AN ADMIRAL’S MEMOIRS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19804, 21 May 1934, Page 5

AN ADMIRAL’S MEMOIRS

ADVENTURES OF A SUBMARINE

A HOLY TERROR TO THE TURKS”

Sir Roger Keyes’ War Memoirs have been appearing in the “London Daily Tefegraph” and in the following article he tells of Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith’s adventures when he took his submarine E 11 into the Sea of Marmora and for 23 days was a holy terror to the Turks:—

While we -were suffering afloat from the attentions of the German submarine U 21 we were receiving reports from Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith, which showed that submarine E 11 was giving the Turks a good deal to think about in the Marmora. On June 7, 1915, he came out to find LieutenantCommander E. C. Boyle waiting to take up the gage in E 14. The two captains met at the Admiral’s dinner table that evening, and Nasmith told us his tale, which was very refreshing; he had so thoroughly enjoyed himself, and was obviously looking forward to his next trip.

He said that after passing Chanak he sighted a battleship, which with several torpedo craft, opened fire on his periscope and fled to the northward. No obstructions or mine moorings were encountered on the way up, and E 11 passed Gallipoli less than six hours after she dived off Achi Baba. Silas Q. Swing From Chicago. Nasmith was not able to communicate for four days, owing to a defect in his wireless, and we w : ere very anxious about him. However, on the night of May 23 he reported that he had wsunk a torpedo gunboat lying at anchor off Constantinople. He told us that as she was sinking she opened fire and smashed the top of his periscope. The next day he chased a steamer on the surface, and brought her to within rifle fire. She carried about 60 soldiers, who were all wearing lifebelts; they proceeded to abandon the ship in the greatest panic, lowering and capsizing two boats, whilst still under way. An American, who was taking matters quite calmly, leant over the side and introduced himself as Mr Silas Q. Swing of the “Chicago Sun,” and told Nasmith he was pleased to meet him. Under Nasmith’s directions and with the help f two or three Turks, who alone remained on board, Mr Swing safely hoisted the remaining boat, which was lying on the deck, and with E ll’s assistance they then proceeded to right the boats and pick up everybody. A Moonlight Manoeuvre. Nasmith laid E 11 alongside the steamer, and finding a six-inch gun, a great many six-inch shells, and several gun mountings, he sank her with a demolition charge. The vessel blew up with a tremendous explosion, and was evidently full of ammunition. It would be interesting to read the “Chicago Sun” with Mr Swing’s account of his adventure; he must have been entertained by our light-hearted humane submariners. The next day Nasmith dived unobserved into Constantinople, and fired a torpedo at a large vessel lying alongside the Arsenal; the torpedo ran in a circle, owing to gyroscope failure, and nearly hit Ell; he then fired another. Two heavy explosions occurred, so the first torpedo must also have hit something. Nasmith was unable to watch the effect of his torpedoes, as E 11 was caught in the swift current which races *out of the Bosphorus, and here swept into shoal water. We know now that his second torpedo blew a large hole in the Stamboul, which was about to leave for the Peninsula laden with troops. One moonlit night Nasmith sighted a battleship, which appeared to be the Barbarossa, with two destroyers screening her; it being too dark to see through the periscope, Nasmith attempted to attack from the surface, but before he could get into position to fire, he had to do a crash dive to avoid being rammed by one of the destroyers. One day he encountered a destroyer convoying five supply ships, and he torpedoed the largest. Later in the day he fired at another steamer, bit the torpedo ran under her. Torpedoes are normally set to sin*: in wartime, but in order not to waste any Nasmith set his to float.

His First-Lieutenant (Doyley Hughes) swam to the floating torpedo, and unwound the fan until it locked the firing pistol, making it safe to handle; the torpedo was then pulled in through the stern tube, to be used again. The war head was found to have been grazed by the bottom of the ship, without the pistol having come in contact.

One busy day Nasmith torpedoed another supply vessel, which was no doubt an ammunition ship, as she blew up with a tremendous explosion. The next day he had a very narrow escape of being rammed, and had to do a crash dive, but directly he did so his adversary fled. Mine Before The Periscope.

On June 5, finding a serious defect in his “port main motor, and his starboard intermediate shaft cracked, it was considered advisable to return,” to quote Nasmith’s laconic report, and he started back on the 7th. He had passed a large transport at anchor above Nagara, and he had two torpedoes left; so he turned his crippled ship just above the Narrows, running the risk of swept ashore in doing so, and again negotiated the dangerous turn round Nagara. Having torpedoed and sunk the transport, he continued his journey down the Straits. Immediately after rounding Kilid Bahr Nasmith told us that the trim of the boat became quite abnormal, and he had to admit eight tons cf water to get her down to 70ft. He attributed this to chanje of density. An hour later he heard a scraping noise, as if E 11 w'as grounding; but, knowing that this was impossible in the depth of water, he came up to 20ft. to investigate, and saw a large mine about 20ft. ahead of his periscope, which was apparently being towed from its moorings by the port hydroplane; he continued his course for another hour, at a depth of 30ft., and when outside Kum Kale he went full speed astern and ejected the water from the after tanks, thus leaving the bow submerged and bringing the stern to the surface. The rush of water from the screws, as she gathered stern way, dislodged the mine, which, to his great relief, fell clear. He had not even told his First-Lieutenant of the horror which had accompanied them so long. The Admiral telegraphed that night to ask the Admiralty to submit Nasmith’s name to his Majesty for a Victoria Cross. Sir lan Hamilton told us that if the Admiralty declined t do so, he would telegraph in he nan.-' of the Army of Gallipoli, to beg the King to grant it.