ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 May 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

THE POLA HARBOUR INCIDENTS, LONDON, May 17. The Daily Telegraph's Milan correspondent states that a motor, boat car-, rying Pelligrini and three others entered Pola harbour stealthily at night. Their light draught enabled the boat to pass over submarine mines, but steel nets and many surface mines, endangered the Channel. The boat rapidly approached the dreadnought and fired two"torpedoes. Seaplanes saw both hitting. No news has been received of Pellegrini or his companions, but there is little doubt as to their fates. CHECKMATING THE U-BOATS. PARIS, May IS. Admiral Wilson, commanding the American naval forces in French waters, states that as a result of the Franco-American anti-submarine warfare, there were no torpotioings in February and April in waters which American warships were operating as compared with thirty-four in October, 1917. NARROW ESCAPE OF AMERICAN TRANSPORT LONDON, May IS. It has been stated by official sources that 12 U-boats were sunk in British waters by British- and American destroyers during April. Two other U-boats are also known to be sunk, one while attacking a convoy which was going to Holland. The other rose up between two American transports carrying troops to France, and her torpedo missed a transport by a few feet. The U-boat was destroyed by depth-bomb from a destroyer. BRITISH DESTROYER SUNK. LONDON, May 18 The Admiralty reports that a British destroyer was torpedoed and sunk on the 14th inst. Two men were killed as the result of an explosion. STiRRING DEEDS OF BRITISH : SUBMARINES. LONDON, May- 18. The Admiralty, lifting the veil on. the operations of British submarines in the Baltic, relate many stirring deeds showing how our our boat§ were continually attacking and destroying enemy war craft, while they kept a watchful eye on the movements of the German fleet. Their Avcrk was so effective that finally German ships' were kept in harbours as soon as a British submarine was reported. Not a single case can be alleged cf a British, submarine sinking merchantmen on sight. Merchantmen were, invariably boarded in an orthodox manner, and the crews given plenty of time, in which to abandon the vessels. They were directed to the nearest port, cr escorted to a neutral vessel. Official documents of our submarines' doing;leave a profound impression""or the perserverance and skill with which tbe crews carried on. The passage into the Baltic was most difficult, owing to a very close watch being kept. Our submarines resorted to numerous rnses or waited until they could follow surface craft and run the' gauntlet

Submarine Commander Goodheart espied an enemy battleship escorted by destroyers. He fired, and observed the flash of the explosion along the water-line. When the submarine rose again, the ship was gone, her destruction being instantaneous. It was the battleship Prinz Albert. Another submarine sighted a light cruiser of the Ancona class, and fired a torpedo, hitting the cruiser forward. The cruiser was apparently out of control, and swung round in a large circle, and then stopped, with fire bursting from her decks. An escorting destroyer attacked the submarine, but the latter evaded her and fired a second torpedo. It got the cruiser amidships, her magazine blowing up, and large masses of iron and wreckage falling aiound the submarine, which, before submerging, observed the cruiser's crew assembling on the poop. They were later rescued by a large German ferry boat.

As regards the operations against merchant vessels, the following is typical. A submarine sighted and chased a steamer from Hamburg, laden with vood. She was signalled to stop, and was boarded. The crew was ordered to leave, and subsequently the seacocks were opened, a charge exploded, and the ship sunk. Meanwhile a Hamburg-Amerika liner was sighted, proceeding without lights. A boarding party overhauled her, and found that she was laden with iron ore for Stet. tin. So quickly did the crew abandon the ship that interrogations could not be continued. This ship was sunk in a similar manner to the first one, after which, within a few hours, two more were similiarly despatched. On the following day the commander reported that all German traffic had entire. ly ceased.