FIGHTING U-BOATS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 October 1917, Page 1

FIGHTING U-BOATS.

~ SO MH I NTH RUST IN G DHTAILS. The billowing incidents taken from Admiralty records and cabled to Australian newspapers recently, are illuminaiing as showing the growing success ol the offensive measures against submarines. The first story concerns one ol our naval auxiliary iorees which was struck by a torpedo in the engine-room, flooding several com-

partments Then the periscopes and conning tower of a submarine appeared. We fired, hitting both peiiscopes. Many other bits were observed. Several men came out ofa hatch abaft the conning Iqwer. The submarine wallowed along with her stern almost submerged, and oil squirting .out Irom her sides. The eiew waved in token of surrender. We ceased lire, whereupon the submarine started ofi at a fair speed. We tired again, and the enemy fell on h-rsideand'slowly di-'-inneared end up.

One of our small craft sighted a submarine 10,000 yards away. The enemy came near, and suddenly submerged. Shortly afterwards a periscope appeared close on the starboard bow for a few seconds, and then again disappeared. We ported the helm, circled round, and dropped two explosive charges, causing two explosions, the latter sinking us from stem to stern. The water was blackened over a large area, and a considerable quantity ot thick oil and flotsam came to the surface. One of our submarines saw an enemy submarine two miles off to starboard. We dived. The enemy altered his course, and we lost him ; but, bis apparent objective being conjectured, we steered on the chance of cutting him 'off. Then we picked him up on our port bow, steering as we bad surmised. We fired a torpedo, and a few seconds later the enemy was seen with his stern out of the water, surrounded by smoke. His conning tower was half submerged, and a minute afterwards lie disappeared. A seaplane seeing a submarine manoeuvring to fire a torpedo at a merchantman, descended to the spot where the submarine had submerged. The seaplane dropped three bombs. Five minutes later a large upheaval, like a huge'bubble rising above the sea level, was noticed where the bombs had been dropped. There was 110 further sign of the submarine. A patrol vessel noticed a considerable foam travelling parallel with her. .She crossed the foam wake and dropped a bomb on the most likely spot and then another. Two more patrol craft arrived and also dropped bombs. Thick brown oil rose to the surface for twelve hours a Iter wards. One our naval forces bearing gunfire steered for the position, sighted a submarine, and fired and hit her. A large explosion resulted. Nothing more was seen ol the enemy. Two submarines attacked a defensively- armed vessel. One fned a torpedo at close range, but missed. The ship then sank the submarine. The other attacked, but was damaged and driven off. Another defensively armed vessel encountered a submarine. The ship fired, hitting the submarine twice, and causing her to disappear vertically. The sea appeared to boil a considerable time after.