World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations -- Submarine
In August 1916, submarine "E 16" (Lieut.-Commander Duff-Dunbar) was
lost in the Bight. She was proceeding to a billet in the enemy northern
swept channel, and "E 38" was following her at about seven miles
distance. Seeing smoke on the horizon ahead, "E 38" dived, but could
not get within range of the enemy ships (which are known to have been
cruisers). She saw, however, splashes rise from the water near the
ships as if they were firing at something, and this is confirmed by
enemy reports that on that day they fired at a periscope attacking
them. Firing at a periscope does not at all imply that the fire has
damaged the boat, but from a vague statement by a German officer of the
boat being "blown up" by the gunfire, one can surmise that "E 16"
struck a mine while attacking. Her captain was an officer who stood
very high in his contemporaries' estimation, in addition to being
highly thought of by his seniors, and the approval of equals is harder
to earn than that of one's seniors. He had, in December 1915, torpedoed
and sunk an enemy net-layer off the Western Ems. E boats having been
seen by the enemy off this river, they sent out a 3000-ton auxiliary to
lay anti-submarine nets on the billet. The ship was escorted by four
trawlers, a torpedo-boat, a small sloop, and several tugs and other
small craft, but apart from the fact that there is Scriptural
instruction against laying snares in sight of the bird, the enemy
should have realised that an escort screen is no protection against a
determined attack. "E 16" approached the screen, the units of which
were zigzagging round the ship; she had to cut things fine, as the
units were numerous, and the intervals between them small. Her
periscope crossed the stern of an armed trawler at a range of fifty
yards, and looking in the eyepiece Duff-Dunbar saw a sailor at the
trawler's stern point at him, stabbing his finger at the six inches of
thin tube that passed, and opening his mouth widely in what was guessed
to be a volume of Teutonic sound. Two torpedoes were fired, while the
escort charged and shouted and blew syrens, but the target had a
section of net over the stern on its way out, and she was practically
stopped and helpless; she sank in twelve minutes amidst a scene of
great excitement. Three torpedo-boats and four trawlers hunted and
swept for "E 16" for four hours, but she watched the proceedings from
some distance off through her periscope, and in view of the high speed
and constant alterations of course used by the torpedo-boats, refrained
from joining in with further torpedo practice.
Submarine "E 38," just mentioned, met the High Sea Fleet on the 19th
October 1916.
"Friday 13th: Left Harwich in execution of previous orders.
"14th: Started diving patrol.
"15th: Violent south-westerly gale, and a very heavy sea.
"16th: Strong W.N.W. gale. High confused sea.
"17th: Light N.W. wind. Moderate swell.
"18th: Fine weather.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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