Baltic Submarines.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 20 July 1918, Page 3

Baltic Submarines.

END OF THE IK CAREER. BLOWN TJP TO AVOID CAPTURE. An account of the destruction of tbe British submarines in the Baltic early in. May, to save tliem from falling into the hands of the Germans, is given by tlie Petrograd correspondent of the "Morning l'ost." He says: In chargc at Hclsingfors was Lieutenant-Com-mander Downie. The task of destroying some £15,000,000 worth of British (4oveminent property to save it from the Germans, who had already landed at Hungo, was his last sad duty there. He was assisted by the senior torpedo rating, Petty Officer Simms, an old naval man who has been on submarine work all through this war. It was Simms who, as leading torpedo operator in the submarine commanded by that daring officer Dobson, had the honour of firing the torpedo in the North Sea early in the war which sank the German submarine U23. • The system devised by the British Navy was then new, and some uncertainty was felt as to whether submarines could be counted on to combat submarines.

The Germans landed a division at Mango and seized Ekenas, utilising Finnish White Guards as an advanec force and were pushing forward towards llcl-' singfurs. It was decided*. therefore, to put the British property to the bottom. To destroy seven submarines effectually with barge and stores is a heavy task for a score of men and could only bo done piecemeal. Experts, all alike new to this unusual manoeuvre in the British !>favy, discussed ways and means, ft was finally decided to blow up the !.oat,s several at a time. The first batch if four went out, one under its own engines, others in the wake of a tug. Well out to sea, some five miles outside the islands off Hclsingfors, they were Ifjslied together alongside. Details of the explosive methods are interesting, but rather technical. The detonation was arranged, of course, by electricity, but to make assurance doubly sure the ordinary lifrjssian slow match was used, three lengths joined together to give about 20 minutes' law, and so give time to get far enough away to escape the effects of the devastation. When all was ready Commander Downie, Petty Ofticcr Simms, and the torpedo staff slipped aboard the tug, which promptly made off at full speed to a respectful and safe distance. The result of the explosion was curious. One boat went up with an appalling roar, followed after an interval by a second. Then came an awful pause, with two boats still intact. Time was given, but nothing happened. It becamo necessary to board these craft and make an examination at the imminent risk of going aloft at any moment. The torpedo staff went aboard first one then the other of the recalcitrant suicides. On both, marvellous to say, every lamp was still burning, and, notwithstanding the force of- the tremendous explosion, which caused a shock i ashore in Ifelsingfors many miles away, these submarines appeared to have felt absolutely nothing although only a fewfeet away. In one case a fault was discovered in the connections, but in the other it was only possible to conjecture that the detonation had acted more quick*' than (lie electric current could pass.