THE LAST FIGHT OF THE SIVOUTCH

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2688, 7 February 1916, Page 7

THE LAST FIGHT OF THE SIVOUTCH

• HOW A RUSSIAN GUNBOAT FACED. ' . DESTRUCTION . (Mr.- Arthur.. Ransome, in the London 'T)aily News.") Petrograd, November 26. The first detailed,account of' the fight of the little Russian- gunboat, tiio Sivoutch, against overwhelming odds in the Gulf of Riga, appeared to-day in the "Novoe Yremya." The facts were supplied to that journal by Bugler I'otyekhin, one of the survivors of tho crew of the Sivoutch. . About forty Russian sailors were picked up by tho Germans, and Potyekliin was«eventually Eont back to Russia as no longer fit , for military serviced Tho following is an abridged version A German squadron, it will be re- • membered, entered the Gulf of Riga on August 3. All the Russian ships of the line and cruisers had already left the gulf for the open sea, thus destroying the Germans' hope of imprisoning them in these watery' and so securing command of the' Baltic. The Germans' second hope was to hold the Riga coast and- to besiege the fortress from the sea. . Early in the morning of August 6 , the small gunboats Sivoutch and Koreyets; which were lying near the mouth of tho Dvina, received orders to make for Pemov, at the north-eastern comer _ of the gulf. They were warned by wireless that they might meet German vessels: At eleven in the morning, i after.. the necessary preparations, the little gunboats weighed anchor and set off, tho Sivoutch leading, the Koreyets 450 yards astern. Sighting the Enemy. Thei lookouts on the Koreyots were . the first to notice a large ship coming ,up on the port side. Almost immediately afterwards she was seen from the Sovoutch, the dim silhouette' of a big 'three-funnelled' vessel. They were uncertain of her nationality. Suddenly she began signalling with a light* from ti masthead'. The signals wore incomprehensible, and they kn§\v her for a German. v The Koreyets gavo her a broadside, to which the Germans replied, raising columns of water round the little Russian boat. It was already nearly dark. Tjie Gormen cruiser came nearer, overhauling the Koreyets, and trying to pass lietween her bows and the stern of tho Sivoutch.' Sho was a three-funnelled cruiser of the Magdeburg type. German destroyers appeared to starboard. ... Presently the Sivoutch was also engaged. . , A lucky shot from the Koreyets destroyed the German's searchlight. Then the overhauled the Sivoutch and passed hef.. It was about ten in" the evening. The cruiser was not five hundred yards . away, firing incessantly from all her guns, the flashes from which lit up the sea with an ominous red glow. From the other side the destroyers had closed in, arid the quiet sea- frothed and boil-, ed found the little gunboat as if in . some kind of infernal whirlwind.' The German shells-were exploding in the air, in the water, now mora and moro frequently in the sides of the Sivoutch, and at last on the deok. Against Heavy Odds. A broadside suddenly plunged the* ship ill complete darkness. .A ■ shell had passed through the deck, and blown tho dynamo to. atoms. The 1 captain's" bridge was smashed to .splinters.in the. same way, and'.some .of the helmsmen •and officers were killed. It was thought that the captain had been killed, but after ..a moment , his voice rang out, clear and. energetic ias before. . He had escaped unhurt. . The signalling system had been destroyed, and our.fire lost unity. Each [un became independent. The sailors ihemselves loaded, aimed, and fired ritliout waiting for orders, trying only Jo as often as they could, and to land, as, many shells as possible upon the. enemy. The five-inch gun in. the bows fired now on the cruiser and now Dn the destroyers. One of tho dostro.v- ---' trs was sinking. Our men were selling ' their lives dearly.' The masts were Whole, and look-outs \ kept their places iu the tops, and reported the results of our fire as wellas they could.' "A torpedo is coming," cried one of the signaller's. One of the German destroyers had fired a torpedo at us at fairly' ,short range.- But the rudder and engines of the {Sivoutch were still working,, and, by a sharp alteration of the course, the torpedo was successfully, avoided. In the midst of the firing we had to k6ep a sharp look-out for another. A second torpedo was also avoided, and after that the Germans fired no more. A broadside set tho dcck on fire. There was a rush to extinguish tho flames. Suddenly there was a noise like thunder-in the hold, and from the middle of tho ship, through tho smashed decks, rose a cloud of steam. The engines 'bad been, destroyed, and the boiler blown up. The Sivoutch shuddered ar.d began to turn clumsily round. The rudder no longer answered the helm. It was thought that she would sink at once. But the men ran up from below, and announced that no leaks had been -caused by the explosion. The' engineers arid stokers made their way on deck, wounded, bloody, all who could stand on their legs. Fight to the Last. On the deck, in the midst of the smoke and flames, men bustled about . i the' guns, stepping over the killed-, and Wounded. The decks were running with tho blood of heroes.- Whoever could still moye, dragged himself to the guns, brought ; up shells, and fired as ho was able. Five times already the sun crews had been entirely .renewed, fresh men taking the places of those destroyed. Some guns were without crews. The. officers loaded, trained, and fired them themselves. When orio gun was destroyed, they ran to another, encouraging tho sailors. "Stick to it, brothers, we shall fight to tho last drop of blood." In the mind of each man was one single'idea, to avenge himself, to avenge the Sivoutch. With clenched teeth, pale, blood-bospattered men, using their resources of strength and care, shot till the/c-nd from tho guns that remained whole, r • - The agony of the ship began. The boats were battered to pieces on the decks. Splinters' of wood flew -in all directions. There was a deafening noise of exploding shells. Now, more • and more often, low along tho decks, cutting the legs of the sailors frp.-t under them, flew clouds of shrapnel Wlets. It was clearly the Germans' wish to slaughter the crow and take the ship alive. They expected us to surrender, and therefore tried irot to hit the Sivoutch below tho water-line. The bow and stern guns were still holding out. Bugler Potyekliin at the jtern, with the help of a cook and a , stoker, fired shell after shell at tho Germans, sheltering as far as possible! behind the steol shield. The .captain summoned the sailors. !'We cannot hold out further. Who !wiil go and open tli© sca-cocks ?" 'To open the sea-cocks meant to go to certain death. The hero who accepts that duty has no hope at all. In a distant and deep corner of the hold ho must find and open the cocks. !A flood of water sweeps his legs from ■under him. ... Every man wished to ba the one to open -tho cocks. The choice fell on the diver Shflbalkbu Tha captain mad*.

the-sign'of the cross over liim. Shibalkiu also crossed himself raised his hancT in tho salute, and then ran along iho clack, and in spite of tho ram of shells made his way successfully bolow. Every Man for Himself, Tho German firo had not slackened. Then through tho hellish noise could .just ho lieard tho sound of tho "water alarm," which means "Each man for himself." But tho idea of escape v;as uppermost in no one's nynd, In un-flc-r-sliTrts, or naked, they threw themselves upon tile guns, and went on fir'iho slnp began to sink. The men crossed > themselves, • and gave a last "Hurrah 1" Tho stern gun fired from almost under the water. The bows lifted. The Sivoutch settled on her side. The German firo ceased. Captain Tcherkasfiov remained, standing on the last scrap of the bridge, pale, but perfectly calm. "Good-bye, brothers. Jump for it now," * •At the last mement, from the water, he coiilci bo seen. The' bows' sank. The water flowed over ths tleclc, and Captgin Tcherk'assov went down with his ship "after fighting an actiou that will never "oo forgotten in the history of the Russian Navy.