One of the few survivors, Ensign Gustav Ringelman, officer of the deck, said the submarine was sighted only 200 yards off the port bow; the captain put his helm hard to starboard and came within 25 feet of ramming the U-boat. The submarine fired an incendiary shell which struck the ships' bridge, killing the helmsman, crippling the steering gear and setting the amidships section ablaze. Lieutenant Commander J. J. Madison, captain of the _Ticonderoga_, was severely wounded by a piece of this shell. But, wounded as he was, he had himself placed in a chair on the bridge, and continued to direct the fire and maneuver the ship until the vessel had to be abandoned. Six shots were fired at the _Ticonderoga's_ 3-inch forward gun, killing the gun crew and putting the gun out of commission. Then the U-boat drew away some distance, both ship and submarine keeping up the firing. "During this time most everybody on board our ship was either killed or wounded to such an extent that they were practically helpless from shrapnel," said Ringelman. "The lifeboats hanging on the davits were shelled and full of holes, others carried away. However, we kept the submarine off until our fire was put out and our boats swung on the davits, ready to abandon the ship with the few men left on board. Possibly fifty were left by that time--the rest were dead." The submarine still continued to shell the ship and then came alongside and fired a torpedo, which struck amidships in the engine room. The ship slowly settled. There was one life-raft left on top of the deck house. The wounded men were gathered together and lashed to the raft, which was then shoved off from the ship. Three or four minutes after that the _Ticonderoga_ took the final plunge. The submarine picked up the executive officer out of the water and took the first assistant engineer, Fulcher, off the life raft. As Muller, whom Captain Franz, of the submarine, supposed to be the captain of the _Ticonderoga_, was picked up, Franz's first questions were: "Where's the chief gunner? Where's the chief gunner's mate?" "Dead," replied Muller. Alicke, a machinist's mate of German descent, already hauled aboard the submarine, interpreted for Fulcher. Franz was ordering him to the raft alongside. He pleaded to be kept on board. "Speak for me," he begged his officer, but the German captain replied: "Get back on the raft. What do you mean by fighting against us, against your country? Only God can save such as you now!" Wounded men on the raft pleaded: "Won't you please take, us? We have no food or water; no chance." But Franz answered, "We have room for no more," and cast them adrift.