Q-SHIP ENTERPRISE
Within five weeks of her victorious fight _Baralong_ had done it
again. After the war it was definitely announced in the public Press
that U 27 had been sunk by H.M.S. _Wyandra_ on August 19. Under this
name the ship’s crew were awarded the sum of £185 as prize bounty, and
in the same court _Wyandra_, her commanding officer this time being
Lieut.-Commander A. Wilmot-Smith, R.N., was awarded £170 prize bounty
for sinking U 41 on September 24, 1915. It was an open secret that
_Baralong_ and _Wyandra_ were one and the same ship, so we may as well
get this matter quite clear. Already we have seen the manner in which
this decoy sank U 27, and we shall now be able to note very similar
tactics in almost the same locality attaining a like result under her
new captain.
[Illustration:
FIG. 2.—DIAGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE APPROXIMATE MOVEMENTS OF ‘BARALONG’
WHEN SHE SANK U 41 ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1915. THE LETTERS INDICATE
SIMULTANEOUS POSITIONS OF DECOY AND SUBMARINE.]
U 41 had left Wilhelmshaven on September 12, this being her fourth
trip. She was under the command of Lieut.-Commander Hansen, and on
the 23rd had sunk three British steamers, each of about 4,000 tons,
in a position roughly eighty miles south-east of the Fastnet. The
first of these ships was the _Anglo-Columbian_, which was sunk at 9.45
a.m., followed by the _Chancellor_ at 3 p.m., and the _Hesione_ about
four hours later. The news of the first sinking reached _Baralong_
(henceforth officially known as _Wyandra_) in Falmouth, so this decoy
put to sea, and after rounding the Lizard steered a course that would,
with luck, intercept the submarine if she were operating towards
Ushant, as seemed probable. So the night passed. About 9 o’clock next
morning the British S.S. _Urbino_ (6,651 tons), of the Wilson Line, was
attacked by this U 41 in a position roughly sixty-seven miles S.W. by
W. of the Bishop rock. At 9.45 a.m. up came the _Baralong_, and sighted
the _Urbino_ about eight miles ahead, on fire, stopped, with a heavy
list, and blowing off steam. It was a fine, clear morning; a steady
course was maintained, and the Q-ship made ready for action. Already
the _Urbino’s_ crew had been compelled to take to their boats, and the
submarine, at a range of 200 yards, had put five shells into her.
[Illustration: Q-SHIP “BARALONG”
Showing gun on port side of the poop and disguised crew.]
[Illustration: Q-SHIP “BARALONG”
Showing disguised marines and method of concealing the gun.
To face p. 28]
_Baralong_ now sighted the submarine’s conning-tower, and when about
five miles away the submarine dived, so _Baralong_ altered course to
the southward, so as to compel the enemy, if she meant to attack, to
rise to the surface and use her oil-engines. This ruse succeeded, for
presently U 41 came to the surface and proceeded at full speed to head
the Englishman off. _Baralong_ now hoisted United States colours,
whereupon the German hoisted ‘Stop instantly!’ The former obeyed, but
by using the engines now and again cleverly manœuvred so as to close
the range. The next order from the enemy was for the Englishman to send
his papers aboard the submarine, the two craft being now about two and
a half miles apart. _Baralong_ answered the signal, steamed slowly
ahead, altering very gradually towards the enemy, and pretended to be
hoisting out a boat on the side visible to the submarine. On board
the latter the forward gun was already manned, Ober-Leutnant Crompton
being on deck in charge of the firing. But Hansen had already been
outmanœuvred by Wilmot-Smith, just as in the olden days the sailing
man-of-war sought to win the weather-gage. For, having got the
submarine 2 points on the starboard bow, _Baralong_ so steered as to
keep her in that position, and the two approached until the range was
down to 700 yards.
All this time, though every man in _Baralong_ was at his station,
there was not a movement that in any way caused the enemy to suspect.
