ON THE SEA.
THE POMMERN AND FRAUENLOB. WERE NEW DREADNOUGHTS. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Rome, June 21. The Corriere Delia Sera says there is good authority for believing that the sunken Pommern and Franenlob were new Dreadnoughts of 35,000 tons, which wore named after smaller vessels previously sunk. THE El 4. IN THE SEA OF MARMORA. A KIPLING NARRATIVE Received June 22, 11.20 p.m. London, June 22. Mr. Rudyard Kipling, in a breezy narrative, details the adventures of the EM in the Sea of Marmora. In hunting grounds that were strewn with perils, in waters full of eyes that gave no rest to Commander Courtenay Boye, the ,KM proceeded to the Dardanelles under a ."as engine, which was as noisy as a full brass band in a railway cutting. T be forts quickly picked up' the sublimine, but the guns missed, and she lived under a minefield. She rose at dawn, at a place where the channel was only 1% miles across. All forts again fired at her. The water was thick with patrols, vigorously sweeping for submarines, but the El 4 managed to torpedo a gunboat.
The log says: "We had to dip quickly, m men on a small steamboat were leaning over, trying to catch the top of our periscope. Having settled the gunboat, the El 4 burrowed, bumped, aiftl scraped through for six hours of blind death, and reached the Sea of Marmora, where we picked up three destroyers that were convoying a couple of troopships. In the glassy calm the submarine fired, at long range, a torpedo at one of the transports, and ducked before we could judge of the results, as the periscope had been damaged by a casual shot, and it was impossible to risk our remaining periscope. However, we heard a thud, ar.n, rising again, -we saw a destroyer convoying a burning transport to the nearest.-beach "
When the transports were difficult to ■find, the El 4 sank a minelayer. The Kl4, however, was not unpopular. She let off a string of empty dhows, to the surprise of their occupants, and also did not trouble steamers full of refusees, instead of "Lusiianiaing" them as v;as expected. But the transports were fair game. Despite the necessity of not risking her remaining eye, the El 4 got a .big transport on, one windy night, and made another beach itself.
When lie had used up all his torpedoes Commander Boyle prepared to return. He was chased by a mixed pack, comprised of gunboats, torpedoers, and tugs, evidently anticipating that the submarine would be caught in the net at Gallipoli. The El 4 "walked" deliberately for eight hours down the Straits, underrunning strong tides, and ducking when fire from the forts was hurled at her.
EXPERIENCES OF THE Ell. STRENUOUS iTMES. IN THE SEA OF MARMORA. Keceivea June 23, 12.25 a.m. The submarine finally saw our navy at the entrance, and rose abeam of a French battleship, who gave the crew a rousing chetr. Th.ey had been away for three weeks. Com'manOi'r Naismith's Ell made a similar voyage up the Straits, but, unfortunately, her wireless gave trouble and left her deaf and dumb in the middle of the Sea of Marmora. She finally went <to Constantinople and sank a Turkish but a six-pounder smashed her periscope, so she had to retire and fit on a new top. When going to Rodosto she stopped a small vessel, and ordered the crew to abandon the ship. The men tumbled into the boats in such haste that the boats eapsied, two out of three, in confusion.
An American, named Silas Q. Swing, of the Chicago Sun, appeared on the upper-deck, and assured Commander Naisinith that the steamer was not carrying stores. The lieutenant, in charge of the demolition party, however, found any quantity of stores, including a sixinch gun, lashed across the top fore hatch, which Mr. Silas Swing had evidently overlooked. After torpedoing a heavily-laden slofeship near Rodosto pier, the submarine returned to Constantinople. The log records that having dived unobserved, the vessel went into Constantinople harbor, and saw etcetera ?
Mr. Kipling continues: Owing to difficulties of mud and currents the subi; .irine's adventures now resembled a lady of the harem tied in a sack and thrown in the Bosphorus. but before the ■ship returned to- the, has? ner crew rtsd discovered a method of using torpedoes twice over, which surprised the enemy. There was a thrilling adventure at the end of (he trip, oq Kill ed Bahr, when the submarine seemed to go mad. The log continues: "Wc heard a noise similar to grounding, but knowing that to be impossible we rose to twenty feet from the surface to investigate, and observed a large mine, preceding the periscope, and which was apparently, hung by its moorings, to part of a hydroplane. A mine weighs anything from a hundredweight' to half a ton, and sometimes explodes if you merely think about it. Otherwise, it submits meekly, if battered like an empty sardine tin, but at no time is it meant to wear upon a hydroplane. It was impossible to unhitch, owing to the fire from tho batteries ashore, so Nasmith pushed the mine until he got outside of Kum Dale. He thene went astern and emptied the after tanks, bringing the bows down. He thus rose to the surface, when a rush of water from the screws allowed the mine to fall, and so clear the vessel.
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Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1916, Page 5
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908ON THE SEA. Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1916, Page 5
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