HUGE LINER SUNK.
GUNNERS EIGHT U-BOAT FLOTILLA HUN CREW CAPTURED. The third largest Jincr. the Jusiieia, .''•21,000 tons, wtas -sunk close to the Northern Irish coast on Saturday, July 20 (says the London Daily Mail), after one of the most extraordinary sea fights of the war. Once more gunners and crew behaved with great valor. The Justicia was being built at Eelfast when the war broke out by Messrs Harland and Wolff. Called the Statendam, she was intended for the HollandAmerika Line, but she was completed for the Admiralty last year and was being worked by the White Star Line as a transport. She was outward bound and had no troops. Of a crew of about 500, 11 were killed. The German attack was systematic. From 3 to S U-boats are mentioned as having taken part. The fight began at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and lasted intermittently until Saturday morning. The vessel sank at 1 p.m. after 9 torpedoes had been discharged. The first torpedo was seen coming on Friday afternoon. The gunners were at their stations but could not prevent it from striking. It crashed through into the engine-room, where an engineer officer and 10 others were killed. The liner quivered, stopped dead, and took a slight list. Destroyers which accompanied her raced to attack the enemy and dropped many depth charges, while patrol boats stood by the liner and a naval tug took her in tow.
DEAD SHOT AT TORPEDO. At about 5 p.m. t'be second and third torpedoes were fired, but both missed, one passing ahead and the other aft. About two hours later a fourth was seen coming. When it got close a gunner in the Justicia fired and, with extraordinary aim, hit it clean. It exploded without further hurt to the ship. All was quiet till about 10 p.m., wlien a fifth torpedo was sighted. The gunners fired immediately, placing shots so near that it was deflected and missed. Most of the crew had by this time been transferred to other ships, which remained near the liner all night. _ _ On Saturday morning the Justicia was well on her way to port, but towards 8 a.m. the gunners were again hard at work. A sixt'h. and seventh torpedo went past. Two hours later a submarine dared all, emerged in the midst of the convoy and fired an eighth and a ninth. One struck forward and the other aft. The crew of the submarine was captured, hut the blow had been fatal The rest of the liner s crew were got safely away, and shortly bofore l"n.m. she went down by the stem. The Justicia had the strongest doublebottom of an liner built. 11 water-tig i • bulkheads, 0 decks, 3 funnels, 3 propelilors; she could carry 3000 passengers. ! The first-class accommodation had seve- ) ral marble staircases. Her length was iaat-and herDwm S6 feet.
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Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1918, Page 3
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478HUGE LINER SUNK. Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1918, Page 3
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