HUNTED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 265, 29 July 1918, Page 8

HUNTED

JJKITISII SUUMAHINE'S F.XPERI-i'i-N.CF. Here is a brief story of the unsuccessful hunting uf a British submarine iu •the .\orth Sea by enemy boats. It is culled from dry official sources, but it .shows very piatnly what nerves of steel our uiuler-sea men must possess. The submarine hod come to the fitirface in tlio course uf her cruise when sho sighted a number of last hostile craft, including several destroyers, near her. So closo wire the huntero that the submarine had to dive at the greatest speed. When endeavouring to straighten out, the Commander found (hut his helm had jammed. Barely had this discovery been inaile 'limn a violent explosion, apparently caused by a depth charge from ono ■ w' the uiiri'iu'i! craft, shook the vessel. The concussion was so great that several men .in the stern chambers were lilted off their feet. Still deeper went the .submarine until she reached the sea-bot-tom. A hurried examination revealed that the hull hail wilhslood the test of tlio first shock—in itself a tribute to her designer and the. men who built the vessel, for Intel it been ti jerry-built craft, or had the vessel contained a piece of hastily done.work. lu s s of valuable Uvea in the first few moments of the attack on this boa! might have occurred. Three minutes after the first explosion the 'crew heard « further land report. There was. nothing to be done except to lie absolutely i|itie:, and, if possible, to give no indication of the submarine's whereabouts 'to the hunting craft. All motors were stopped, awl even the ventilating apparatus was shut off. During the twenty long minutes which followed tha submarine was again carefully examined, and again it was reported 'that thers were no signs of leakage. Then was heard what was calculated to shake even the stoutest of hearts— a loud scraping noise along the "whole length of the craft. It was a trawler's swe-ep endeavouring in locale any oT> sfnelo on the sea-bottom. Would the sweep catch one of the rudders, or would it become entangled in 'the con-ning-tower and (rive away the submarine's hiding-place? Slowly.the noise progressed alon? the ship and then censed, and the sweep left the vessel free. Hardly had this menace disappeared when a third ami even moro violent explosion occurred. The boat shook continually and all lights went nut, the shock being so severe that the switches were thrown from "On" to "Oft'." Other and more delicate mechanism was olso put out of gear. Still the submarine's crew carTied on relieved to fitid thai; no serious damage had been done. The reversing of the switches again iit up the fillip. Steps were token to put her in trim once more, notwithstanding the fact that at. anv time the attack might be continued". However,' the faith of the hunters in their depth charges seems to have been such that 'they left their quarry for dead. After slaying on the bottom for some eight hours' the submarine came nearer to the surface, and in the eveniug proceeded to her base. Throughout 'the whole of the harassing time on the bottom there was not the slightest vestige of a panic on the part of tho men. They faced the possibilities of death with, characteristic British spirit— "Morning Post."