ON CONVOY DUTY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 203, 16 May 1918, Page 6

ON CONVOY DUTY

CRUISE WITH A DESTROYER ESCORT

GUARDIAN ANGELS OF THE LINERS

' 1 lie following account of tho work of British destroyers on convoy duty is supplied by a "Times" special correspondent who recently made u cruise in the leader of an escorting flotilla i— We were in the harbour of a famous southern port on board tho lender of a destroyer ilotilla ready to start on ouo of its ordinary cruises as escort to merchant convoye. It was a cold, bleak, stormy day, with a fine cross sea running in the Channel. Ono after the other tho members of the flotilla cast off from tno buoys, and slipped silently seaward. Iα tho outer harbour were the huge merchantmen we were to escort into tno comparative safety ot tho broad Atlantic. They were a strange, motley-looking crowd, with a camouflage appearance of the weirdest description, calculated to send Futurist artiste into owtacies. These weird-looking vessels 'followed tho destroyers in single file out of harbour at slew speed until well into the Channel. There they were formed up and madu into as compact a crowd as possiblo. A destroyer in front and others on each flank constituted a protective screen. After wo had got well out and lined up our escort full speed ahead was ordered, but that me speed for Ihs convoy only. The destroyers were at about half-speed, and this was partly expended in zig-7.aggi'.ig. To and fro without a moment's respite, tlis leader proceeded in front of the convoy, always about 500 to'GOO yards ahead, as though showing to timid followers that it was perfectly safe to follow where we led. On tho fknks other destroyers kept up the same zig-zag procedure, and astern yet another zigged and zagged and did her beet to keep the rearmost ships up to the full convoy speed.

Through a 60-mile, Fog Bank. Night suut down oil us liku n black blanuet, adding greatly to tlia uiliiculuw 01 tiie escort. Act a star was to ha bctu, anu not a ligui uerinilteu w be visiuie 011 any ship. Ac JOU yuius distant very snarp-eyed iook-outs couJd just uioccni uusiy bliiok blutpes, antt carry ou liaugation wiiii just buJiicieuc accuracy ior dainty. l!Tequeiviiy it became nece&oarj to ask, by-weans ot a lew short, duaip flashes with an electric signal lamp, wmre tliu respective umts 01 the cunvuv were. llesinte the utmost care hmsauu upon them, tney had struggled, aud werecovering a wide distance. "Cannot effectively screen you if you scatter like this," we signalled.

Later we ran into a log uank, which absolutory obscured visibility,' and rendered zig-zagging a dangerous procedure. The look-ouc was increased, aad iho speed of the escort induced to that of the convoy, while touch was kept by frequent speaking or whisbering on the 6ireii3. Hour after hour dragged slowly on, until by the time the sun hnd burst through in the nioruing and the tlohila had rounded up the scattered ships into good position again, ■we had passed through a fog bank 60 miles in length. Then the dreary zig-z.agging by the destroyers was resumed. Throughout tho day there was no incident to relieve tne routine of tho voyage. The zig-zaggiug proceeded with regularity, tho ship continued her Bteady roll, and the wave* continued to wash the decks everywhere abaft the forecastle head. And so on into the night again. By midnight the allotted hundreds of miles to- yomparative safety for the convoy had been almost covered. ' Later it was decided to bid them, farewell, and so there were a few more flashes from the lamps.

"Wish you safe and pleasant voyage," from the leader of the escort. This was responded to by "Thanks for your efficient escort," from the commodore of the "empties,". and convoy and escort separated and went their respective ways into the blackness of Hie night..

A Homeward Convoy. The destroyer 'escort proceeded on a straight course that had neither zigs nor ziigs in it, but at a ( speed, of abuut 20. knots Somewhere out in the black unknown, in the jegion ol| a given point, we were to meet with a convoy of laden ships and escort them to. safety. They were about 80 miles away when we started to look for them, and in tho early daylight many eyes glued to glasses were sweeping the horizon. A dirty little smudge on a ileecy cloud that seemed to be resting on tho water as far away as .the eye could reach u'rst attracted attention. The smudge moved aud grew large; other smudges appeared and took definite shapes; tho objective was in sight. In half an hour we were within "speaking" distance, and had exchanged greetings and turned about. Positions were ngain taken up, and the homeward journey with the fully-laden convoy was begun. Wo had met in those wide waters within half an hour of the fixed--time. There were not so many homeward ships as there had been outward. They had been escorted so far by a British armed cruiser—a modern P. and 0. liner. Ono ship was laden with meat for France, aud she went off towards her destination with an attendant destroyer. Tho armed cruiser with another destroyer also left, her speed being probably a sufficient safeguard as far as her home port. The remaining , foodships a'nd destroyers shaped a more northerly course. An S.O.S. from a hospital ship caused mo ■mentary bustle and a hasty calculation of her position. She at least 200 miles away, and therefore beyond our aid; but in a few minutes came another wireless message cancelling tho S.O.S. and making us more easy in our minds. Another message told of the sinking of I a small Morwegian vessel and the rescue of her crew not very far away. Stiu another told of heavy firing west of tho Scillies, but this proved to be a patrol sinking a floating iniae. Then there was an intimation from a point about 30 miles away that a destroyer was busy with a submerged submarine, tickling her up with depth charges, or what tho sailors call "pills." For two days end nights we proceeded steadily towards tho home port indicated, on the failing instructions, altering courses on receipt of shore instructions an to tho last whereabouts of "l'ritz." We arrived at the very gates of the great Empire city port, and there, with their charges in eafoty, tho destroyers just "dipped" au revoir, turned, about, and [swept away on their 400 miles homoward journey. - 1 "I am afraid," said our commander before I left, "thero is not in itch in this business for you to writs about, so you will have space to say something on behalf of the men. They are really splondiil. They have littlo enough to bo jovial about, and not a bit of comfort on these vessels and on tins kind of work. Yot it seems that the more tho discomfort and the greater the hardship tho moro cheerful they are. They aro our greatest national asset."