern. The second submarine soon opened fire. A shot from the Q-boat appeared to strike the gun pedestal of the submarine to starboard, for a moment after it had burst the gun jerked upwards, and there was no sign of the crew. The man in the crosstrees then called out that the drifter was in reality a third submarine disguised with a sail. The damaged submarine was seen to dive, and was followed shortly afterwards by the submarine to port. Then the submarine astern opened fire, and when the Helgoland tried to reply it was found that the after guns would not bear round far enough, owing to part of the deckhouse structure being immovable. The ship could not lie manoeuvred as she was lying without a breath of wind in her sails. Axes were brought into play and the obstructing wall was chopped down. Even then the guns could not be trained properly because of the wheel aft. After firing a number of rounds, however, the third submarine submerged. FRIGHT FOR SHIP’S DOG.

The whole action had lasted for more than two hours. Four of the Helgoland’s yards were shot away, but none of the complement was killed or wounded. The only “ casualty ” was the ship’s dog, which happened to be passing the after deckhouse when the screens fell. The bump which he received out of the blue gave him such a severe fright that when the ship reached port he bolted ashore and was never seen again. For the rest of the day the brigantine lay where she was, her crew alert at the machine guns and expecting every moment that the attack would be renewed. Night fell and the ship was shrouded in black darkness. Then the sound of a motor was heard passing along the port side. Slowly it passed astern and then turned and completed the circle, proceeding along the starboard side. A momentary glimpse of a submarine was seen, probably one of the three encountered in the afternoon. Then it disappeared. Later a patrol trawler came along. Captain Blair hailed it and explained his predicament. Just as the trawler had passed abeam to port the wake of a torpedo appeared out of the night, but the torpedo missed the trawler and passed beneath the Q-ship. Lieutenant Sanders sprang to the port gun and fired in the direction from which thil torpedo had come, but with no visible result. SECOND TORPEDO FIRED. The trawler turned and came alongside to starboard, and just then a second torpedo passed under the Helgoland. A line was made fast to the trawler and the Q-ship was towed into Falmouth, where she arrived at 5 o’clock the next morning. The following communication was received by Captain Blair from the viceadmiral in charge at Milford Haven:— “ I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to convey Lieutenant A. D. Blair, R.N.R., and the officers and men under his orders, their lordships’ appreciation of their endeavour to sink three enemy submarines on September 7, in spite of the disadvantage at which the Helgoland was placed owing to her being becalmed. The steadiness of the crew, which had only recently been commissioned, is particularly to be commended.” The following message also was received ;—“ Commander-in-chief, Plymouth, heartily congratulates officers and men of Helgoland on the gallant action with three enemy submarines.”