The latter was concerned rather with the details of making quite sure
she was a neutral. It was then that _Baralong_ starboarded her helm
so that it might appear as if she were just swinging in order to give
the ship’s boat a lee while being lowered, a perfectly natural and
sea-manlike piece of tactics. But when she had swung sufficiently
for the starboard and stern guns to bear, down came the disguise, up
went the fluttering White Ensign, and a heavy fire at only 500 yards
came pouring forth, accompanied by rifle fire from the marines in the
well-deck aft. The enemy was taken so completely by surprise that he
got off only one round, and this was a long way out. So smartly had
_Baralong’s_ men begun the attack that the second round scored a direct
hit at the base of the conning-tower, and several other shells got home
with deadly precision. The Germans on deck became panic-stricken, left
their guns, and made for the conning-tower hatch, but whilst they were
doing this another direct hit struck the conning-tower, blowing Hansen
and six men to pieces. After several more hits, U 41 listed to port
with a heavy inclination and dived. This submersion was useless, as she
was leaking very badly, and the main bilge-pump ceased to function.
Down she dropped to a terrible depth, the diving tanks were blown by
the compressed air, and with a great sense of relief the Germans who
were still alive found their craft coming to the surface. First came
the bows, and then the top of the conning-tower showed above water, a
large volume of smoke and steam escaping, and then she disappeared for
the last time very rapidly, stern first, Ober-Leutnant Crompton and the
helmsman escaping through an open hatchway.
After she had sunk finally a large burst of air and oil-fuel rose to
the surface, the submarine’s bulkheads having apparently burst owing
to the pressure due to the deep water, which here was 75 fathoms.
Only Crompton and the helmsman were saved, the former having been
badly wounded whilst entering the conning-tower. All the others,
consisting of five officers and twenty-five men, were lost. In the
meantime _Urbino_ had sunk, too, from her shell-holes, and _Baralong_
picked the whole crew up from their boats to the number of forty-two
officers and men, her master, Captain Allanson Hick, stating that his
ship was on her way from New York to Hull. _Baralong_, conscious of
having obtained another brilliant and brave victory, now proceeded with
her survivors to Falmouth, where she arrived in the early hours of
the following morning. Lieut.-Commander Wilmot-Smith was awarded the
D.S.O., and Temporary Engineer J. M. Dowie, R.N.R., received a D.S.C.,
a well-deserved decoration; for much depended on the engineers in these
ships, and they had much to suffer. Two of the crew received a D.S.M.
each, and the sum of £1,000 was also awarded, this being additional to
the bounty subsequently awarded in the Prize Court.
At this stage in the world’s history there is no intention of exulting
in the discomfiture and pain of the enemy. Day after day during this
period the writer used to see the sad sight of our survivors without
ship or belongings other than the clothes on their backs. It is
difficult altogether to forget these incidents or the unchivalrous
behaviour of the enemy. Without wishing to be vindictive, it is well
to place on record that the nineteen German sailors on the deck of
U 41 all jeered at Captain Hick in his distress, and yet although a
callous enemy had been sunk in a fair fight, this second _Baralong_
incident aroused in Germany a wave of horrified indignation akin to the
decoy’s former exploit. The German Press referred to the sinking of
U 41 as a murderous act, but if this were so there were to be plenty
more to follow. Happily, at last, we had found a real, effective means
of grappling with the submarine problem. Against us were contending
the finest brains of the German Navy, and these determined officers
were not over anxious to save life, as we knew from their behaviour at
the sinking of _Falaba_ and _Lusitania_. Such craft as U 41, over 200
feet long, with a maximum surface speed of 14 knots, but an endurance
of 5,500 miles at 10 knots, armed with a couple of guns and eight
torpedoes, were formidable foes, and any clever stratagem that could
be used against them, without infringing International Law, was surely
entirely justified. Thus, very wisely, four colliers were fitted
out that same autumn as Q-ships, these being the _Thornhill_ (alias
_Werribee_, _Wellholme_, and _Wonganella_); the _Remembrance_ (alias
_Lammeroo_); _Bradford City_ (alias _Saros_); and the _Penhallow_
(alias _Century_). These, together with _Baralong_, were sent to
operate in the Mediterranean, for here the submarine campaign became
very serious just at the time when it temporarily died down in North
European waters. Diplomatic relations between Germany and the United
States, consequent on the sinking of the _Lusitania_ and then _Arabic_,
were becoming strained, so that Germany had to accept the American
demands for the limitation of submarine activity. The result was that
from September 24, 1915, up to December 20, 1915, no ships were sunk by
German submarines in North European waters, though the Mediterranean
had a different story to tell. At the end of December a short, sharp
submarine campaign was carried out off Ireland by U-boats, and then
there was quiet again until Germany began her extended submarine
campaign on March 1, 1916. This in turn lasted only to May 8, and was
not resumed until July 5, 1916.
