BEWITCHED U-BOAT.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 May 1918, Page 8

BEWITCHED U-BOAT.

FORCED TO SUBUESTDEK BY MYSTERY LEGHTSSEP.' MrH. Warnor Al!en. writing from Italy, tel'a a submarine story for which no sailor can vouch, but which, he says, seems to have some foundation in fact, and is certainly very good. One dav a U-boat torpedoed a merchantman. Sigh, ting a British destroyer coming up at lull speed, she made off as fast as she could below the surface, taking her bearings from a lightship before submerging. Depth charges dropped hy the destroyer exploded in unpleasant prosiimity, but the Germans were lucky, and after a time they seemed to have reached safety. The captain, however, held on submerged on the same course for some time. Then he came up again, hoping to find himself without a sail in sight. To his horror, he found the same lightship and the same destroyer as near him as ever. Again taking his bearings frem the lightship, he submerged with all speed, and set out once more on the same course. Again the destroyer made herself unpleasant, and again the U-boat was lucky. Once more the German came up to see where he was, and again he found the lightship in the self-same position, while the same destroyer was after him again. How long this tragiccomedy continued history does not relate, hut when, at last, after trying his utmost, the German commander found that he could not get away from the lightship and had exhausted his accu- | mutators, he surrendered, convinced that there was magic in it. Only thea did he learn the truth. The lightship was being towed from her station for overhaul and refit under escort of a destroyer.