LOSS OF H.M.S. GOLIATH.

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14745, 26 October 1915, Page 7

LOSS OF H.M.S. GOLIATH.

A SURVIVOR’S ACCOUNT,

The following account, written to a fellow-officer by an officer of H.M.S. Goliat’u. concerning the sinking of that ves--?1 at the Dardanelles, has been placed .it our disposal ;- "Yon can ea i'y imagine the solemnity and tadness of tile aflair. At half-past one in the morning I was awakened by an splosicn. Jumping out of my bank and eabi.i, I heaid a second and third, the h'p meanwhile listing quickly to starboard. In company with a stream of men, 1 went up on the quarto deck, got up to the high side, and next minute, he shin being on her side, clambered on o her side, got about as far as the net shelf when she turned over so quickly lhat 1 was thrown into the water, Down L went, and on coming up looked fcr her. ,o as to keen clear, but she, being at irchcr. the tide had already swept me iw.;y. The pronellers showed for a monoid, then all was dark, and only the errihlo cries of the men rent the silence. “With a piayer to God that if i’: wa;

leasing in His sight He would soften the final physical death struggle, 1 treaded water, took off my trousers, and quietly vaitsd for the end. Soon, however, a -mill piece of wood floated by, and r.n other man and myself together grasped it. It was too small to support us alone, but gave assistance to our swimming, and without a word to each other we held on to it. Then a third man swam up. gr .sred the wood, which at once win 1 under, and before I could realise what had happeny, ihe first man, a hero un known to me, had let go the wood and struck off into the darkness, leaving the third man and myself in possession of thr wood.

“Wit hno hope -of life, I told tint ran to strike out with me for the shore, but although we continued for some time, d soon realised that it was a hopeless trugde, tlie tide setting ns down and out all tiie time. Then, about a quarter

f an hour at least after the Goliath had sank, on? of the battleships switched on a searchlight, then another one did, then hj? fleet blazed with searchlights, and almost at the seme moment, the evolution was so smart, the sea swarmed with boats eut to cur iclief. I then tried to keep a the beam of one of the searchlights, but my ’strength was failing, and I was getting numbed with the cold, until ai iist I felt I must give up, and telling my companion so, was just letting gi when he cried out, ’No, no; you mustn’t give up.’ Inspired fcr the moment, I struggled feebly a bit more. Then I saw a cutter pulling swiftly towards us. This inspired nine strength, and I kept giing till she suddenly starboarded and went away to our right. I felt this was my last earthly hone, so, raising one arm, I shouted ‘Brat, "ahoy!’, my companion shouting also. They heard us and turned, and soon willing hands hauled us on beard. We were taken on board the Lord Nelson, and after massaging, brandy, bovril, etc., I slowly recove rea, •and tnat afternoon, being the senior Goliath officer on board, 1 had the sad duty of taking charge of UMI of the survivors (the other 00 were in other ships), and marching them into jiosition on the quarteideck to join in tlie iuneral service of our paymaster and two men who had not survived the sinking.”