A ONE-SIDED FIGHT DESCRIBED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14593, 1 May 1918, Page 9

A ONE-SIDED FIGHT DESCRIBED.

.■ . t ;. , ♦ r . (From a correspondent). S.E. OOAST TOWN, Feb. 17. A-; story of the^German raid on the Straits of Dover on Friday morning was told- me to-day by a young able seaman who took part m it. is not the first fight of a similar 1 chitacter m which I have taken , part during r this war (he •- said), an 4 yet,, thank GU)d, I am unhurt. But it was by far the worst of the four I scraps which I have been engaged m. It was a terribly one-sided affair. The only thing I can compare it to is a ''picture" of a man armed, say, with a revolver or a pop-gun being expected .; to) do baittle m a smalL boat Tvith anarriled cruiser. It was a fine starlight v irignt;and was so calm there was not a 'breath of wind and only a very slight haste 1 . The fleet of drifters to which I wa'ij at 5 * tached was on patrol duty, after 11 o'clock we received a signal telling us to be on the look out for j submarines. Being then off dujy; iny> self, I went down to my bunk, but be-, fore turning m I was reading <v book. Suddenly, at about 1 o'clock =;m the morning, I was startled by heavy aii'd' rapid firing, the noise pf . liurryirig f ootr steps on deck overhead, and /the issuing' of rapid orders. My first impression was that we had seen, and were firing at, a submarine. Picking up my lifebelt I hurried on deck. > The noise of the cannonade at this time was almost deafening. The first thing I saw on reaching the deck was |the /blowing up of one of our drifters, which was not far away on our port quarter. She went up m the. air enveloped m a great sheet of flame, m the midst of which I distinctly saw hey two masts and her funnel fall with a splash into the water, sending up spray m all directions. For a moment I stood* watching the awful sight, and then the thunder of additional guns coming rapidly from various directions at . once indicated to me that we were up against some-, thing more than a submarine fight. I ran along deck ' aft as my mate ' shouted, "There goes ariotliei' one," and ho had scarcely made "the remark before a third boat was bkiwil up. Following the direction indicated, 'we 'saw .that they were both enveloped m flames, but they were too far off for us to render them any assistance. Moreover, it was a case : of having to look out for oneself, for just at this moment our own vesselhad a marvellous escape. Suddenly, immediately astern of us, a searchlight shot out, sweeping th» sea for. some distance 'around, and by its light we wero surprised to sco the big dark hull of a ■ German destroyer. Sho was bearing down on us at full speed, and had she continued on her course she would have cut us and sunk Us easily. Sho was not more than 200 yards away from us. It is our belief that we oWe our escape to being too close to bo hit.. Wo Were s/iUing ' nway from tho . de-stooye'iy.'-dodging', all "the time, and, fortunately for ,us, she ..missed • us as she steamed ' ribrtbwards.' yl '' '*