It is as well to bear these periods in mind, for otherwise we cannot
appreciate the dull, monotonous weeks and months of cruising spent
by the Q-ships when they saw no submarine, received nothing but
vague, inaccurate reports, and had to keep their crews from getting
disappointed or eventually wondering whether they were really doing
any good in this particular service. But as the winter passed and
the U-boats displayed their usual spring activity, the Q-ships had
their opportunities again. Before we come to see these, let us take a
glance at the work which they were performing during the winter in the
Mediterranean, where the enemy sought to cut our lines of communication
to the Dardanelles.
In December, 1915, the steamship _Margit_ had been fitted out as a
decoy, and on January 17, 1916, in Lat. 35.34 N., Long. 17.38 E.,
she was steering west for Malta, when she received S.O.S. signals on
her wireless. The time was 9.30 a.m., and presently shots were seen
falling close to the S.S. _Baron Napier_, who was about five miles to
the southward. The captain of the _Margit_ was Lieut.-Commander G. L.
Hodson, R.N., who then hoisted the Dutch ensign and altered course
towards the _Baron Napier_. The latter kept making signals that she was
being shelled and that the submarine was approaching; but when _Margit_
got within a couple of miles the submarine transferred the shelling to
her. _Margit’s_ captain conned his ship, lying prone on the bridge and
peering through the chinks in the bridge screen. In order to lure the
enemy on he pretended to abandon ship, hoisted the international signal
‘I am stopped,’ and sent away the ship’s lifeboat with Sub-Lieutenant
McClure, R.N.R., in charge. The ship now had every appearance of
having been abandoned, but in addition to the captain lying unseen on
the bridge, the guns’ crews, under Lieutenant Tweedie, R.N.R., and a
sub-lieutenant, were remaining hidden at their stations. Riflemen were
similarly placed on the foredeck and aft.
[Illustration:
FIG. 3.—DIAGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE APPROXIMATE MOVEMENTS OF ‘MARGIT’ IN
HER ENGAGEMENT WITH SUBMARINE ON JANUARY 17, 1916.]
After the ‘panic party’ had been sent away in the boat the enemy seemed
fairly satisfied, ceased shelling, dived, and then reappeared a quarter
of an hour later 800 yards away, with a couple of feet of his periscope
showing. He was now going to make quite sure this was no trap, so,
still submerged, he came within 50 yards of _Margit’s_ port side and
then right round the ship, scrutinizing her carefully. At length, being
apparently quite convinced that all was well, he steered for _Margit’s_
boat about a thousand yards away and came to the surface. Three men
then appeared on the submarine’s deck, the German ensign was hoisted,
and one of them waved _Margit’s_ boat to come alongside. This was as
far as Lieut.-Commander Hodson deemed it advisable to let matters
go. Giving the orders to down screens, open fire, and hoist the White
Ensign, the enemy now came under attack. One shot seemed to hit abaft
the conning-tower, and the submarine submerged. so fire was ceased and
_Margit_ proceeded to pick up her boat. The davit-falls had only just
been hooked on when the submarine showed her conning-tower 70 yards
off, apparently in difficulties. The Q-ship therefore opened fire once
more, but the enemy again submerged. Unfortunately the submarine had
not been sunk, although no effort had been neglected. From 9.30 a.m. to
about midday officers and crew had been compelled to keep in cramped,
tiring attitudes, with very little knowledge of what was going on;
and after he had finally disappeared _Margit_ had remained for about
three hours in the hope that he might return. By a curious coincidence,
at the time when _Baron Napier_ was being attacked, another steamer,
the _Baron Ardrossan_, belonging to the same owners, happened to be
passing and saw the shells dropping around, but as she could steam
nothing better than 3 knots slower than _Baron Napier_ she could not go
to her assistance. However, if the submarine had not been destroyed,
_Margit_ had saved the _Baron Napier_ and caused the enemy to break off
the engagement.
