World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations -- Submarine; World War, 1914-1918 -- United States
On the morning of September 6th three subchaser units, under the command
of Ensign Ashley D. Adams, U.S.N.R.F., were listening at a point about
150 miles west of Land's End. At about eleven-thirty two of these units
detected what was unquestionably the sound of a submarine. Moreover, the
usual "fixes" disclosed that the enemy was close at hand; so close that
two of the units ran up and dropped their charges. This first attack
produced no result on the submarine; the depth charge from one of the
howitzers, however, unfortunately landed near one of the chasers, and,
though it injured no one, it put that particular unit out of commission.
However, for two hours Ensign Adams's division kept closely on the heels
of the quarry, now stopping to obtain a "fix," now running full speed to
catch up with the fleeing prey. At one o'clock the plotting-room
reported that the submerged boat was just about a hundred yards ahead.
The three chasers laid barrages according to pattern, and the three "Y"
guns shot their depth charges; the region of the "fix" was so generously
sowed with these bombs that it seemed an impossibility that the German
could have escaped.
As soon as the tumult quieted down, the chasers put out their tubes and
listened. For twenty minutes not a sound issued from the scene of all
this activity. Then a propeller was heard faintly turning or attempting
to turn. The noise this time was not the kind which indicated an effort
to steal away furtively; it conveyed rather the impression of difficulty
and strain. There was a slight grating and squeaking such as might have
been made by damaged machinery. This noise lasted for a few seconds and
then ceased. Presently it started up again and then once more it
stopped. The submarine was making a little progress, but fitfully; she
would go a few yards and then pause. A slight wake now appeared upon the
surface, such as a submerged U-boat usually left when the water was
calm; the listeners at the tube were pleased to note that the location
of this disturbance coincided precisely with their "fix," and thus, in
a way, confirmed their calculations. One of the subchasers promptly ran
ahead and began to drop depth charges on this wake. There was not the
slightest doubt that the surface boat was now directly on top of the
submarine. After one of the depth charges was dropped, a black
cylindrical object, about thirty inches long, suddenly rose from the
depths and jumped sixty feet into the air; just what this unexpected
visitant was no one seems to know, but that it came from the hunted
submarine was clear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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