THREE-HOUR FIGHT WITH UBOAT.

Taihape Daily Times, 6 December 1917, Page 6

THREE-HOUR FIGHT WITH ÜBOAT.

FRENCHMEN’S HEROIC STAND. The little French sailing ship Kleber has been mentioned in Army orders and the crew have been decorated in recognition of a great fight with and escape from a German submarine after as heroic a struggle as was ever fought at sea. The Kleber, a three-master of 277 tons, employed on coasting work, recently left England for La Rochelle, and was off Morbihan on September 7 when a large submarine opened fire. The skipper, an old salt named La Fauve, promptly tried to get the protection of the shore, while the submarine, like von Spee in the Pacific, sought the advantage of the setting sun. But the French gunners returned the fire, and the submarine was forced to dive. Twenty minutes.later the U-boat reappeared and firing began again. The Kleber was struck several times and the skipper killed, and the chief gunner, a youth of 19 named Jain, knocked over by the concussion of a passing shell. i a 4^ The mate, Plessix, decided to keep on board only the men necessary for the gun, and he ordered six others to take to two little boats which had been launched > Before they could do so he was mortally wounded. The boatswain, Mounier, ' now took com-

.nand, and the two boats, with four in one and two in the other, left the ship. Seeing this the submarine made towrads the first boat and took the four Frenchmen on to its deck. The U-boat then steered for the Richer, probably expecting to find on board only dead and wounded. As a matter o ffact Mouuier was the only unwounded man, but Baziilo, a gunner, although” injured, was still at the gun, and was soon rejoined by Jam, who had retired to bandage his wound They saw the submarine approach; they saw their comrades on its deck as hostages.

GRIM CHOICE. It was a tragic choice, but they did not hesitate. The U-boat fired as it came near. When about 300 yards away the Kleber’s gun again began to bark. But the gunner had received another wound, and it was Mounier who fired the last of the 160 to 200 shots exchanged during a fight of three hours. The shot caused the submarine to dive so suddenly that a German and the four Frenchmen were thrown into the sea, eventually reaching a small boat which was adrift. The Kleber meanwhile disappeared in the growing darkness and made sail towards Groix, arriving at one in the morning. Six hours later her two boats arrived. They had been again caught by the submarines, which had risen to search for the missing German. The U-boat commander, probably appreciating the heroic spirit which had inspired the sailors’ conduct, contented himself on this occasion with ordering the boats to get out of the wmy. The homage of the Republic to these gallant seamen was paid when M. Poincare at Lorient decorated the mate, Mounier, with the Cross of the Legion of Honour, and pinned the Military Medal on the breast of several sailors.