On the Sea

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 87, 12 August 1915, Page 5

On the Sea

THE Ell’s “TIN FISHES.”

RECORD OF BRITISH SUBMARINE

United Press Association. Loudon, duly 2

The story of the cruise of .submar- , me Ell iu the Sea of .Marmora, which | won for Lieutenant-Commander Naswith the Victoria Cross, and tor each member of the crew the D.C3L> has yet to be d«ne justice to in print, but a letter from one of the crew, which recently reached England, gives a very breezy and interesting outline of what occurred during that perilous and eventful voyage. He says:— “We left ImtbrosOne morning about three o’clock, and steamed towards the Dardanelles, and dived as day was breaking, and—well, got through The Narrows O.K. Arrived the other side, and saw two battleships. We were getting ready to torpedo one of ’em, when they spotted us. opened lire on us, and nipped—bunked—run away! We then journeyed on for a mile or two, and then went to the bottom and rested until about S p.m. Came Up ’twas dusk, so we looked round—nothing in sight; broke surface and entered the Sea of Marmora. Bumped round for a few days without sighting а, thing until the Sunday morning, when we saw a big gu it boat, and at б. a.m. we gave her a tin fish; by 6.30 a.m. she was no more. But just before she • sank, while listing over, they opened fire on ns; the second shot hit our periscope and ‘done it in.’ That gunner must have been a cool card, eh?”

The result of the. “cool card’s” shot was no doubt the reason of the Turkish claim to have sunk a submarine about this time. But the “done in” periscope was the only damage the shot did, and that must soon have been replaced, for the sailor’s narrative proceeds thus: — GOOD HUNTING. “On the ]\lon,c|ay, aye sighted,, H, steamer, came to the surface alongside her, and told her to stop, stopped. and the men were so anxious to get clear tjliat ope, .boat, lives lost., \ i ahkce‘’ ‘correspondent aboard win tidied ip . nq-gp^tV tho’,l. ’cos an te|hce»* Jdjdj |two Ji_ boarded he;, and f-jhg a six-inch gun, f^lV»3VV >U I ™ip. « ml | 'aboard, so we mew her up. hew numitgs. .tf told her ,to sto[>— she woulcfn t; chased and when she was secured alongside the pier we torpedoed her. Soon after we sighted another steamer. Chased her until she ran ashore. We were about to board her when some cavalry came up, and .opened fire | wo replied, and dropped uv, lew, and thendived and torpedoed Ti '■ i • i lil «« .t». x .the ship. ; . “Next da.t, Tuesday, our skipper decided on entering Cnnstaiiti.uupim To make a long story short, we got into the harbor kvithput inisliaji[d;l two torpeddes, one of transport loaded with other ( PjXplocled on the shore-jigojjte-where’ Wq learned afterwards- that it caused .some panic. Thj? troops refused to 1 go: on auotlier, trahspfmt,, the shops closed, tjj> ! the hills; in fact, it; caused an uproar for a time.”

TRANSPORT SNIPING. This was indeed “good hunting,” but some blank days ensued, or things happened concerning which the submarine’s crew were cautioned to “keep dark,” for it Was not until Friday that the under-water, craft recommenced its work of destruction. Our narrator continues:—

“On Friday morning we saw five transports escorted by destroyers. We bagged the first and biggest one, which sank in about three minutes. A few days later we went back to our old corner, where we sank those other three! aiid caugl* a supply ship napping. A few days later we torpedoed a German transport, and then we got no more blood for a time, until last Monday morning on our way back, just before entering The Narrows, we sank another transport. That was our farewell smack. “When we broke surface that evening we found a mine hanging over our bows. Chucked it off as quick as poss., when our escort came up, gave us three cheers, and off wo went. When we entered the harbor it w'as dark. Had it been daylight, the admiral would haye made us stei\m round the fleet. All the ships we passed as we were making for the Adamant cheered us.”

The Ell “bagged” nine enemy ships in the course of ton or twelve days, which is a record of which her commander and crew may well be proud. There were no innocent merchantmen among their victims. " another neutral sunk. ?■' ;,i Unitep Press Association. Amsterdam, August 11. Another Norwegian steamer has been sunk. 'Phe crew was rescued alter being nine hours and a hall in the boats.

TH£ SUUMARSNE MENACE-

FIXED WITHIN DEFINITE LIMITS (Received 8.50 a.m.l New York, August IT. The Herald’s London naval correspondent says it is beginning to be recognised that there were substantial grounds for Hr Churchill s (statement that the submarine menace is fixed within definite limits.

The Tribune’s correspondenit declares that although it was made known that Germany had thrown into the blockade of the United Kingdom submarines of better type, they d° n °t appeal' to be giving increased effectiveness. British naval experts and nunlisters now scoff at their efforts to cut off England's supplies.

ESCAPE OF AN EMDEN OFFICER.

London, August 10

Paris learns that Captain Lanterbach. second in command of the Km-

den. has escaped from interment at Singapore, and has reached Batavia,

THE SUNKEN Tl/RKISH CRUISER.

Athena, August 11

New from, official sources states that the greater part of the Hairredin Barhosse’s crew were drowned.

THE RECENT BALTIC SMACK-UP.

Amsterdam, August 11

Berlin alleges that the Baltic action was merely a reconnoisance to ascertain the position of the mines. Two small mine-sweepers were lost.