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
In another twenty minutes the enemy ceased firing and again submerged.
Captain Campbell had now no resource left but his torpedoes, of
which he carried two--one on each side. He fired the first as the
U-boat steamed past the port side at 150 yards--too short a range for
certainty of depth. The bubbles passed just ahead of the periscope, and
the enemy failed to notice it. He turned very sharply round the ship’s
bow and came slowly down the starboard side at three knots. The second
torpedo was then fired, but the bubbles passed a couple of feet abaft
the periscope. This was cruelly hard luck, for the maximum depth was
on; but there is no doubt that this torpedo, like the other, must have
leaped over, from being fired at so close a range.
This time the enemy saw his danger, and instantly submerged. Captain
Campbell had now lost his last chance of a kill, and was bound to
signal urgently for assistance. He did so; but in case the U-boat
reappeared to torpedo or shell again, he arranged for some of his
remaining men to be ready to jump overboard in a final panic, leaving
still himself and one gun’s crew to fight a forlorn hope. This
last extremity was not reached. The U.S.S. _Noma_ arrived almost
immediately and fired at a periscope a few hundred yards astern
until it disappeared. Then came two King’s ships, the _Attack_ and
_Christopher_. Boats were recalled, the fire extinguished, and
everything on board having now exploded, arrangements were made for
towing. For twenty-four hours the _Christopher_ bore her burden like
a saint. Then the weather began to tell upon the half-dead ship, and
sixty of her crew and her wounded were transferred to the trawler
_Foss_. The next night the sea claimed the _Dunraven_ in unmistakable
tones. The _Christopher_ came alongside and brought off her captain and
the rest of her crew; and when she rolled end up, gave her a gunshot
and a depth-charge, to take her to her last berth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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