I am just branching off to the Adriatic a moment to describe a patrol
trip by "E 21" (Lieutenant Carlyon Britton). In this account of British
submarine doings I have been avoiding such incidents as have been
already much better treated of by writers such as Rudyard Kipling and
Sir Henry Newbolt. There are, however, a good many incidents for which
they had not space in their accounts, and mention of such incidents
here will lay stress on the fact that submarine work was continuous
throughout the war, and was not a matter of spasmodic effort.
On the 30th June 1918 "E 21," being a unit of our flotilla working with
the Italian Navy, torpedoed and sank an Austrian ammunition transport
inshore close to Piana, one of the islands that fringe the Dalmatian
coast. She then fired at an escorting torpedo-boat (who dodged and
saved herself), and she was then bombed by an aeroplane without
receiving damage. On the 1st July she charged her batteries in
Mid-Adriatic and moved east towards Lissa Island. On arrival there she
dived up to St Giorgio harbour (I wonder what Tegetthof would have
thought of this sort of thing in 1864?), only turning back a mile from
the entrance when it was plain that there were no ships inside. She
moved on along the coast and looked into Civita Vecchia, but saw
nothing worth attack there. Between Brazza Island and Lesina Island
runs the Greco de Lesina Channel--a gap rather after the pattern of the
Dardanelles. E 21 dived to 130 feet to pass under the minefield which
guards the "narrows," and went through by compass and dead reckoning.
After four hours she rose and, being then well through the straits,
proceeded towards Makarska on the surface. At dawn she dived again and
did a sweep round the bay, finding no shipping in the harbours.
Returning that evening, she safely negotiated the minefield at 130 feet
depth and proceeded west and north to look at Zerovia Island, near the
locality where she had sunk the transport. She found nothing to fire at
there, and the weather getting misty and bad for periscope work, she
shaped course back to Brindisi on the 4th. She had been sent out to
catch Austrian transports, and having sunk one which was well out on
its way, and having been bombed for doing so, she had gone right back
along the traffic route to see if "running to heel" would provide
another chance, while at the same time her absence would give time for
the excitement off Piana to die down. On her return she found it had
died down to the extent of nothing being in sight; but her strategy had
nevertheless been sound and well conceived.
Aeroplane bombs around the Heligoland Bight became common in 1918. A
typical "Aircraft" report comes from "E 56" (Lieutenant Satow) in May
of that year. Her station was by the South Dogger Bank light:--
"23rd May.--South Dogger, bearing north 3 miles at 1 A.M. 4.30
A.M.: a Zeppelin in sight N.E.--a long way off. 10 A.M.: sighted
seaplane in periscope two miles on port beam coming towards
me--dived 60 ft.--altered course to west. 10.15: one bomb--dived
to 90 ft.--up to periscope depth and continued patrol. 6.20 P.M.:
three bombs--dived to 80 feet. 6.37: three bombs--altered course
to N.E., depth 70 feet. 6.50: one bomb. 7.37 P.M.: at 80 feet six
or seven bombs dropped, three of them close to boat.
"26th May.--Sighted seaplane--dived 70 feet at 4.45 A.M. 9 A.M.:
sighted seaplane--dived 80 feet. 9.38: five bombs dropped. 12.15:
one bomb dropped. Heard propellers which passed on. 4 P.M.: two
bombs dropped. 4.20: one bomb dropped. Heard propellers and sweep.
4.40 P.M.: two bombs--propellers and sweep. 6.20 P.M.: one bomb a
long way off--propellers heard--boat rolled in the wash of
destroyers.
"28th May.--4.45 A.M.: Sighted seaplanes bearing east. 3.20 P.M.:
sighted Zeppelin bearing north.
"All bombs mentioned in this report were small ones."
The attentions paid to "E 56" on the 26th call to mind the story of the
E-boat which did a "crash" dive to avoid similar machines. The captain
arrived at the foot of the conning-tower with a rush, his binoculars
preceding him with a heavy thud and his oilskin coming after him; as he
touched the deck three bombs exploded on the surface just over his
boat, the shock making him sit down suddenly. To the first lieutenant's
unspoken question of "What is it after us?" he answered with an absurd
giggle, and "They've evidently seen me!" Students of Captain
Bairnsfather's drawings will catch the allusion.