THE ART OF CATCHING SUBMARINES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2988, 27 January 1917, Page 14

THE ART OF CATCHING SUBMARINES

THE "TRAMP" DISGUISE (By "A , Submariner," in the "Daily Mail.") Thero was nothing of this ocean greyhound about iI.M.S. Toppler. in pre-war days, as the. baucy ajiuic, ol ilull, sliu nail earned diviuends lor a praciical-inindcd owner whoso stamiajd or beauty ior a ship was that sho stiould be able 10 carry the maximum ol cargo at the minimum of worKing cost. When ino long iiaiid of tne "aujmralty reached oui ana graubed her, she had boon lor sonic time ireiglnmg consignments of rancid oil, auu tne odour of this still clung lovingly to her skin. lJuc although ir-om an aesthetic point ol view tne i/luff-nosed, slab-sided old boat nad niaiiy shortcomings, shepossessed certain qualities whicii the Admiralty surveyors regarded with an approving eyo. bo they put a couple 01 guns into her, provided her witoi a Uhue .Ensign, to ue hoisted ,- as and wiiea required, ,, and sent her out xo hunt ior submarines. This tasli she pursued diligently, but with ill-success, lor some time.

Although the Toppler got where submarines were- often enough seen, these wily cralt did not seem to like the looic oi her. Whenever she "snowed up" they dipped down into the "ditch," periscopes and all, and disappeared, ''Til' blamed old hooker can smell Üboacs, an' by gum if they can't smeli her they ain't got no noses, ,, opined "Dodger" Long to "Goinnery Jack" of the 'loppler, as a whilf from her hold assailed his nostrils..' A Low Disguise. Now the "owner" of the Toppler was a man who believed in results. He could not content himself with merely chasing submarines; ' ho wanted to catch them.' After turning over the matter so that he could loolfat all sides of it he put hack to port with a plan in his mind. There what he planned was done, and when the Toppler went to sea again it was in such a disreputable guise, that even her former owner, although in no way squeamish on the subject of appearances, would have refused to acEnowhjjige her. She looked like a longcondemned hulk that had broken aclrilt, and from captain downwards her complement were in keeping with their ship in outward seeming. Even a San Francisco "crimp" would have been ashamed to own them.

"Wot a lot o , beauties; looks as if we'd all been shanghaied," quoth "Dodger" Long, gleefully rubbing the three days' growth on his chin. "An , ' wot a ship arter the !" added i; Jumpe'r" Uollins, mentioning the smart battle-cruiser from which he had been drafted. "Well, there ain't no wash decks 'ere, an' routine's like an old shoe, so I ain't grumbliu , ." • For some days the Toppler wallowed along—"steamed" would be the wrong word, for it—and surely nowhere else afloat could such an apparently unseaworthy old tub, "such an enticing target for a U-boat, have been met with. "P.lease don't hurt me; I'm worthless," was written , - all over her, and' every motion of her lumbeftng hull proclaimed helpless, inoffensive innocence. / . Other vessels as they passed her, wondered that any owners had the tpmerity to send such a feckless old boat to sea in these times, 1 and said things about the Toppler and her crew which would have pleased the latter mightily if they could have heard them. ''Bet she don't get much farther, without bein' stopped," remarked the watchkeeper of a slick liner as he turned from contemplating the Toppler. Something Doing. And he was right—she did not. The Toppler was ambling alon"— "Sleep walkin'," "Dodger" Long called it—when i a periscope came ripping towards her, and a U-boat quickly heaved to the surface. ' A minute or so later a second U-boat rose oil'the other how. "We've dropped into a whole flotilla of d —-d pirates, , ' said the Toppler's captain unconcernedly. "Steady, l lads, and stand by for orders." . "Aye, aye, sir," cheerfully responded "Dodger" Long, and the crew stepped n quickly to their stations. The captain passed some orders below, then stopped, his engines and walked to the dicky at the end of the hridge nearest to the first-risen U-boat. With a cap slouched over his ears and a thickly sprouting heard* on his chin the Toppler's "owner" looked what he was not. The usual parley began, or it would be more correct to say the "pirates" issued their customary peremptory orders for abandoning ship. Tlie Toppler they apparently held in contempt as a something that would not yield them much hooty, and was not worth wasting a torpedo upon. your ladder; I'm going to send aboard and blow your ship up," ordered Pirato No. 1. "All right, sir," humbly acquiesced the Toppler's captain, and a companion ladder began to grate its way down her side. "Lower'both," , commanded the pirate, "and he ready to leave with your crew." > "Very well, sir," and the Toppler's captain obeyed in so far as lowering the second ladder was concerned,. but reserved tho right to make- what disposition Jie thought best of his crew, ■though ho did not tell the pirate this. From tho U'-bpats two liitlo canvas Ueruions pustica' ott auu muue tor eacn ■siue or Me lopplor. ■'iitarid Dy now ior quick action, mid iiniiiu you uon't let tlie uligliters wall me uoiiius come aboard us,'' .rasped out Mo captain. ''ajc, aye, sir; we'll watch out for that," answered the men crouched under tho'nettings. Jerked along by the short pulls of their attic oare, the two cohapsibles came towards tne 'loppler by a series or leaps. Arriving at the cumpaiiions cue bow men held on with a, boathook wliilo a pirate officer jumped from each boat and hurried up the ladder, followed by a couple of men. As they stepped on the deck horny, hard-hit-ting lists caught them under tho 'ear, and oue by one they fell like logs. At the same time a brawny figure jumped to the top of either ladder' and billets of pig-iron crashed down into each of the boats, ripping out their bottoms. Tho Toppler's skipper watched -this intently. "Fire!" he shouted, sharply jerking the engine-room telegraphs. Instantly tho White Ensign ran up astern, and the Toppler, baring her teeth, snarled destruction at the pirates.

"Wh-r-r! Wh-r-r!" sang her guns, and boforo they had any chance of making a reply both U-boats were sunk. One rolled over on her sido and disappeared with a gurgle of astonished protest against such cavalier treatment; the other, badly holed forward, slid swiftly nose downward into her grave as if glad to got from tho reach of those viciously snarling guns. "A right and lefHike shooting grouse from the butts; better than I ever hoped for," soliloquised the Toppler's captain as he leaned upon the bridge rail and watched his boats pull off to pick up survivors.