Lieutenant F. W. Brown (U. S. Coast Guard), the _Seneca's_ navigating officer, asked permission to take a volunteer crew and endeavor to work the _Wellington_ into port. Nearly all the _Seneca's_ complement volunteered for this duty. Lieutenant Brown made a hasty selection from the many volunteers, taking Acting Machinist William L. Boyce and eighteen men. En route to the torpedoed vessel, lookouts and gun's crew were detailed. Upon boarding the ship, ammunition was broken out, the gun's crew was assigned, and lookouts posted. It was highly probable that the submarine would make another attack. Soon a second boat, containing the master, first and second officers and eleven of the _Wellington's_ crew came on board. The _Seneca_ had to leave at once to protect the remainder of the convoy, and could only send out radio calls for assistance. There followed an heroic and all but successful effort on the part of Lieutenant Brown and his men to save the steamship. Within half an hour, the _Wellington_ was started at slow speed, heading for Brest. Men took turns in passing coal and firing, coming out on deck when relieved and taking a gun-watch. One of the men from the _Seneca_ was a cook, Russell Elam, who disappeared into the galley, and in a short time announced that dinner was served for all hands. When he appeared on the bridge with Lieutenant Brown's dinner, he was clad in an immaculate white serving jacket and had omitted no detail of service. And this on a torpedoed steamer in imminent danger of sinking! Cook Elam met a heroic death with others of this gallant party. During the afternoon all went well, but at sundown the wind increased, seas crashed over the bow, and all on board were in danger. The ship listed sharply, rolling so that the davit heads threatened to force the lifeboat under. Those aboard were ordered to get into the boat, and hold on to the _Wellington_ by use of a long rope, a sea painter. Seven of the _Wellington's_ crew got into the boat with one _Seneca_ man detailed to unhook it, the other Coast Guardsmen standing by to lower it. The radio operator, M. S. Mason, remained at his instruments to keep in touch with the destroyer _Warrington_, which was proceeding to their assistance, and three men kept the pumps going. Just after the boat was lowered, someone cut the painter, and the boat drifted away. The _Seneca's_ party and some of the collier's men were left on board with nothing to rely upon except a small raft which they had constructed.