HOW WAR-TIME MYSTERY SHIPS LURED U-BOATS TO DESTRUCTION.

Shannon News, 26 February 1929, Page 4

HOW WAR-TIME MYSTERY SHIPS LURED U-BOATS TO DESTRUCTION.

EPIC STORIES OF COURAGE TOLD BY COMMANDER.

Never surely, was warfare more exciting and more perilous than to th'o men of his Majesty's "mystery" ships. Actually the "mysterious'? stage in the career of these vessels did not last long, and once their real purpose leaked Out the "enemy became more wary than ever.-" Moreover, their record of destruction of submarines—--180 "mystery" ships accounted -for only 11 submarines from July, .1915, to November, 1918—suggested that the vital element of surprise bad been lost, long before the majority of these craft entered' the campaign. One unsucceeded action was enough to "call the bluff." ant! to warn submarine commanders of the danger of exposing themselves to a seemingly innocent and torpedoed "merchantman," abandoned by her crew. But before this stage was reached the game was full of high expectancy and thrills. It called for the finest 'discipline, courage, arid "team work" in British naval annals. Individual actions will go down in history as unexcelled in these respects. The submarine menace loomed gravely in 1917, when the Allies were losing 600,000 tons of shipping a month. ■lf England were not to be starved into surrender it was imperative to risk and dare everything to fight the insidious menace. The enemy was sinking everything. Why not decoy him into torpedoeing vessels that looked like helpless merchantmen, induce him to come up to secure the ship's papers as proof of his r work, arid then pour high explosive into hirn at short range? The idea was adopted, arid a fascinating record of the work of these ships has been written by Rear Admiral Gordon Campbell, V.C., D.S.O. ("My Mystery 'Ships," London, Hodder and StoughtOn). He sank three submarines, but at the last was so heavily shelled by a'too-wary German that the "mystery" ship fountieied while under tow back to port, and the submarine escaped. Disguising Ships.

In the fitting out of ships for decoy purposes the utmost ingenuity was employed. At all stages until the moment of action with the enemy, they were to all intents ordinary peaceful merchantmen. Infinite ruses and dis-: guises were adopted to disarm' su;» picion—dummy funnels and ventilatory changed positions for lifeboats, false flush decks, new paint and colours put an overnight, entailing an immense amount of work. By day, a generally steady course along a trade route was kept; it was changed back after sundown, a few dummies were removed, and colours of another line painted. About the ship were concealed guns, and at the decisive moment of action, walls, sides of deck houses, and hinged bulwarks would collapse to give unhampered fire.

To achieve success tremendous and intensive training was required; each man had to act the part down to the minutest detail. To add to the realism after, being attacked, the "abandon ship" was done in panic and contusion. At these moments the gunners and naval men remained silently hidden on board, or, perhaps, rigidly prone on deck, awaiting the signal for •fire action., Ashore or afloat, the civilian role had to be maintained, and the admiral himself was one arrested by the police at Queenstown because—being dressed in his skipper's "best" while walking in the naval dock yard —he was unable to produce his civilian's pass. The most apt description ho ever heard applied to the anti-sub-marine work by armed tramps and colliers was "live human bait." On numerous occasions these "mystery" ships were challenged by our own /.calous patrols, kept under observation and even stopped while abuse was hurled at distinguished naval commanders, until code signals secured their release. Two Successful Actions.

Two highly successful actions are related in detail, and form the most absorbing part of the story; the third was ah example of consummate bravery and discipline, but the ship's luck was "out." H.M.S. Q 5, alias Farnborough, alias Loderer (changed names wre part of the sump), was. on February 17, 1917, torpedoed while "homeward bound" off the South of Ireland. The "panic party" wore lowered "in a fashione enough to give any com-, mander seven fits": the ship began to settle down by the stern. The engine room flooded; the submarine- ' came up to inspect. Men hidden on board and feeling the ship going down, never moved a muscle. The submarine cruised round, watching to take the "panic boat master'' prisoner. She came close, broke surface, and the German captain appeared out of the conning tower. "At. this moment," says Admiral Campbell "I gave the order to fire. The White Ensign, fluttered at the masthead. Three 12-poundera,.a (>- pbunder, the Maxim guns and rifles, all opened fire together. The first shell hit the captain, and his submarine—the TJB3—never had a chance to escape. " The crew poured out, and the "panic party" rescued an offiecr and a man. That night, the submarine's companion (they often hunted in pairs) was hoard vainly seeking his mate, bv wireless. T n response to calls tor help, Q 5, after exciting adventures, was towed back, beached, and eventually salved. The crew was awarded £3OOO, and her gallant commander, the V.C. She* had previously disposed of : a submarine in tho Irish Sea. Ship Awarded V.C.

In another ship, H.M.S. Pargust, every endeavour was made to be torpedoed. Surely enough a "tin-fish" bit the ship, and flooded the engines, the explosion killing on<? of tho crew. After hovering about for half an hour, during the whole of which a forward

gun crew lay motionless face downward 0 on deck, the submarine—UC29 came abeam 50 yards away, and received a terrific fire as coops, walls and dis: guises clattered down, that she fell over and sunk in less than five minutes. Two Germans were rescued from the ice-cold waters. The Pargust was towed to Plymouth, the crew awarded another £IOOO, and the ship itself honoured with the V.C., for the first time in naval history, a ballot being held to determine who should wear the coveted distinction.

In the last action, luck was against the gallant admiral. His ship, the Dunraven, was fitted, in the then-ac-cepted mode of merchantmen, with an open defensive gun, besides others that were screened, as well as depth charges an dtorpedo tubes. He was attacked by a submarine, which shelled the vessel heavily,' and caused a fire aft. , This in turn made a heavy explosion, blowing up a gun's crew, and iStarting the open-fire gongs, so that the gun screens dropped. It was this misfortune that gave the show away. After a survey of the exposed armaments from a distance, the submarine torpedoed and pounded the Dunraven, while boxes of cordite and shells exploded and fire raged. Two torpedoes were fired at the German, but just missed. Signals for help'brought destroyers to the scene, and the Dunraven was taken in tow, with stern awash. The weather became bad, however, and. the next morning she sank with colours flying. Admiral Campbell's experience convinced him that it is a mistake to uss a new invention or surprise till th» thing can be worked on a big scaleWhatever new mysteries may be thought of in future, he declares, the Empire will always produce the men required.