DUEL WITH U-BOAT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13168, 29 January 1936, Page 2

DUEL WITH U-BOAT.

REFUSAL TQ SURRENDER.

CAPTAIN S AMAZING COURAGE

How an unarmed British merchant steamer defied a German submarine for four hours,, refusing to surrender even when she was shattered by shell fire and most of her officers lay dead, is now told for the first time by the commanding officer of the U-boat concerned, Captain G. von Forstner, in a German publication. The story, which adds a glorious page to the history of Britain’s merchant navy, is reproduced from the New Zealand Herald. _ . x . “In. March, 191 o,” writes Captain von Forstner, “when cruising off the Scilly Isles in Submarine U 28, we foil in with an English steamer apparently bound for Cardiff. There was a strong south-westerly wind and a heavy sea was running. Instead of obeying our signals to heave-to, the steamer increased speed and filed rockets to summon help. “We therefore opened on her with our gun. and very soon a shell crashed into her near the bridge. She responded to this by hoisting British colours as a sign that she was ready to accept battle, and at the same moment swung round in an attemptto ram us. We countered this by putting our own helm over. FLAG KEPT FLYING.

“The English captain no doubt observed the difficulties under which our gun’s crew had to work. Time and again men would be swept overboard by the seas breaking across the U-boat’s deck, ut they were always hauled back by the. stout lines which secured them to the gun. Although shell after shell crashed into the steamer y the English captain did not abandon his hope of ramming us.

“One of our shells cut the steamer's ensign staff and blew the flag overboard. Instantly she hoisted another Union Jack at the foremast head. When this also was carried away by a shell the indomitable captain hoisted new colours, which fluttered proudly from a signal yard.

' “This duel lasted above four hours, tli3 steamer continually trying to ram us, while \Ve pumped shells into her. In some places her hull was riddled and numerous fires were raging. These the crew and passengers were striving to extinguish. GERMAN’S TRIBUTE.

•Owing to the violent movements of the U-boat in the heavy sea, we were unable to deal the steamer a death-blow by hitting her on the waterline. But the water which entered through the many shot holes as she rolled was already causing her to list badly.

“By now enemy destroyers were coming up at high speed, so we had to leave the stricken steamer) to her fate. So imiTFessed was t by the extraordinary gallantry of this English captain, whose conduct was abov© all praise, that I wrote the following in my war diary immediately after the action:

“ ‘lf, contrary to expectation, his severely damaged ship reaches port, the captain, by his plucky conduct, will have earned the reward offered by his Government. 1 ’ “We heard later that this steamer, the Vosges, had gone down soon after we left her, but not- before the survivors nad l.een taken off by patrol vessels. All her officers except the captain had been killed, besides several of the seamen and passengers. Some of the latter had helped to stoke the furnaces.” The master of the British ship referred to is Captain John R. Green.