SHOTS THAT MISSED

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1935, Page 10

SHOTS THAT MISSED

STORY OF SUBMARINES. U-BOAT INCIDENT IN WAR. Led by Commander F. E. Getting 100 past and serving submarine officers and ratings sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” coupled with three cheers and a “tiger,” in honour of Herr Karl Wasser, a former member of the crew of German submarine U 23, at a naval reunion in Sydney recently. Introduced by Lieutenant-Commander N. Shaw as “one who represented the other side, serving in a cause in which he had believed, as we believed, in the justness of our own,” Herr Wasser, in reply, described an incident of the Üboats’ campaign, in which he took part. In quest of prey submarine U 23 was \cruising at large in the Straits of Dover one grey morning, early in February, 1917. An unidentified British submersible suddenly broke surface abeam of the U-boat, but well within range of the starboard torpedoes, both of which were discharged, but failed to hit the British craft. U 23 lost no time in submerging, the commander meanwhile giving vent to his chagrin by abusing his crew for their failure. In concluding the story Herr Wasser added the remark, “Perhaps there is someone present who may recall the incident I have mentioned.” Chief Petty-Officer W. Baker, of H.M.A.S. Penguin, disclosed to the assembled “submariners” that he was in a position to tell the other side of the story. The British submarine concerned, he said, was C 6, of the Nore Division, then attached to the Dover Patrol Flotilla, on which he was serving as an able seaman, leading torpedo operator. The first torpedo fired by U 23 passed ahead of the bows of the British craft, while torpedo number two went over the top of the vessel as she also dived. “We were unable to draw a bead on the U-boat,” said Mr. Baker, “owing to the angle at which our ship lay when we came to the surface. Our hydrophones failed to pick up any sounds of U 23, after we had dived, and we concluded that her Diesels had been stopped.” •

Among those present at this first reunion of members of “The Trade”—a name by which the submarine service is known throughout the Navy—were Messrs. C. Bray, W. Cheater and P. Kiernon, survivors of AK2, the first craft to run the gauntlet of mines and forts of the Dardanelles on Anzac Day, 1915, and which was subsequently sunk by enemy gunfire in the Sea of Marmora.