Mention was made just now of the _Werribee_ (alias _Wonganella_, etc.).
On February 3, 1916, this ship, which had been fitted out at Gibraltar,
under the command of Lieut.-Commander B. J. D. Guy, R.N., left Port
Said to cruise on the Malta to Egypt trade route. She was a steamer
of 3,848 tons, and had taken in 2,600 tons of sand as ballast. About
9 o’clock on the morning of February 9, _Werribee_ was steaming along
when she picked up a signal on her wireless to the effect that the S.S.
_Springwell_, of 5,593 tons, was torpedoed and sinking by the head.
The vessel was soon sighted, and the last boats could be seen already
leaving the ship, the position being about sixty miles from Crete. The
weather was perfect, with a flat, calm sea and extreme visibility—an
ideal day, in fact, for good gunnery.
But it was to be a most difficult experience, and the incident well
illustrates the problems which had to be dealt with. About 10.15 a.m.,
as no submarine could be seen, _Werribee_ turned towards the four
boats already in the water, and hailed them for information, then
examined the condition of _Springwell_, and presently turned again.
All of a sudden, a great submarine, painted like the Mediterranean
pirate-ships of ancient times, a brownish green, emerged from the sea
about 5,000 yards away on _Werribee’s_ starboard bow, and came close
up to _Springwell_, possibly to prevent _Werribee_ from salving her.
Alarm stations were sounded in the Q-ship, but the submarine’s men
were already running to their two guns, and opened fire. _Werribee_
then decided to haul round and pretend to run away. The third shot
from the enemy hit, and it was at first feared that the explosion had
disabled one gun’s crew, but fortunately the hit was a little further
aft. It was immediately evident to _Werribee’s_ captain that to-day the
enemy was not going to allow him to play the abandon-ship game, but
was intending to sink him straight away. The submarine’s accurate and
rapid fire was clearly aimed at _Werribee’s_ boats, and two of them
were soon riddled. It was for Lieut.-Commander Guy to make up his mind
quickly what tactics now to pursue, and he decided to reveal the ship’s
true character and open fire. This was done, and within ten seconds his
4-inch quick-firer was in action, range 4,000 yards. After six rounds
from the Q-ship the enemy ceased firing, and the eighth seemed to hit
abaft the conning-tower. Then she submerged in a cloud of smoke, about
11.10 a.m., this smoke screen being a favourite ruse for escaping, and
she was never seen again that day. _Werribee_ now turned her attention
to the torpedoed ship, but the latter was too far gone, and foundered
at 5.45 that afternoon. The men in _Springwell’s_ boats were then
picked up, and about 6 o’clock the ship made for Malta. It was again
sheer bad luck; a combination of difficult circumstances, and the
tactics of an astute German captain, had now prevented success coming
to the decoy. There was no question about her disguise, and the captain
of a merchantman who witnessed the fight accurately spoke of _Werribee_
as ‘an old tramp with a few patches of paint, firing at the submarine.’
Before the war we should have thought no ship in His Majesty’s Service
could possibly merit such a description as this, but strange things
were happening on the seas at this time, and it was the highest
compliment so to be described.
[Illustration:
FIG. 4.—DIAGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE APPROXIMATE MOVEMENTS OF ‘WERRIBEE’ IN
ACTION WITH SUBMARINE ON FEBRUARY 9, 1916.]
With the experience which had been gained from all these engagements
in various areas it was possible to form some idea of the requisite
standardized equipment with which Q-ships should be supplied. First of
all, inasmuch as the enemy was being better armed, at least one modern
4-inch gun was necessary, in addition to any 12-pounder. Long-range
action, especially in the Mediterranean, was probable at times, for
the enemy would not always consent to engage close to. Secondly,
it was highly important that the ship should remain afloat, even
though seriously holed. It might happen—and later on it actually did
occur—that the enemy might suppose the ship was just about to founder,
thus making it quite safe to close her in order to read her name. Then
would come the one great chance for the Q-ship to destroy the enemy.
Therefore, to this end, it became certain that these ships should be
given cargoes of barrels, or timber, carefully stowed, so that it would
be no easy task to sink her, and she might perhaps even be salved.