H.M.S. HAWKE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 4, 15 January 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

H.M.S. HAWKE.

ITOW SITE WENT DOWN. " V Thrilling stories are told by the 6Ur vivors of the British cruiser Hawke torpedoed by a German submarine ii the North When the order "A 1 hands on deck" was givtn, the crew a one survivor says. " lormed up as caJm ly as it on parade, 15 and tlie cap tail was standing 011 the bridge as lua veese went down. Captain Jack Cormack. master of th, Benrinnes, wa s fishing about fomteei or fifteen miles off Pet;rheackwbien 1 Norwegian steamer came ia.wfct an< reported the loss of t he cruise Ed ask ed him to take the airvivwfcvJo boanl 'Die men told Captain Cormack tha the Hawke had In en torpedo<ad.by t submarine and sank in five minutes They eaw the periscope of the sub marine, which disappeared immediate! after the explosion. The survivors cs cap d in a boat, which they believed t< be the only one got away. Hundreds oi men were seen struggling in the watei in cork jackets and hanging en to flouts and they could do nothing to (&t< them. The boat was overloaded. Tlx survivors had Ixsn in the open boat foi live hours. " We were steering northwards when ive were struck amidships," said ono o'J Ihe survivors, an able-bodied seaman, " It was on the starboard side and right aft of the fore funntj. The torpedo must have struck a ready magazine for a terrific explosion occurred and tho ship rose as if she had hit a rook. Everything was du-t, and fittings were sent flying about everywhere. "There- was 110 confusion. The offiJ cors behaved admirably, and so did the men, but there was little chance to do much for ourselves, admirably equipped as the Hawke was. She had ten life

boats a:;d I don't know how many piyy. visioned rafts. There was little jane to get thorn into the water, and as the Hawke swung over on ho.r beam the floats and the rafts could hardly bo lowered. The on? side of the ship w&f itsohss and the other was dangerous .Most of the boats were a« the} were swung overboard. ilie picket boat, tlie finest of the lot, was staved in and went down a second after touch, ing tlie water.

EVERY MAN FOR lIIMSELF.v:

"The skipper was o.i tlie had been all tlie morning. H&grife orders to lower tlie boats, andVjj» in» struetion was obeyed a.s prcrauSy" aa could be. But what could wo do? The I Hawke was standing at Cod knows what angle, and it was physically is*» fiossible to get the boats out then,. 'Every man for himself,' someone Bug out, and we were all over the rails S0 hard as we could. " When I canie on top after mt plunge 1 saw nothing hut a huge bank of smoke. The Hawke was don n, and all round were hundreds of struggling men—hands, arms, and faces bleeding, torn lti the desperate struggle to get overboard—shouting for assistance. In our boat were only a finv at first, but we rowed round and picked up as many as was possible until we oursehntfr-i#' the longboat were in danger of being swiunpcd. " Hanging about, and even whoa J OF" ing. it was bitterly cold. We waited help, nrd cum the submarine roaafcet more than 200 yards away. The- Norwegian vessel came and took a (ranch of u on board, towing the behind. Y\' e were more than grateful. It was tho most awful expoiienii;.!. have ever been through." "I was on tho forenoon watch, " aaid it stoker, "and th 0 lot of us were enjoying ourselves. Someone had struck up a chanty and everyone was joining in. when {lie Hawke was struck. 'WhfiW 1 she was hit I don't know, but the shook vibrated violently through the (hip, and immediately >h c (started canting over. I rushed for the Ladder, dropo* piiig my shovel, and made up for light as hard as ever I could.

BITTERLY COLD. "I snatched a lifebelt and plunged over the rail, and found myself along with dozens of others who had dM# the sail 10. When 1 came up the HattU wag settling down, and with'in'.JOW minutes she had disappeared- Mori the men must have been oi her whtO she settled. 1 struck out in Njobifiarly cold water, and after a fcnjifP noticed that one of the boats iijPWD successfully launched. It came' along how long after I can't say—at'id picked me up.

" \Ve rowed round for a time picking up men until ire wore overcrowded, snd all of us thou tore off our lifebelts and throw tlieni to the lad s in the w*tay but wo could <lo no more. I had only my si.ngl.t, troiii-ors. and a isweater OOi and most oi us wore only clad ill undafclothing. On tlic horizon £ boat that turned out to l>e a Nonr*"" gian, but she came along too late to bi> of much use. She took our lot hoard and a few more wore pie ked«PIt was then marly dark, so that *% if tist have boon in the boat about fiv* or six houiv. Afterwards a trawfef hovo in sight and wo wore transfer!*®, to her." *jSgg TORN FROM HIS CHILDREN.

Hie trail of the Uhlans has been oMt; of bloodshed and carnage, their cru#Wj;l;' to captives most horribly revottjM-.fr' •'ft a correspondent fiends a with a very human note. "At ft village near Audenarde, which I just visited, the people told in® there came to the village a partjßjPv I hlans. who continued their way ; the fighting line. Seven of them back two days later, but the eigW -aj others had in the meantime been killed. *9 'My children wer e at play.' said onewgß the villagers, 'and one of the Uhlans A;® large, bearded man, lifted of thiftjjfl on to his knee and wept. "I have fijPwH children of my own at home," he sMBsM ' Mould to God tlu.it T could have offiM of them on my knse now 1 Why nutroß

M hen a man celebrates his birthdsHl lie tak»\s a day off. M'hcn ft womtflU celebrates her birthday she takes a y«WB

A remarkable achievement was th*jsfl of Admiral JelUVoo fls a cacfot. Hlfl parsed out of the Britannia first over 100 marks, and took three for sub-keutenant. n