SUBMARINE WAR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16232, 30 March 1917, Page 8

SUBMARINE WAR.

TELE ASTTJIIIAS'S FATE. TWO TORPEDOES. A THREAT FULFILLED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn'O LONDON, March 28. Two torpedoes struck the hospital «liip Asturias at midnight on March 20. The weather was fine, but the night was dark. The majority of the crow and the hospital staff were in their faiiinlks. The firs'r torpedo struck the rudder, the other hit the engine-room where ,it ('bun.'ifted the machinery, and the electee light throughout tho ship >y.as put ont.

Patrol vessels quickly answered the distress signals. Many of the survivors were towed into a. British port in the ship's boats. They were mostly j thinly- clad, as they had just''' jumped i out olf their.'bunks. As far as the German submariner 'could tell the Asturias was fuli of sick and wounded' men. Those aboard knew of Germany's threat to torpedo hospital ships, but the most of them considered such dastardly conduct was impossible and unbelievable. Newspapers recall the Foreign Office's declaration made on January 31 that if the threat to sink-hospital ships was carried out, reprisals, would immediately be taken. SECOND ATTEMPT. This was the second attempt to torpeao the tiie lirsi ouo jnuae mortal-w<jl>g ow jcuirvo ■on ±< ebruary 1, it/15. -LAST SCENES. The "Morning Post" states that the first, torpedo ligiiu tnruugu tne sierri. ai.d a no*e, 'turectly above uio one made t\v the torpedo, was caiued by tiiu breaking aau twiatmg or llie piope.ler. Water poured into Lh« Anurias and she drilled on to a rocky coast, wnt-re slic now lits. tne boats, whicn had already been got out, were lowered. Army An., sing S.sters were f.rst placed in them. Tnere was an exceptional number of women on board owing to t'ne fact that this ship was bringing back Sisters wlioso por.od of oervieo Had expired. , One fully loaded boat Capsized, and sonie of tne- occupants were in the ■ water' 'ior over an hour. WOUNDED JUST LANDED. The thought of every man aboard the Asturias w.a.s: "liiaiuc God, we iajiucd tho patients ycistarxlay, otherwise, tuere would have been lODj s.ck and wounded'aboard, many of whom were unable to move nand or foot and &onie .of thorn unable oven to cry out for neip." Villagers generously supplied the hosp-tai staff and crow, -witn clothing blankets and boots'. • Th'cro wore many persons slightly inapa.it from thoss severely hurt. Th Austurias was not, carrying any wounded. They had been disembarked at .'an English port. >. ■ She was reLurning to her base and had 300 persons oa board.