HUGE LINER SUNK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 14, 11 October 1918, Page 6

HUGE LINER SUNK

GUNNERS FIGHT U-BOAT FLOTILLA

HUN CREW CAPTURED

The third largest liner, the Justicia, 32,000 tons, was sunk close to the Northern Irish coast on Saturday, July •20 (says the London "Daily rMail"), after one of the most extraordinary sea lights of the war. Once more gunners and crew behaved with great valour. The Justicia was being built at Belfast when the war broke out by Messrs. Harland and Wolff. Called the Statendam, she was intended for the HollandAmerika Line, but she was completed for the Admiralty Inst year and was being worked by the White Star Line as a transport. She was outward bound and had no troops. Of a crew of about 500, 11 were killed. The German attack was systematic. From 3 ic 8 U-boats are mentioned as baring taken part. The fight 'cgan at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and lasted intermittently until Saturday morning. The vessel, sank at 1 p.m. after 9 torpedoes had been discharged. The first torpedo was seen coming en Friday afternoon. The gunners were at their stations but could not prevent if from striking. It crashed, through into the engine-room, where an engineer officer and 10 others were killed. The liner quivered, stopped deadj and took a slight list. Destroyers which accompanied her raced to attack the enemy and dropped many depth charges, while patrol hoats stood by the liner and a naval tug took her in tow.

Dead Shot at Torpedo. At about 5 p.m. tho second and third torpedoes were fired, but both missed, one passing ahead and the other aft. About two hours later a fourth was seen coming. When it got close a gunner in the Justicia fired and, with extraordinary aim, hit it clean. It exploded without further hurt to the ship. All was quiet till about 10 p.m., when a fifth torpedo was sighted. The' gunners fired immediately, placing shots so near that it was deflected and missed. Most of tho crew had by this time been transferred to other ships, which remained near the liner all night. _ On Saturday morning tho Justicia was well on her way to port, but towards 8 a.m.'the gunners were hard at work. A sixth and seveiuh torpedo went past. Two hours liter a submarine- dared all, emerged- in the midst of the convoy and fired an qigi-th and a ninth. One struck forward and tho other aft. The crew of the submarine was captured, but her blow had been fatal. The rest'of the liner's c-ew were got safely away, and shortly before 1 p.m. she went down by the stern. The Justicia had the strongest dou-ble-bottom of any liner built, 11 watertight bulkheads, 9'' docks, 3 funnels, 3 propellers; she could carry 3000 passengers. Tho fiTst-class accommodation had several marble staircases. Ecr length was 770 feet and her beam EG feet. /•