_The British Admiralty on March 17, 1918, permitted publication
of the logs of a number of vessels that had been sunk by German
submarines. These records reveal many stories of heroism and
sacrifice. Some of the incidents recorded are as follows:_
In the case of one ship, on which there were forty-seven hands, the
boatswain was standing abreast of the mainmast when he saw the wake of a
torpedo as it approached, and he had no time to report before the vessel
was struck. After the explosion all hands were sent on deck. The ship
sank stern first. There was no time to lower the boats, and practically
the whole crew had lifebelts on when thrown into the water. When the
submarine came to the surface a line was thrown to a raft which the crew
had managed to launch, and it was hauled alongside the enemy vessel. A
colored man was ordered on board, and as soon as he stepped on the
submarine both his wrists were seized, and he was firmly held while
being interrogated. The enemy took a photograph of him and also of a man
on the raft. When the interrogation was completed the colored sailor
dived from the submarine and swam to the raft. As the ship was sinking
the master dived off the bridge; he was not seen later. A number of men
were rescued after being in the water for four hours.
Robbery was reported in connection with another attack. After the vessel
had been shelled many times, the master and crew abandoned the ship,
lowered the lifeboat, and rowed toward the submarine. Eight shots were
fired at the lifeboat, followed by four revolver shots. It was only then
that the crew saw the submarine, which was about 500 yards away. The
Captain and his men were taken on board; and the commander of the
submarine boarded the vessel, removed the clothes, provisions, and
papers, and left bombs on board which afterward blew her up. The master
was searched, and £22 5s., with his watch and chain, was taken from
him. The commander of the enemy vessel said that there was no food left
in the submarine, which had been six weeks out, and he also mentioned
that food in Germany was very short. During the night the crew were
picked up by a destroyer.
"Torpedoed, and on her beam ends, but not actually seen to sink," is the
description given by a Captain of an attack on his vessel. She was
struck between the stokehold and No. 2 hold, both of which were blown
in. The crew had time to take to the boats. The German Captain, speaking
perfect English, asked for the name of the ship and her tonnage, and
verified the particulars given to him by reference to _Lloyd's
Register_. The master's boat, with twenty-three men, reached shore the
following day, and the mate's boat, with the remainder of the crew, was
picked up. It was reported by the master that the officers and men of
the submarine were "quite friendly and polite."
One night a vessel was struck by a torpedo. The engines were stopped,
and all hands went to the boat stations. The port boat was lowered
safely, but within three minutes the ship sank and the davit caught it
and capsized it, all hands being thrown into the water. The second
officer went down with the ship, but seized hold of the capsized boat
and climbed on top of it. The boatswain also was taken down, and he,
too, as well as a seaman, got on the boat. After they had been on the
upturned boat for some minutes a submarine appeared and hailed them to
come on board. They explained that it was impossible. The submarine went
ahead, and about a quarter of an hour later returned, and the men were
again asked, in a rough voice, to come on board. The same answer was
given, whereupon the submarine again went ahead, putting her helm over,
and the men were thrown into the water. Those on the submarine must have
known that there was a man under the boat, as they could easily have
heard him knocking. His comrades, however, pulled out the plug and gave
him air, and eventually the boat was righted and he was rescued.
One of a group of other ships was torpedoed and the crew took to the
boats, one of which capsized, and seven of the men managed to reach the
lifeboat. The submarine came close, flashed her searchlight on the boat
and on the men in the water, and, after jeering at them, made off. The
survivors were picked up by a French torpedo boat next morning.
Attacked by a U-boat, which fired two shots, the master got out the
boats, left the ship, and pulled toward the enemy vessel. The commander
took four or five of his own men in the ship's boat and put some bombs
on board. As these failed to explode he went back for more explosives,
taking with him everything out of the ship that could be carried--food,
clothing, compass, and all the metal that the enemy could lay hands on.
The vessel was then blown up, the crew in the meantime being on the deck
of the submarine. They were treated very badly, their clothes being
thrown out of the boat into the sea. Only one oar was left them, five
having been flung overboard. The master begged for another, but he could
not get any more.
Two submarines were sighted at a distance of about six miles attacking a
bark. The master of the observing vessel altered his course and lit a
smoke cowl to screen his ship, but it was not very effective. Shortly
afterward he was attacked by one of the submarines. Being armed, the
vessel opened fire, but the U-boat was not within range, and a shot from
the submarine struck the ship. Orders were given to haul down the
ensign, and steps were taken to abandon her. The boats were lowered and
the ship was abandoned, the enemy still firing. The ship was hit
nineteen times before the crew was properly clear. When the submarine
came up the vessel was "generally looted," everything the enemy could
lay their hands on being taken, including the spirits in the bonded
room. Some of the Germans were seen drinking on the bridge. The enemy
were alongside for about an hour, and "treated our men quite fairly,
even returning some of their personal gear which they had looted." The
enemy crew were very particular in getting all the leather they possibly
could, even going so far as to take old boots which were long past
usage. Soap was also in great request, and a tin of lard was considered
a prize.
In another instance a vessel struck on the port side in the engine room
went down at once, the crew having only time to launch the boats. About
ten minutes before the ship was torpedoed a floating object was sighted,
which appeared like a small vessel bottom upward. This was reported by
flag code to another vessel close by, but no reply was received before
the ship was hit. The master was of opinion that this object must have
been placed there as a decoy by the submarine to draw the attention of
the lookouts away from herself.
When a motor schooner was struck the ship's boat was rowed to the
submarine and the master and one man were taken aboard. The submarine
then towed the boat to the disabled ship, and sent two men on her with
bombs. An officer asked the master, "What was the cargo? Where from?
Where bound? Why did the ship not come with convoy?" The officer spoke
very good English, being prompted in German by the Captain of the
U-boat. The master and crew were much struck by the pallid appearance of
the officers and crew of the submarine and by their nervous and excited
manner. The commander was continually urging haste, and the officer who
was placing the bombs on board could hardly hold them, owing to his
nervous tension. One of the crew of the submarine who had lived long in
England, speaking to the ship's crew, cursed the war and said that he
wished it was over, exclaiming that it was not their fault, but that
they had to do their duty. "You won't believe it in England," he added,
"but it's true." The submarine appeared to be of an old type and to have
been a long time at sea.