THE LOST HAWKE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 218, 19 October 1914, Page 7

THE LOST HAWKE.

YOXJNG CREW ABOARD. VESSEL SINKS IN FIVE MINUTES, LONDON, October 16. ' The Hawke sank in five minutes. The survivors escaped in one boat, and were picked up by a Norwegian steamer and transferred to a trawler. ; ' October 17. When war broke out the Hawke was a sea-training vessel, for boys. Most of the crew were very -young,; and -.included eight cadets who only left Dartmouth College in A.ugust. ~ The captain of the trawler Ben Rinnes states that the torpedo struck the Hawke ■aft of the engine room at 11 in the morning. There was only time to launch one or two boats before she turned turtle. Befc'&ued men, who had been adrift: for

live hours in an open boat, told him they saw hundreds struggling in the water with cork jackets on, or hanging to floats and rafts. They could do nothing, as their boat was packed. Other survivors state that the Hawke sighted a foreign trawler, and, in accordance with instructions/ approached with a view to examining the ship. As she neaved ■ the trawler tlie explosion occurred. The periscope of the submarine showed above the water. The explosion was so terrific that maimed men were blown into the air, plates twisted, and a huge gap torn in the side. The Hawke canted to starboard with alarming rapidity. The, crew attempted to man the guns, but owing to the list it was impossible to train them on the submarine. The Hawke was splendidly equipped with life-saving apparatus, but it was impossible to get out the boats. About 200 of the crew got away in a ready-made raft. Their fate is unknown, but a steam pinnace, densely packed, was seen to sink. Dr J. 11. D. Watson, the surgeon of the Hawke, a well-known international footballer, is missing.