TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 59

TRANSPORT TORPEDOED

OVER 50 LIVES LOST

THREE NEW ZEALANDERS PERISH.

FINE RESCUE WORK

WELLINGTON, October 19

A member of tho Howitzer Battery with tho Fifth Reinforcements states in a letter that he, with 43 other Now Zealanders and one Australian, were in a transport which was torpedoed by a German submarine. Three of his party lost their lives. The boats of the warships did great rescue work.

Tho Prime Minister states that the Government has had no advice of the torpedoing of any transport containing New Zealanders.

A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. In regal'd to the torpedoing of a transport conveying Australian and New Zealand troops to tho front, a letter received by Mr G. A. Lcwin (town clerk) from his son, who was a member of tho Fifth Reinforcements, and attached to Headquarters Staff of the Second Brigade, supplies evidence of a confirmatory nature. Unfortunately, according to this information, the lose of life was much more serious than appears from other reports, the total casualties being 51 Australians and three New Zealanders, including one Dunedin Boy. The troopship was attacked whilst on her way from Alexandria to Anzac, and the torpedoing took place at 10 o’clock in the morning. Mr Lewin’s son states that ho was rescued by a French destroyer. lie adds that tho troopship was not actually sunk, but w’as able to proceed to some port which he could not name, under her own steam. The following are extracts from the letter received by Mr Lewin. who has kindly placed it at our disposal: “All wont well until we wore nearly at our destination, when wo were torpedoed. It is rather difficult to give you a full account of the occurrence, as we are not allowed to mention dates, names of ships, or anything like that. When tho torpedo struck us 1 happened to bo below, shaving, and it caught her just below where I was and blew the whole of tho middle out of the apartment. It was a large place, where bunks had been fitted up all round tho hold. The explosion blow the hatches clean off, and the steps that led from the hold went with them, so wo were really caught down there. However, a chain happened to bo hanging down from tho deck above, and we climbed up that somehow or other. I went along the deck to the boat that had been allotttcd to us, and things were very orderly on deck —no sgn of panic or anything like that; at least, amongst tho soldiers, but I can’t say the same for some of the crow. We got into our boat, bright and early, and then gave the word to two of the crow to lower away; but one of the follows lot her go with a rush, while the other held on. Most of us were tipped into the sea, but somehow or other I managed to hold on til! the boat struck the water. She did not float long, however, as, with so many frying to climb into her, she upset. I then swam off _ and got into another boat, and, after picking up five or six other chaps, we made for an island that appeared to be about 10 miles off. Then I found that only, two of the New Zealanders were with me, and we thought that that was the end of our Headquarters Staff of No. 2 Brigade.. Tho torpedo struck us at about 10 a.m., and in about and hour and a-balf, boats, cruisers, and destroyers began to arrive: but wc kept on rowing for the island until we were picked up by a French destroyer, about 3.30 p.m. Wc were treated like lords on that destroyer. They dried our clothes—tho few wo had —and gave ns hot wine and cigarettes and bread and “bully” beef, so we soon felt happy again. It took us about an hour to reach port, and we were then all put on a big transport to await orders. Wc are still on the transport. All that night boats were coming alongside with others of our company, and when wo were collected again wo found that wo had lost throe of our boys of the Headquarters Staff and about 51 Australians, so you see we were pretty lucky. They made a terrible moss of their attempt to sink our chip, luckily for us. The first torpedo missed the engine room, while tho second one missed tho vessel altogether. Tho crew got the bulkhead closed quickly, and the transport was able to make port under her own steam. I came hero in a singlet and a pair of trousers, and so far I have got none of my other gear. As they have to send divers down to get tho tbins's, I fear it won’t bo much good, even if I do get it. I don’t mind going without a wash or a shave, but I do wish I could land a toothbrush somehow ; but I suppose they will ho issuing some gear to us before long. I was sorry to lose all the things the Dunedin ladies so kindly gave us, but T suppose I should not complain, as I should consider myself lucky to be hero at all. One of our chaps who is missing is a Dunedin boy, but I am not allowed to mention names. Our lieutenant and all our N.C.O.’s are nil right, so wc have a lot to be thankful for.”

AUCKLANDER’S EXPERIENCE. AUCKLAND, October 20. Further details of the sinking of an Australian transport are contained in a letter received to-day by Mr R. W. Gallaugher, of Auckland, from his son, Private Noil M. Gallaugher, a despatch rider attached to the Headquarters Stuff of the New Zealand Field Artillery, Fifth Reinforcements. ■‘l have been through the event of my life since my last letter,” says the writer. "Wo left for 10 days ago, and when we were within three hours’ sail of our destination wc were torpedoed by a submarine. We had a large number of troops on our transport, and you can quite imagine what the scene was like when wc were hit. The first torpedo hit us forward, and blew that part of the shin to atoms. A second one was fired at us, and missed, very luckily for ns. Wo all stood to the lifeboats, and the troops wore very orderly. Our boat tipped up with all of us in it as it was being lowered, and it landed in the water upside down on top of us. I ended un underneath the boat. 1 am very lucky indeed to be hero writing to you to-day. 1 am perfectly well, and have quite recovered from the shock, and have only a few cuts and bruises, which will bo well in a few days. A lot of men were killed 'and drowned, but I cannot tell you the exact number. The headquarters of the New Zealand Field Artillery were the only New Zealanders on board, and wo lost seve-

ral men. I was in tho sea for over an hour and a quarter, and it was only due to the fact that I could swim that I was saved. I was eventually picked up by a raft, and after two hours more was on a French torpedo boat destroyer. The French who rescued us treated us royally. Of course, wo lost everything but what we stood up in.” ANOTHER ACCOUNT. DANNEYIRKE, October 20. Regarding tho torpedoing of the transport, a Dannevirke resident has received a letter stating that it was the troopship Southland, which left Alexandria on August 30, and was torpedoed 30 miles from Mudros. Brigadier-general Lytton died from exposure and shock. About 50 men were drowned or killed. Tho hospital ship Neuralia picked up many. Tho troopship was carrying the Second Australian Division, and also General Lcggo and the Headquarters Staff, and was eventually beached at Mudros. Tho Dunedin boy who lost his life wao James Tayno Taine, tho second son of Mr Walter Taine. He was born in Dunedin, and was 20 years of age. He went away with tho Fifth Reinforcements, and was on the Headquarters Staff as a specialist. Prior to enlisting lie worked with his father at the chemical stores. The following message from Berlin, dated September 21. appeared in a recent issue of tho New York Times:—“A special telegram to the Frankfurter Zeitung, according to tho Overseas News Agency, cays that a German submarine torpedoed a 15,000ton British transport off tho Island of Crete, in tho Mediterranean. Tho ship was going from Egypt to the Gallipoli Peninsula, according to the report.” The Now York Times added a-—” There have been several unconfirmed reports of the sinking of British transports. On September 9 a Bremen newspaper said the British steamer Southland, serving as a transport, had been torpedoed in Turkish waters. Thegross tonnage of the Southland is 12.017, considerably smaller than that of the transport now said to have been torpedoed.”