SANK A U-BOAT.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1918, Page 5

SANK A U-BOAT.

W.A, STATE VESSEL'S. FlG®* Fremantle, Dac. 2. Some 18 months bgo sews reached'Trementle that the State vessel Kangaroo, l , during a voyage in the Mediterranean, . succeeded in sinking an enemy subma--rino Publication was impossible at the time, and only yesterday was tbp necessary authority given to make known ■» the facts. . "We sighted the submarine ftbdtlt Uiy« bioak on April 5," states R. Smith, a Fremantle bov, who was a member of the crew. "X was awakened by the j,v alarm, und rushing on deck, saw all my spates putting on lifebelts., t did tha V same thing, and' then went , down to awaken those who were still in dreamland /' s " 'Come on', boys; they're here!' l.yoll* i eii. We rushed on deck, and found ewry- .>s excepting the gtih ere#' stand. | ing by the lifeboat*. I was not on deck i long before the captain, who was very | cool, and deserves the greatest praise for § tie way he managed things, beckoned I lie to the bridge and told me to go aft, § ajpd tell the gunners to open fire as soon f 'as possible. •• • ... "The enemy got in the first two shots, - § and the captain immediately hoisted the S Australian flag, which we all cheered. I Enemy Bhot fell about a mile astern, but | they kept getting closer. All the.tinu. $ the wireless operator sent out this 8.0.5., I whjbh was answered withiii a few * minutes, telling us tiey Were on the way to our assistance. v "WBIL firing had continued between as, I should think, for abput an. hour, when one of their shells hit our Ifo. -1 *■*". winch, and made a fair mess of it. "Then I thought our time had eom\ They wero firing two shots to our one.' "The captain gave orders to lower boats halfway, and it was then thai, we started to send up rockets for h\% All eyes were scanning the sea- ta see if anything waa in sight, but nothing , . turned up. "The enemy's shells were flyi«« all round us, and our boys were also toonping them close to the submarine i thing it was the 35th shell that landed ' right on top of the enemy, and that wa» the last we saw of her. ' ! "I d f l ' t thia K she, expected us to put Up ?? a 'A ood nor did she think we had a 4.7 mm. The captain kept her behind us all the time, althourf she tried hard to get us side on to her Our engines were openfed right ottt . ' 0 «r ' second and fifth engineer veto on * watch, and>staek-to,it-wdt ' : j