ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1915, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

IN THE BALTIC. BRITISH SUBMARINES AT WORK. Received Oct. 14, fl.p in. Copenhagen, Oc't. 13. According to Swedish newspapers twelve British submarines are in the Baltic, and three are operating round Aeland One ordered the (Jerpian crew of the Walter Leonard to the Ijoats;,and then dynamited the vessel. IN THEIR OWN COIN. SINKING GERMAN STEAMERS. Received Oct. 15, 1.20 a.m. Copenhagen, Oct. 14. Ten German steamers are known to s have been sunk, and only nine out of twenty-sever! that are due liave arrived. FRENCH LINER SUNK. * Received Oct. 15, 1.20 a.m. Paris, Oct. 11. ! The Messageries-Maritime Company's\ steamer Yunuan has been torpedoed. .The crew were landed. j SUBMARINE BASE FOUND. Received Oct. 15, 12.1n a.m. New York, Oct. 14. A message from Athens states the British Agent there unearthed a submarine base in the Gulf of Nauplia, southwest of Greoce, from which it isbelieved the submarines that recently sank Allied transports got their supplies. Upon this discovery, the Greek authorities immediately seized Isu-ge quantities of peinilerun and other supplies. THE HERO OF THE ARABIC GALLANT DEEDS OF CAPT. i." FINCH. v FINE TYPE OF BRITISH SEAMAN.', The fine, seamanship of Captain;Firich, the commander of the torpedoed White Star liner Arabic, is the admiration of Liverpool, «cd Mr. Moore, secrei&ty

I tlie Imperial Merchant Service Guild, has made representations to the Admiralty that he should receive national recognition, Mr. Moore told a "Daily Mail" representative that Captain Finch's performance was marvellous. Seamen with half a century's experience are of opinion that nothing ifner has been performed at sea. Captain Finch has been in the service of the White Star Company more than a quarter of a century. As an officer he got his first experience in the tompany'a vessels maintaining the service across the iPaeific between San Francisco and China and Japan, lie is a lieutenantcommander 011 the retired list of the Royal Naval Reserve, his seniority dating from October 30, 1902, For gallantry at sea no commander has a liner record. Shortly after assuming the captaincy of the Cymric in IftOS, he rescued the crew of forty-one of the steamer St. Cuthbert in circumstances of great difficulty. The vessel was on fire during a blizzard, with the sea rising mountains high. Despite this, Captain Finch had a boat lowered and three journeys were successfully made tothe St. Cuthbert, the last six ltieiv, being taken off ten minutes before .fihn'-sank, Iu the days when he commanded vessels" in the Pacific lie was caught in a typhoon, and his skilful handling of his vessel, which was crowded with Chinese, students and American business men and tourists, was publicly recognised. The Chinese Minister to Washington gave Captain Finch a gold cup bearing the the arms of the Chinese Emperor. Captain Finch is as modest as he is brave. His only recreations when aphore are devising schemes to augment the funds of the charity for sailors lost at sea, and re-digging up the garden; at his home in Seacombe. ■ • ! CLOCK-WOEK RESCUES. Another passenger, Mr. W. Mason, a retired leather merchant, formerly of Bradford, but who had resided for two year in Ontario, said the deepest. im ; prcssion left on his mind was tie magnificent discipline of the ship's company, and the splendid work of rescue. "The moment the explosion occurred the officers and crew sprang to their posts and saw to the filling of the boats, which were lowered with machine-like precision. Nothing went amiss in this critical period, and we passengers are full o! gratitude to the captain, his officers, and crew for their grand work. "I saw the captain standing on the bridge as the vessel went down, and I am very glad that he was saved. Ke is a grand old man, cool and brave, and fitted to be captain of any vessel." The view of the Arabic's passengers is that Captain Finch manoeuvred his ihip with exceeding ability and coolness, and his bravery and resourcefulness earned the warmest praise from all in the Arabic's boats. He ashore with his leg injured, his clothes bedraggled and torn, but in the eyes of his passengers a hero. The Queenstown Town Council, at its weekly meeting passed a resolution extolling Captain Finch's seamanship, CAPTAIN'S NARRATIVE. SELF-SACRIFICE OF THE ENGINE■ROOM MEN. Captain Finch in his narrative of the sinking of the ship said twenty Victoria Crosses should be given to the Arabic's engine-room staff; they all were heroes a thousand times over; in fact the greatest coolness prevailed everywhere. Although he was on the bridge and saw the torpedo coming 30Ctft away, he did not see the submarine itself. The lifeboats and raits were ready ioi launching and lifebelts had been distributed when the danger zone was reached. The torpedo hit his ship at right angles. One of the boats was blown clean into the air. Fourteen were launched ahd two capsized. He stayed in the Bhip till she was going down, when he dived off, wa3 sucked down a great distance, and rose amid wreckage of all kinds. He got hold of a raft, helped two firemen and a woman with a baby on to it, and, tired out, had to wait for the rising swell of the sea to lift him on to the raft. He was twenty minutes in the water and one and a half hours on the raft before being taken into a boat. No intimation was given by the submarine. When struck he signalled to get the way off the ship by going astern. The heroes in the engine-room carried out his orders. • i THANES TO CAPT. FINCH. About 43 passengers and 200 members of the crew arrived at Liverpool on Saturday. All spoke in the highest praise of the coolness, courage, and resource of Captain Finch. "Only his fine seamanship and organisation saved so many," was the tribute paid by all to his heroism. About twenty-four passengers who arrived in London also> spoke highly of the captain. From the White Star oflfces in Liverpool the following telegram of appreciation was sent to him:— Please accept from the chairman, directors, and manager an expression of their profound admiration of the excellent discipline and exemplary conduct of all concerned, which has icsulted in minimising what might under other circumstances have proved to»be an infinitely greater calamity.