BIG GUNS IN ACTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1915, Page 11

BIG GUNS IN ACTION.

GREAT ACCURACY OP FIRE., MANY MEMORABLE SCENES. A SUBMARINE HUNT. Some impressions of the share which heavy guns are taking in the Dardanelles campaign are given in a letter written by private Arthur Cavell from Malta, after several months' service on a hospital ship. Private Cavell is a son of Mr. A. Cavell, inspector of post offices, Wanganui. According to his letter, his company left Alexandria in the troopship Kingstonian on May 10. Two days later the steamer arrived off Cape Helle3, and n 'Shtfall anchored close in shore. "We crept on and on until it seemed that we were in the middle of a ring of flame. The rigging wis dark with men, every soldier carried away by the feeling of the immensity and {rightfulness of the scene. On tho shore, about half-a-mile distant, twinkled the myriad lights and camp fires of the French, Indian, and British camps. All around us, some hugging the shore on both sides of the point, and others standing well out to see, our battleships lay, visible only for seconds as they belched forth their broadsides. Directly ahead, about three-quar-ters of a mile away, a terrible battle was in progress. Everywhere along the many ridges and hills, our batteries loomed and flared, while the enemy's shrapnel seemed to fall like rain, lighting up the rugged country. There were hundreds of guns firing from the warships, and many more from the batteries. In addition to the noise of the heavy guns, there , was the continuous crackle of rifle fire, and the louder rattle of the machine-guns. We were among some of the largest battfeships, and our ship shook and shivered as each gun was fired. Three ideas were very "prominent in one's thoughts. One wondered low it was possible for men to live and to fight in the midst of such an inferno of bursting shells and hail of lead; one wondered how it was that such a terrible thing as war was allowed to be, and one thanked God that there was such a thing as the British Navy." TURKISH MOSQUE SPARED.. The accuracy of the artillery fire greafcly impressed Private Cavell. He describes the shelling of a village, which he witnessed from the deck of a hospital ship on May 17. "The warships had spotted something going on in a village five or six miles away on the hills to out left," he writes. "Broadside after broadside was fired," he continues, "until through the glasses we could see that the village had been blown to pieces. We were surprised at the great accuracy of fire. We could see the shells bursting ail round a certain white speck, evidently a tower, yet never hitting it. We were afterwards told that the white speck was a mosque, and was, therefore, not injured. We also saw some work by heavy Turkish guns. Suddenly two huge columns of water shot up between our boat and another transport. About three minutes later, two more shells fell near one of the warships. The next two appeared to land immediately in front of the nose of the warship, which commenced to move verv slowly astern. It had moved barely its own length, when two huge columns shot up just where it had been a minute or so before. The warship continued to move, and twice more the same thing happened. She was evidently trying to draw the fire' while the'oth'er battleships observed. In the meantime a captive balloon had gone up. Evidently the desired information was obtained, for two warships poured in a perfect hail of big shells. We could not see the result, because the target was evidently over the other side of the chain of ridges. The various warships kept up an intermittent fire during the night, while the destroyers, scenting something on the lints near the ben oh. nosed iheir way right in shore, and banged away every now nn then with their quick-firers. They reminded one of a -cunning boxer, sneaking in, stealthily, several quick and cunning blows, and then just as suddenly a dash back out of range,'' DESTROYERS AXI) SUBMARINE. The presence of an enemy submarine vvns reported on several occasions, and immediately every transport and hospital ship bolted for shelter to the Island of lmbros, a few miles away. One incident of the kind is described by Private Cavell. "About ten o clock on May !il an aeroplance came tearing up from I 'ape Ilellcs and began circling round and round us and the other boats moored near by. Then all the ships started steaming round in circles, while guns were run out and manned. A few destroyers were handy at the time, and these began tearing up and down in wide curves, crossing and re-crossing their own and one another's wakes and cutting through the sea like mad things. Like flashes the tore past, now coming straight towards us, a knife edge crowned with foam, now disappearing, a black mark at the end of a white track. On the horizon, from all sides, more destroyers came dashing, until about a dozen were engaged in the fun. It was all the world like a hunt, with n wireless message taking the place of a horn in warning the hounds that there was fun afoot. For several hours this went on, but the destroyers made off one by one, until only the first two or three were left. Once more a submarine had managed to sneak away. All this happened within a couple of hundred yards of the spot, now marked with a flag, where the Triumph was torpedoed a few days before."