The sources drawn upon in the following narrative are of various kinds:
official _communiques_, French and foreign reports, etc. But the
majority of our information was derived from private letters, collected
by M. de Thezac, the modest and zealous founder of the _Abris du Marin_
(Seamen's Shelters), from note-books kindly lent by their owners, and
from oral inquiries addressed to the survivors of Melle and Dixmude.
Whenever possible, we have let our correspondents speak for themselves.
We regret that the strictest orders have compelled us to preserve their
anonymity, which, however, we hope may be merely temporary.