Full Speed Ahead: Tales from the Log of a Correspondent with Our NavyBeston, Henry
History
Full Speed Ahead: Tales from the Log of a Correspondent with Our Navy
Beston, Henry
United States. Navy; World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations
Twice again we "attacked" the Britisher. Her turn came. Our boat
rose to the surface, and I was once more invited to accompany the
captain to the bridge. The British boat lay far away across the
inlet. We cruised about watching her.
"There she goes." The Britisher sank like a stone in a pond. We
continued our course. The two officers peered over the water with
young, searching, resolute eyes. Then they took to their binoculars.
"There she is," cried the captain, "in a line with the oak tree." I
searched for a few minutes in vain. Suddenly I saw her, that is to
say, I saw with a great deal of difficulty a small dark rod moving
through the water. It came closer; I saw the hatpin shaped trail
behind it.
Presently with a great swirl and roiling of foam the Britisher pushed
herself out of the water. I could see my young captain judging the
performance in his eye. Then we played victim two more times and
went home. On the way we discussed the submarine patrol. Now there
is no more thrilling game in the world than the game of periscope
_vs._ periscope.
"What do you do?" I asked. "Just what you saw us do to-day. We pack
up grub and supplies, beat it out on the high seas and wait for a
Fritz to come along. We give him a taste of his own medicine; given
him one more enemy to dodge. Suppose a Hun baffles the destroyers,
makes off to a lonely spot, and comes to the surface for a breath of
air. There isn't a soul in sight, not a stir of smoke on the
horizon. Just as Captain Otto, or Von Something is gloating over the
last hospital ship he sunk, and thinking what a lovely afternoon it
is, a tin fish comes for him like a bullet out of a gun, there comes
a thundering pound, a vibration that sends little waves through the
water, a great foul swirl, fragments of cork, and it's all over with
the Watch on the Rhine. Sometimes Fritz's torpedo meets ours on the
way. Then once in a while a destroyer or a patriotic but misguided
tramp makes things interesting for a bit. But it's the most
wonderful service of all. I wouldn't give it up for anything. We're
all going out day after to-morrow. Can't you cable London for
permission to go? You'll like it. Don't believe anything you hear
about the air getting bad. The principal nuisance when you've been
under a long while is the cold; the boat gets as raw and damp as an
unoccupied house in winter. Jingo, quarter past one! We'll be late
for dinner."
Some time after this article had appeared, the captain of an American
submarine gave me a copy of the following verses written by a
submarine sailor. Poems of this sort, typewritten by some
accommodating yeoman, are always being handed round in the Navy; I
have seen dozens of them. Would that I knew the author of this
picturesque and flavorous ditty, for I would gladly give him the
credit he deserves.
A SUBMARINE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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