Submarine and Anti-submarineNewbolt, Henry John, Sir
History
Submarine and Anti-submarine
Newbolt, Henry John, Sir
Submarines (Ships); World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations -- Submarine
The engines stopped, the bows sank two feet, the order ‘Stand by to
ram’ was heard, and P. 61 struck the enemy stem on, on the port side,
just abaft the conning-tower. Her speed at the moment was fully 20
knots, and the impact was severe; the submarine rolled over as the
stem cut into her; and when P. 61’s stern was just above her, a very
violent explosion took place, giving Lieut.-Commander Worsley, for an
instant, the nightmare that he had been torpedoed by another U-boat in
the moment of victory. He was quickly reassured. P. 61 had suffered no
damage. But round the place of collision the sea was boiling with foam;
immense air-bubbles were coming to the surface in rushes, and continued
for some minutes after the explosion. There was oil upon the surface,
and in it two men struggling. Lifebelts were thrown to them, and boats
put out. One of the two was rescued and proved to be Ober-Leutnant
Alfred Arnold, the commanding officer of the U-boat--the fifth upon
the list of 150 published by the British Admiralty. The submarine
was U.C. 49 and lies at the bottom in forty-seven fathoms. The _San
Zeferino_ was taken in tow by P.61 and came safely in after an arduous
twelve hours--an admirable piece of work. Lieutenant-Commander Worsley
received the D.S.O., Lieutenant Stenhouse the D.S.C., and two petty
officers the D.S.M. for excellent steering and gun-laying.
On this occasion the P-boat had left her patrol duty for the moment,
to act as escort. This was not the case with P. 57, who had a similar
success in November of the same year. In the dark of early morning,
about 6 o’clock, she had just challenged and examined by searchlight
a vessel which turned out to be a friend, when the forward look-out
reported ‘Buoy on the port bow!’ Course was altered to examine this
buoy, and on approaching it both Lieut.-Commander H. C. Birnie, R.N.R.,
in command of P. 57, and Lieutenant Isdale, R.N.R., his officer of the
watch, simultaneously perceived it to be a large U-boat heading due
west and only 200 yards distant.
There was less than no time to be lost. Orders were given and obeyed
instantaneously. The engines leaped to full speed as the ship came
round sharply to port and steered straight for the enemy. In less than
fifteen seconds the crash came--a heavy impact, at seventeen knots, on
a point just before the U-boat’s conning-tower, very nearly at right
angles. P. 57 cut her way right through, and as she did so the order
for the depth-charges reached the officer of the watch. The first
charge was released with great promptitude and precision as the damaged
submarine passed under the ship’s stern. P. 57 turned sixteen points
and came back over the spot, when a second charge was immediately
dropped and a buoy put down.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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