The first boat from the _Finland_ was dangling from the davits, half-filled with men, when somebody either cut or let go the forward falls. The bow of this big whaleboat crashed down to the water, dumping most of them out. A few managed to hang on and were struggling desperately when the after falls carried away and the boat dropped upon the heads of the men already in the sea. The next boat reached the water only to be up-ended by the headway of the ship. Other boats then waited for the ship to lose way and these got clear all right, but we saw one or two more upset and smashed. When Commander Freeman, then on the _Corsair_ as division commander, realized that the _Finland_ was not sinking, he semaphored the message: “Do you think you can make Saint-Nazaire?” The answer came right back from the _Finland’s_ skipper: “_Why not New York?_” The _Corsair_ cracked on speed to search for the submarine, instructing the _Wakiva_ and _Alcedo_ to aid the _Finland’s_ people who were adrift in boats or upon rafts. Three destroyers proceeded on the voyage with the two other transports while the fourth destroyer remained to operate with the _Corsair_. Investigation had disclosed the fact that the _Finland_ was able to move under her own steam and the task in hand was to put the crew back on board and escort her into Brest for repairs. Meanwhile the _Corsair_, in quest of the enemy, was letting a real barrage of depth charges slide over her stern, and her wake was one thundering geyser after another. Eleven of these bombs jarred her rivets when they went off, and if a man had any loose teeth in his head he was liable to lose them entirely. Alas, no _débris_, such as dead German sailors, rose to the surface. The report of the senior naval officer of the _Finland_, Captain Stephen V. Graham, is a lucid narrative and it is worth while to let him tell the tale: Due to the congested condition at the port of debarkation, which was often serious in the early days of our transport service, the _Finland_ had been unable to accompany the group of fast troop transports to which she belonged and which had proceeded on the return voyage about two weeks earlier. On this occasion she was in company with two freight transports of the armed-guard category which were not able to make more than eleven knots, but the three vessels had an escort of four destroyers and three converted yachts, which was uncommonly large at that time when the demand exceeded the supply. It was frequently necessary for the _Finland_ to slow down to such a speed as would enable an enemy submarine to take a favorable position for attack.