THE U BOAT CAMPAIGN

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 8 June 1917, Page 1

THE U BOAT CAMPAIGN

HOW THE MONGOLIA ACCOUNTED FOR ONE BOAT. America went frantic with the wildest delight when the welcome news arrived that Uncle Sam had fired the opening shot of the war with remarkable success, for a brilliant pot-shot from an American gun manned by American gimnprs on an American merchantman had sent to the bottom or the North Sea a Germau submarine 311st as the U boat, I,oooyds away, was about to r.uil u torpedo into the merchantman's vitals. The ship which thus' boasts of being the first of Uncle Sam's maritime traders to sink a U boat is Mongolia, 13,638 uns, of the International Mercantile Marine Company's fleet, which sailed from an American port on April 7 with a crew of 146 men and an American gun crew of 18 men. Sixtyseven Americans were included 111 her crew. The Star-spangled Banner fluttered from her mast as the liner complacently nosed her way into a British port on April 25. Tc Anjerican newspaper men greeting him at the pier her skipper, Captain Emery Rice, formerly of San Francisco, told the ttory of the exploit that is destined to become history. Throughout !the evening crowls of curious Englishmen lined the dock, gazing admiringly upon the gallant guest that had fired the first shot in America's war on thf si-la of the Allies. CLEAN HIT AT I.OOOTDS. Tnc day of the Mongolia's feat was April 19. anniversary of the battle of Lexington, wneu the first shot waß fired in the American revolution. Ho declared that there was absolutely no doubt that the U boat was hit, and thta there was every reason to believe that it was destroyed. The naval gimners on board made a clean hit at I,oooyds. The periscope was seen to be shattered. Even more pertinent a fact was that the shell disappeared immediately after the first hit was made. The captain stated that a shell always ricochets in the water, and can be seen again unless it finds its mark. Oil was also seen on the water after the submarine disappeared. TRIED TO RAM DIVER. The Mongolia was going at full speed, and was a v long distance away when 'he spray and foam subsided, but from the bridge the officers observed the spot through their glasses, and they arc confident the submarine was sunk. The periscope was sighted dead ahead on the last afternoon cf the voyage. The captain gave the crder for full speed ahead, with the intention-of ramming the submarine. The periscope disappeared, and a few minutes later reappeared on the ship's broadside. The gunners fired,

hitting the periscope squarely and throwing i up a mountain of water. Captain Rice paid t a. high tribute to the gunners and to the manner in which they were handled by iheir 1 offieer. He said: 1 For five days and "nights I hadn't had my clothes off, and we kept a big foice of look-outs on duty all the time. Jfc was \ about 5.20 o'clock in the afternoon cf the i 19th that we sighted the submarine. The officer commanding the gunners was with i me on the bridge, where, iu fact, we had • been the most of the time throughout the voyage. There was a haze over ihe sea at the time. We had just taken a sounding, for we were getting near sballow water, and we were looking at the Irad when the first mate cried: " There's a submarine off the port bow." BROADSIDE ATTACK. The submarine was close to us—too close,in fact, for lieF purposes—and she was submerging again in order to manoeuvre in a better position for torpedoing as when we sighted her. We saw the periscope go down and the swirl of the water. "" I quickly ordered the man at the wheel to pull it to starboard, and we swung the nose of the ship toward the spot where the submarine had been seen. We '\\ ere going at full speed ahead, and two minutes after we first sighted the TJ boat it emerged again' about I,oooyds off. Its intention probably had been to catch us broadside on, but when it appeared we had the stern gun trained full on it. The lieutenant gave the command, and the big gun boomed. We saw the iieriscopc shattered and the shell and the submarine disappeared. - I can't speak too highly of the cool manner in which the lieutenant handled the gunners. It was a fine exhibition of the efficiency of American naval men. We did not stop to reconnoitre after the incident, but steamed away at full speed, for it was not improbable'that j there was anotlier submarine about. The j one we got undoubtedly had been lying.on the bottom at the spot waiting for" the ship, and came up when it heard cur propellers.- That's about all the story, excepting this: The gunners had named the guns on board the Mongolia, and the one ' which got the submarine was called Theodore Roosevelt; so "Teddy" fired the first gun of the war after all. RICE A FIGHTER AND FINE SAILOR. Captain Emery Rice was one of the brslknown sailormen in the transportation service on the Pacific Ocean. His character was summed up on the San Francisco waterfront —where he is almost worshipped for his geniality—when the principal remark henrd . after the news of the sinking of the TJ boat by Rice's command, the Mongolia, was: "Just like Rice. He's a fighter. He never • would let any German submarine get away with him." This was the identical saying of Captain Andrew Dixon, with whom Rice served as first officer of the Manchuria. Rice was born in Boston less than 40 years ago, and came out io the Pacific Coast. v--neu a young man. He took a job out of Seattle, and was second and first officer of fee old Olympia for some time. He actually entered the service of the Pacific Mail 14 years ago. His rise thcu 'was rapid. After making several runs on the Manchuria as first officer he was given command of the China. Later he was promoted to be commander of the Mongolia in place of Captain Harry Morton, who went to Europe to take command of the Duke De Montpensier's yaohfc in 1912. Rice took the. Mongolia east when she was sold to the International Mercantile Marine in 1915, and has since beeu in command of her on the Atlantic Ocean scivice; The scenes in the streets when the news came there of the Mongolia's gunners sinking the Hun boat were of the most inspiring character. The evening newspapers rushed " extras" directly the intelligence was flashed from London, and the papers sold like wildfire. Further editions were bought eagerly for fuller particulars. It was the chief topic of discussion up and down the Pacific Coast all day. [The latest cable reports that two Ameri-

can nurses were killed through the bursting of a shell while watching gun practice aboard the Mongolia on her return vovage to England.—Ed E.S.] April 26. .