KILLING A U-BOAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12738, 6 September 1919, Page 11

KILLING A U-BOAR.

STORY OF AN ADVENTURE 'WITH THRILLS. The story of a battle with a German submarine was told in the English Prize Court, when counsel (Mr le Quesne) asked for prize bounty for one of his Majesty’s ships. Charles Everard Hughes White, R.N., L-5.0., Lieutenant-Commander, stated ,in an affidavit that on October 22, | 1917, he was in command of his Majesty’s ship Melampus, towing a seaplane lighter in the English Channel I before a heavy south-westerly gale- At 1 12.15 p.m. the lighter broke adrift, and at 1.30, whilst securing the tow again, ; a submarine was sighted five miles to the southward of Selsey Bill- The submarine was later found to be the German submarine UGI6. She was on the j surface moving westward at liign I speed. The lighter was slipped with j some difficulty, and the Melampus proi ceeded at full speed to attack the subj marine. They were not observed until ! they bad closed the submarine to withiin three-quarters of a mile. The subi marine then dived rapidly, and the ! Melampus just missed ramming her. The Melampus _ eased speed, and slipped both explosive paravanes, and towed them backward and forward m a broad zigzag course. Only one paravane dived, and thirty-five minutes later hooked the submarine, and exploded immediately. Lieutenant White then dropped three depth charges, and there wore explosions. ■ Whilst the Melampus was steering : another zigzag course to ram the sub- ! marine if she re-appeared, large blisters of air bubbles, each 17ft to 20ft in diameter, broke surface at a spot about, twenty yards on the Mcdampus’s beam. The second paravane was then made to dive slowly, and was deeply towed across the spot, and fired from the ship. Oil was seen on the surface, but owing to tbs very, high seas and the rising gale, it was impossible to star on the scene, and nothing was picked up- _ j The claimants bad reason to believe 1 the submarine carried the complement usual with craft of its type of twenty-five—twenty-two officers and men, and three supernumeraries. Lord Sterndale awarded £l3O onze bounty.