RUDYARD KIPLING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11732, 23 June 1916, Page 5

RUDYARD KIPLING.

ON THE NAVY. (Copyright. 1916. bv RUDYARD KIPLING.} By Telegraph—Prosa Association —Copyright. LONDON, June 22. Ilndynrd Kipling, in the second of bis articles on the Navy, based on official reports, gives a breezy narrativo of the adventures of El 4 in the Sea of Marmora:— "In hunting grounds strewn with l perils, in waters full of eyes that gave no rest, Commander Courteney Boyle, with El 4, proceeded through the Dardanelles under a gas engine which was as noisy as a full brass band in a railway cutting. The forts' quickly picked up the submarine, but, the guns missed her. She dived under a minefield and rose at dawn, where the channel was only one mile and a half across. All tho forts again fired. The water was thick with patrols, vigorously sweeping for the submarine astern and ahead, but El 4 managed to torpedo a gunboat. Tho log says, ' Had to dip quickly, as the men on a small steamboat were leaning over, trying to catch the top of the periscope.' Ha\-ing settled the gunboat, El 4 burrowed, humped and scraped through six hours of blind death, and reached the Sea of Marmora, where she picked up three destroyers convoying a couple of troopships. It was glassy calm. The submarine fired a longrange torpedo at one of the 'transports'and ducked before she- could judge the results. As the periscope was damaged by a casual shot it was impossible to risk the remaining.periscope. However, she heard a thud, and on rising again saw the destroyer convoying a burning transport to the nearest beach. " When transports wpre difficult to find El 4 sank a mine-layer. El 4, however, was not. unpopular. She let off a string of empty dhows, to the surprise of the occupants, and also troubled steamers full of refugees, instead of ' Lusitaniaing' them, as expected, but transports were fair game. Despite the necessity of not risking the eye, El 4 got a big transporton a windy night and. mad» another beach itself. When he bad used up his torpedoes, Commander Boyle prepared to return. He was chased by\t mixed pack, composed of ,a gunboat, a torpedoer and a tug, evidently anticipating that the submarine would be caught in nets at Gallipoli. El 4 walked delicately for eight hours down the Straits, under-running strong tides' and ducking when the fire of'the forts shot o\*er her. Finally she saw our Navy at tho entrance and rose abeam of a •French battleship, who gave her a rousing cheer. She had been away for three j weeks. " Commander Nasmith's Ell made a similar voyage up the Straits, but unfortunately her wireless gave trouble an'd left her deaf and dumb in the middle of the Sea of Marmora. Finally she went to Constantinople and sank a Turkish gunboat, but a six-ppunder smashed her periscope, so she had to retire to* fit a new top. Going to Rodosto she stopped a small vessel and ordered the crow to abandon her. They tumbled into their boats in such haste that fchcy capsized two out of three in the confusion. An American named Silas Q. Swing, of the Chicago 'Sun,' appeared on the upperdeck and assured Commander Nasmith that tho steamer was not carrying" stores. The lieutenant in charge of the demolition party, however, fcund any quantity of stores, including a six-inch gun lashed across the top of the fore-hatch, which Silas Swing had evidently overlooked. After torpedoing a heavily laden storeship at the Rodosto pier, the submarine returned to Constantinople. Tho log records:—' Having dived unI observed into Constantinople, we saw, I etc'

"Owing to the difficulties of the mud and currants the submarine's adventures now resembled those of the lady of the harem who was tied in a sack and thrown into the Bospliorus, but before she returned to the base she discovered a method of using her torpedoes twice over, which surprised the enemy. There was a thrilling adventure at the end of the trip. Off Kilid Bahr the submarine seemed to go mad. "'•'The log continues:—'We he;.rd a noise similar to grounding. Knowing that this was impossible we rose to twenty feet to investigate aud observed a large mine preceding the periscope, which apparently was hung by its moorings on to the port hydroplane.' A mine weighs anything from-a hundredweight to half a ton. Sometimes it explodes if you merely think about it, otherwise it submits meekly if battered like an empty sardine tin, but at no time is it meant to ifear upon a hydroplane. It was impossible to unhitch it owing to the fire of the batteries ashore, so Commander Nasmith pushed the mine until he got outside Kum Kale. He then went astern, and emptied the after tanks, bringing his bows down. Thus lie rose to the surface, when the rush of water from the screws allowed the mino lo fad clear of the vessel."