_Acton_ had an indecisive duel with a submarine on August 20, 1917. It was a fine day with a calm sea when the enemy was sighted, and on being attacked _Acton_ abandoned ship. In order to make this doubly real, fire-boxes were started in the well-deck, and steam leakage turned on, which made the ship look as if she were on fire. The enemy inspected the ship closely, so closely in fact that he actually collided with _Acton_, shaking the latter fore and aft. But after he had come to the surface and _Acton_ opened fire, hitting, loud shouts came from the conning-tower, and he submerged, thus escaping. _Acton_ went on with her work until the end of hostilities. _Zylpha_ and _Cullist_ both had tragic ends to their careers. _Zylpha_ was a 2,917-ton steamer, built at Sunderland in 1894, and had been commissioned as a Q-ship as far back as October, 1915. Early in June, 1917, she steamed along the south Irish coast and then out into the Atlantic, as if bound for New York. On June 11, at 9.45 a.m., when about 200 miles from the Irish coast, she was torpedoed by a submarine that was never seen again, and totally disabled. Her engines had stopped for the last time, and the sea had poured in, though her closely-packed cargo of wood was at present keeping her afloat. Having ‘bleated’ with her wireless, one of the United States destroyers, based on Queenstown, proceeded to her assistance. This was the _Warrington_, and she stood by the ship for a whole twenty-four hours—from 2 p.m. of the eleventh until 2.30 p.m. of the twelfth. By the time _Warrington_ had arrived _Zylpha’s_ engine-room and boiler-rooms were already awash, Nos. 2 and 3 holds flooded, the wireless out of action, and one man killed. The _Warrington_ kept patrolling round her, requested a tug by wireless, and went on zigzagging through the long hours. By the evening _Zylpha_ was in a bad way, and the Atlantic swell was seriously shaking the bulkheads, but she was still afloat next morning. By this time the _Warrington_, who had been some time on patrol, was running short of oil, so, at 2.30 p.m., regretfully had to return to harbour for fuel. This was a sad blow to the _Zylpha_ people, but whilst waiting for the arrival of the U.S. destroyer _Drayton_ and two Queenstown tugs which were being sent to her, _Zylpha_ actually made sail with what little canvas she had, and made good at 1-1/2 knots. At noon of the fourteenth she was picked up by H.M. sloop _Daffodil_, and was then taken in tow. Next day, at 1 p.m., tugs reached her, but she could not last out the night, and, after having been towed for most of 200 miles, she gradually sank when quite near to the west coast, finally disappearing at 11.20 p.m. near the Great Skelligs. So ended _Zylpha_.