CANADIAN HOSPITAL SHIP.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1918, Page 3

CANADIAN HOSPITAL SHIP.

SUNK WITHOUT WARNING

fAUSTRALIAN it N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION]

LONDON, July 1. The Press Bureau states that Ger- : J many’s awful debt to the world contain* ' ues to grow. Another hospital has been torpedoed. This time 170 miles from nearest land, her peoplo being turned adrift in boats to sink or swim, and though, as happened, she was a- Canadian hospital ship returning from Halifax with no wounded aboard. The tale of crime reveals wanton deliberation on the part of tho submarine commander, almost suggesting that she hoped to find her full of the helpless and injured men. Th© Llandovey Castle, was chartered by th© Canadian Government, to convey sick and wounded from England to Halifax and had on hoard at the time eighty members of medical corps, includ ing seven officers. The Lliandovey Castle was steaming fourteen knots, the usual navigation regulation for a hospital ship with all lights showing. There was an overcast sky. She was plainly visible and unmistakeable for anything but what she was. The ship was immune by every law of war and peace from attack or molestation. No one aboard saw th:- , wake of the torpedo. Tho first intimation that a submarine was in the vicinity was the jar and roar of an explosion from aft, then the lights went out, and everything after that occurred in 1 darkness, except for a dim light shed « by an emergency dynamo, until just be- 1 fore tliet ship foundered. The engines ( were immediately rung to stop, then full j speed astern, but from the engine room came no answer. The ships' rehearsed routine however held good, for with ‘ the Germans, one must lie prepared for 1 every such emergency. Along the dark- s ened decks the crew groped their way v to the boat stations, and stood by for { orders to leave. The captain mega- j phoned from the bridge: “Hold on till the way is off the, ship.” The carpenter went aft and examined the da- c mage. The Marconi operator remain- n ed in his cabin vainly striving to trails- t] tnit the ship’s position but gained no H response. ' tl : „ v FURTHER PARTICULARS.

U-BOAT COMMANDER

TRIES TO GIVE REASON

fAUSTRALIAN it N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION']

(Received this day at 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 2. The carpenter reported the hold aft was blown in, and that the ship could not remain afloat. Tho order was then given to lower the boats and nbandon the ship. The officer commanding the Canadian Medical Corps reports that all his people are out. This is important, —in as much as only the captain’s boat has been picked up. Except for any of the ship’s company or engine room crew kill ed by the torpedo, it is clear everyone got away. , The Captain and Second Officer entered the last boat and got clear, just in time to avoid being sucked under, ns the vessel’s stern went down. One boiler seemed to explode ns the water reached it. The ship sank in ten minutes from the time she was torpedoed. The Captain’s boat rescued eleven from the wreckage. 'When the submarine was seen she hailed the boat'in English with “Come alongside.” The Second oilier replied: “We are picking up a drowning man.” A voice from the submarine replied: “Come alongside.” The boat held on its course, but two revolver shots were fired over it, the Commander of tho submarine shout, ing “Come alongside or I will shoot niy big gun.” - The boat obeyed and the captain was ordered aboard the submarine, and questioned regarding the name of tile ship. The Commander did not appear surprised when told it was a hospital ship. He said: “You were carrying eight American flying officers.” This the Ouptairi denied, stating he had seven Canadian medicals aboard the ship which was chartered by the Canadian Government to carry Canadian sick and wounded. .

Replying to the Commander’s reiterated statement that tho vessel was carrying American flyers, the Captain gave his word of honour that the steamer only carried patients, medicals, sisters and crew. Tho Commander of the submarine then ordered one of the Canadian medicals on board who was roughly handled by the Germans and he had a small bone in his foot broken. He was interrogated and protested his character ns a medical and was then ordered back into the boat with the Captain. The submarine then circled round wreckage and again stopped the boat and questioned the second and fourth officers. They then invented a new ex. cose, stating, the vessel must have been carrying munitions owing to the explosion aft. The Second Officer explained that the explosion was due to the boiler. They were then allowed to return to tiio. boat and the submarine began firing at an unseen target, possibly another boat. The Captain decided to make for the Irish Coast and had proceeded TO miles when he was picked up by a destroyer and brought to Queenstown.

“ LEAVE NO TRACE.”

INHUMAN GERMANS

(Received This Day at 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, July 2. The survivors of the Llandovcr Castle believe the German submarine charged amidst the wreckage trying to sink the boats in order that no trace of the outrage might remain. They only missed the surviving boat on two occasions by two feet.

The survivors say it. is evident, that the German commander'9 aim was to ram the boat and drown the lot. The wireless operator did everything to send a “ 5.0.5.” message, but even the emergency dynamo was useless. The operator stuck to his post to the cud, and was drowned.