SUBMARINE THRILLS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11929, 24 October 1919, Page 2

SUBMARINE THRILLS.

■' SINKING A DESTROYER. f yyHWiO Life on a British submarine in war time we can well imagine must have been a quick succession of longer or shorter periods of thrill and suspense treading on each other’s heels. A vividly realistic description of this is given by Lieut. Mark Bennett, R.N.R., in his book “Under the Periscope.” He tells his narative in staccato style, well suited to the fits and starts of experiences which he relates. The vessel is proceeding 80 feet below the surface, .and a bump has been heard forward and a rattle the whole , length of the boat. Raymond, thejyoung commander, jumps to his feet, glances through the periscope, but there is nothing to be seen. The boat descends to patrol level again. “What was it?” asked Seagrave. The other shook his head. “Don’t know. „ One of the mysteries of the deep. Perhaps a mine that didn’t go off. Anyhow, you can say so in your letters home, I heard that noise three times in an afternoon when I was in ’Bs’ last year. You can never say for certain that it’s not the moorings of a mine, so it’s always heat to be on the look-out it you hear that sort of row. It’s too forward of them altogether! THE REAL THING. After going into dock for repairs the submarine returned to the alternating monotony and excitement of patrol, when the event for which all were longing: happened. They were proceeding submerged ac patrol level, when Seagrave took the customary wary look round the horizon, through the periscope, having first brought the submarine up to 18 feet. a The coxswain was surprised that he sot no order to “take her down again. Seagrave came in quietly from'the control room and tapped his skipper on the shoulder. “Will you have a look through the periscope, sir?” he asked. Raymond looked up sharply. • ‘yes, all right,” he answered, and stepped through into the control room, where the coxswain watched him with curious eyes as he peered through the lens. ■ Presently ho lowered the instrument. ' “Keep her at 18 feet,” was’all he said as he rejoined Seagrave in the ward room. “Do you think that it’s anything, sir?” the latter asked eagerly. “Yes, I think it is. Cali Boyd'” “it” turned out to be throe German destroyers, at first tiny smudges of smoke, one behind the other, „on the horizon, blurs which formed slowly into the shapes of slender hulls. THE LONGED-FOR MOMENT. There was no excitement. This was what they had been waiting and training for tor years—now it had come. Rather there was an. atmosphere of pleasureable anticipation and confidence that the captain‘would do the right thing. The periscope goes up and is brought down ; all men are at their stations ; the tiring tanks are charged and the tubes flooded. All eyes are glued on the giiages and meters. They are as rats in a trap—if anything goes wrong. “When I tire dive ;to sixty feet” broke in Raymond. “What’s her depth? Keep her down, man. Steady. Oh, damn I he’s seen me. Fire!” As the boat shook to the release of the torpedo the coxswains lugged their wheels round but owing to the sudden alteration in weight, the boat wouldn’t answer quickly. “Saw the wake of the periscope in this flat calm,” went on Raymond, more to himself than the crew. “Oughtn’t to have attacked. Take her down, I tell you. They altered course to ram, and they’re firing at us. Oh, hell! Flood the auxiliary. Quick, now! Down periscope !”. A NARROW ESCAPE. The boat dives quickly; a roaring noise tells them that one of the destroj’ers is passing over them. At 80 feet the shock of the explosion of a depth charge parts a lead, and I the boat is plunged in pitch dark- • ness. The torpedo has missed, and the quick dive to avoid destruction, coupled with the sudden obscuring of the lights, had landed the captain in an awkward situation. Worse was to follow. The submarine struck bottom and stuck. At last she gets clear and rises to the sur- ; i ace. They dive again and wait an i .lour. The mement had come once more, and the eyes o£ the boat were glued . to gauges and meters. The log I ticked on, and the repeater compass clicked to itself as the seconds went by. Somewhere forward a man sneezed,, and the sound broke the tension like the crack of a pistol. ‘ ‘Keep her at her depth. Steady below now! Sixty feet. Fire! . . ” Boooooom! A muffled explosion right ahead drowned all other sounds, and shook the submarine till she rocked like a trawler in a sea way. Then the helm went over, and she steadied on her new course. Got him !” exulted Raymond, as his boat broke into one explosive grin. The officers opened the ceremonial and only" bottle of champagne. After a while the periscopes slowly hoisted and Raymond surveys the effect of his stroke. “All right,” he announced to the expectant crew. ‘ ‘She’s sinking fast by the head —the others are standing by. Hit her right amidships and blown two of her ' funnels out. There’s a lot of things floating in the water, though, and a boat is dodging about. She’s almost gone. Want a look?”