NIGHTS IN THE NORTH SEA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2929, 15 November 1916, Page 6

NIGHTS IN THE NORTH SEA

HOW THE PATROL WORKS (By J. \Y. B. Chapman, in tho "Daily Mail.") ■In the Trawler Section of tho R.N.It. there are three classes.: Patrol Boats, Patrol Boats and Drifters, and Minesweepers.' It is no exaggeration to state that there are over 2000 of these boats availablo for duty, which means that not fewer than 40,000 men are serving in various capacities. The number of boats comprising a Patrol Flotilla varies' according to the particular duties. There is more merchant traffic over some sections of the North Sea than others. Some boats must be convoyed, and others need not be. Eaeli flotilla has a leading boat called number one. All vessels carry, guns, but the lender is also-fitted with a wireless installation, and is commanded by a man who has been given the rank of lieutenant in the R.N.R., who before the war was either a captain or officer in the mercantile marine. Every boat in the flotilla has its number and allotted place. If for any reason the leader is put out of action or withdrawn upon a special mission, number two replaces number one, and the others correspondingly move up. At work, when number one is filling her place, the other boats play tho schoolboy game "follow my leader." Wherever the leader goes, tho otlicrs follow without question. Each of these other boats is in charge of a skipper who, in pre-war time, was also skipper of a. steam trawler..

I. sailed from an cast coast base in a modern trawler armed and' carrying a crew of seventeen hands; the lieutenant, two second hands, two engineers, two firemen, a chief gunner, wireless operator, signaller, cook, assistant cook, aud five "decides." Iron Nerves at Night. Our indicator points to "slow aliead." We have begun our vigil, and for a week our speed, unless the abnormal happens, will not exceed four knots. To'all appearance, and especially in the dark, we ar6 a small vessel crawling along in an aimless way. In reality we 'aro as watchful as an old cat at a mouse-hole. Everyone on deck is alert, The crew abovo deck is divided into two, for the purposes of the watch, each watch being in charge of a second-hand. With him are three other members of tho crew, one of whom takesithe wheel for an hour, and the two others spend two hours on the look-out. Thus each of the trio has one hour steering, two on the look-out, and one on deck.

The look-out; dubbed by tho crew the "monkey-house," is a canvas-protected square fitted •■ above the covered-in wheel-house. It is quite exposed, about forty feet from the deck. ' I spent many hours at night in tho monkey-house, mainly seeing Zeppelins which turned out to bo clouds.

■ The lieutenant is never actually off duty, and most of his repose is taken in the afternoon. At night, in the inky darkness—and darkness at sea . is always intense—ho generally shares the watch with the second-hands. Through the night glasses he searches here, there, and everywhere. With the. naked eye the sailor can see an object long before the landsman, but aided by the binoculars nothing escapes him. The night watch is a time of' acute tension;' huge vessels on our bows are' going or coining like, fast-moying shadows. Not only must we avoid them, but it is also imperative to ascertain who they are. Some dark object a' mile ahead has been sighted. Slowly we approach it, and make ready.' Discovering it to lie another of H.M. units upon a special mission, we pass each other without speaking. A duty like this calls for iron nerves. U-Boat Caught. , lii this work wo see the officers of the patrol service at their best. They know the jib and boom and hull of every merchant vessel worth knowing. Absolutely fearless, they round up all suspects and "go for" the enemy if he shows up. With our fires banked down, tvlien dusk appears, and the propeller only just revolving to keep "way on," we' seemingly drift along. But let danger threaten, and a sudden signal galvanises apparent apathy into fighting activity. . How we should- do it must be left unsaid. But let me say that two days after leaving our ibase we were told by wireless that another flotilla in an adjacent section had "bagged" a U-boat and send it and the crew to the bottom.

■ The most dangerous periods are at daybreak and dusk. The dim lights givo the advantage to the li-boat, and its periscope, measuring only 2fin. in diameter, and projecting only 18in. above water to give him a view. From a distance of half a milo it is most difficult to detect, while in any circumstances it looks like a load pencil. If time allows, oil may ho thrown overboard to dull the periscope sight and 60 blur the view. ■ Very often a TJboat displays the British flag, the subterfuge is discovered when the challenge comes, and then —well, strike, and strike hard. On tho two occasions we practised gunnery several hits wore registered—a tribute to the marksmanship at a moving target. 1 had the privilege of firing three rounds with the curious experience of being strapped to tho gun, otherwise, since it is mounted on tho whaleback, I ran a big rink of being thrown overboard with the rolling of tho ship. Laud-lubbers are not provided with sea legs. On tho lighter side of, patrol duties, a skipper of some trawler fishing will offer us a "fry." which means a basket of prime North Sea fish, alive when we got them, and a tasty delicacy at the breakfast or tea table. Reutino and Risk art tho two R's of the patrol sorricc; small wonder, then, that at the expiration of tho eight days, the allotted time at sea, tho men welcome tho prospect of shoro and relaxation. .