On board a destroyer in the North Sea in 1916. Look-out reports, "Sail ahead, sir." The captain, adjusting his glasses, was able to make out what at first appeared to be a harmless fisherman. As we drew nearer we could see by her bow wave that she had something more than sails to help her along: she had power. "Action Stations" was sounded, the telegraphs to engine-room clanged "Full speed ahead." Our skipper was right. It was a German submarine, and as our foremost gun barked out we saw the white sails submerge. Depth charges were dropped at every point where we altered course. Imagine our surprise to find the resulting flotsam and jetsam around us consisted of trestles, boards, paint-brushes, boxes, and a hat or two, which the crafty Germans had used to camouflage their upper structure. The scene was summed up neatly by "Spikey" Merlin, A.B., a real product of Mile End Road: "Lor' luv old Aggie Weston, we've run dahn the blinkin' Calerdonian Markit."--_A. G. Reed (late R.N.), 15 William Street, Gravesend, Kent._ Five to One against the "Tinfish" H.M.S. Morea, on convoy duty, was coming up the Channel when the silver streak of a "tinfish" was seen approaching the port side. The _Morea_ was zig-zagging at the time, so more helm was given her to dodge the oncoming torpedo. The guns' crews were at action stations and were grimly waiting for the explosion, when a Cockney seaman gunner sang out, "I'll lay five to one it doesn't hit us." This broke the tension, and, as luck would have it, the torpedo passed three yards astern.--_J. Bowman (R.N.), 19 Handel Mansions, Handel Street, W.C.1._ A Queer Porpoise In September 1914 I was in H.M.S. _Vanguard_, patrolling in the North Sea. One day four of us were standing on the top of the foremast turret, when all of a sudden my pal Nobby shouted to the bridge above us, "Periscope on the port bow, sir." At once the captain and signalman levelled their telescopes on the object. Then the captain looked over the bridge and shouted, "That's a porpoise, my man." Nobby looked up at the bridge and said, "Blimey, that's the first time I've seen a porpoise wiv a glass eye." He had no sooner said it than the ship slewed to port and a torpedo passed close to our stern, the signalman having spotted the wake of a torpedo.--_M. Froggat, 136 Laleham Road, Catford, S.E._ "Hoctopus" with One Arm At the time when the German submarine blockade was taking heavy toll of all general shipping I was serving aboard a destroyer doing escort work in the Channel. One night three ships had been torpedoed in quick succession, and we understood they were carrying wounded. We were kept pretty busy dodging from one place to another to pick up survivors, and during our "travels" a ship's boat was sighted close at hand. In the darkness we could just make out the figure of a soldier endeavouring to pull a full-sized oar.