STRANGE PIG HUNT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14596, 4 May 1918, Page 8

STRANGE PIG HUNT.

LONDON, Feb. 24

A German U-boat, a pig the crew tried : to catch on the deck, of a Norwegian steamer, a British destroyer and three boatloads of Norwegian men were the principal '.-figures- 'in thp tale of an enemy submarine which was "nearly caught" m the Atlantic recently. . The story is told, m the following letter from Norway : — '

"Our ship, the Si ran. was attacked hyi a U-boat m the Atlantic. She was bad-* ly damaged by gunfire and abandoned by" the crew, which took to the boats. The commander of the submarine heard a noise on board the abandoned ship. 'A pip,' he called out to his- men. He ordered them to cease firing, commandeered one of the Siran's lifeboats and sent some of his men over to investigate. "They found the pig m a pen- on the deck, and tw6 of- the Germans dragged it out. The pig slipped through their fingers, and then there began- a pig hunt np and down the deck, the men clutching at tho flying pig and ■ falling headlong, until the German captain, watclifng through his binoculars, was doubled up with .laughter. .

"In fact, he was so much amused that, he forgot to keep a lookout, and a' British destroyer, was "well m view on the horizon when he suddenly awakened to tho fact that a war was m progress: Then followed a great .scramble' to get" fcho men back to: the submarine, sind to,; get it below the surf ace ; before the destroyer could' get within range. The dcstrover might have fired some :~\ r ery effective shots be foro the German submarine submerged,- except that I'the1 ' the German captain forced -the' Nonyegiahs, m thoir ; lifeboats to keep close to liis 'ship, jinjJ ;?' between it and the approaching enemy. Tho submarine "-got away. , .-. ■