Q Ships and Their Story 17

Q Ships and Their Story 17

Captain Grenfell, by change of circumstances, had once more to modify

his plans, stop all salvage work, cast off the seaplane and swing in

his derrick, which was to have hoisted the latter in. The men in the

gig could not be left, and he was faced with two alternatives. Either

he could hoist the gig on the port quarter in full view of the enemy,

or he could tow her alongside to starboard, and risk her being seen. He

chose the latter, and at 3.24 p.m. proceeded on a south-westerly course

at slow speed. The submarine now came up right astern, so course had to

be altered gradually to keep the German on the port quarter and out of

sight of the gig.

 

Slowly the submarine overhauled the Q-ship, firing at intervals, and

at 4.12 p.m., when she was within 1,000 yards, _Penshurst_ stopped

her engines, the panic party ‘abandoned’ ship, and the two boat-loads

pulled away to starboard. The German now sheered out to port, swept

round on _Penshurst’s_ port beam, and passed close under the stern of

her with the object of securing the ship’s papers from the captain,

whom the enemy supposed to be in the boats. A party of Germans

would then have boarded the ship and sunk her with bombs. But these

intentions were suddenly frustrated at 4.26 p.m., when, the submarine

being on _Penshurst’s_ starboard quarter and all the latter’s guns

bearing, the British ship opened fire at the delightfully convenient

range of only 250 yards. This was the last thing the enemy was

expecting. No one was standing by her 8·8-centimetre gun forward of the

conning-tower, the attention of all the Germans on deck being directed

towards the Q-ship’s boats rowing about. Thus completely and utterly

surprised, the Germans never made any attempt to return the fire. The

second shot, fired from _Penshurst’s_ starboard 3-pounder, penetrated

right through into the engine-room and prevented the submarine from

submerging. At this ridiculous range the British guns were able to be

worked at their maximum rapidity, so that over eighty rounds were fired

and almost every shot took effect. Very soon the submarine’s hull was

fairly riddled with holes, and large parts of the conning-tower and

hull plating were blown away by the shells from the 12-pounder.

 

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “PENSHURST”

 

This shows a dress rehearsal. The “panic party” are seen rowing away

in one of the ship’s boats, the White Ensign is being hoisted on the

foremast and the guns are about to open fire. In this picture she has

her mizzen mast up.]

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “PENSHURST” AT SEA

 

Seen with only two masts, the mizzen having been lowered. The crew’s

washing is displayed as in a tramp steamer. The funnel has been

painted a different colour. But behind the white wind screen on the

lower bridge is a 6-pounder gun—one each side—which can fire from

ahead to astern. Inside the boat on the main hatch just forward of

the funnel is the dummy boat in which a 12-pounder is concealed. Two

3-pounders are in the after deck-house. Depth charges were released

through ports in the counter.

 

To face p. 116]

 

After only ten minutes’ engagement the submarine foundered, bows

first, but not before _Penshurst’s_ boats had taken off the survivors

and also those who had leapt into the sea. These survivors included

Ober-Leutnant Erich Noodt, Leutnant Karl Bartel, Ingenieur-Aspirant

Eigler, and thirteen of the crew; but seven had been killed. Thus

perished UB 19, who had left Zeebrugge on November 22, having come via

the Straits of Dover. She was about 118 feet long, painted grey, had

the one gun, two periscopes, and had been built the year previous.

She was of the smaller class of submarines belonging to the Flanders

flotilla which operated for three weeks on end in the waters of the

English Channel, carrying only three torpedoes, one of which had

already been used to sink a Norwegian ship. It was learned from her

crew that her submerged speed was about 4 knots; so Captain Grenfell,

but for the accident to the sea-plane, would have been able to get

right over her and destroy her by depth charge.

 

Thus, at length, after a year of hard work, disappointment, and all

kinds of weather, Commander Grenfell, by his doggedness and downright

skill, had scored his first success. The King rewarded him with a

D.S.O., another officer received the D.S.C., and one of the crew the

D.S.M. The ship’s complement consisted of Commander Grenfell, three

temporary (acting) R.N.R. lieutenants, and one assistant paymaster,

who was engaged during the action in taking notes. The crew numbered

fifty-six, which included R.N.R. and R.N.V.R. ratings. The sum of

£1,000 was awarded to the ship, and, after the war, Lord Sterndale in

the Prize Court awarded a further sum as prize bounty.

 

The gallant _Penshurst_ had not long to wait for her next adventure.

December passed, and on January 14, 1917, there was another and newer

UB boat ready for her. It was ten minutes to four in the afternoon,

and the Q-ship was in Lat. 50.9 N., Long. 1.46 W.—that is to say,

between the Isle of Wight and Alderney, when she saw a submarine

heading towards her. Five minutes later, the German, when 3,000 yards

off, fired, but the shot fell short. The Q-ship then stopped her

engines, went to ‘panic’ stations, and sent away her boats with the

‘abandon ship’ party. _Penshurst_ then gradually fell off to port,

and lay with her head about W.N.W., bringing the submarine on the

starboard bow. Closing rapidly on this bearing, the UB boat kept firing

at intervals, and when about 700 yards off turned as though to cross

Captain Grenfell’s bows. The latter withheld his fire, thinking the

enemy was going round to the boats on the port quarter, and he would

be able to get her at close range. But the German stopped in this

position, exposing her broadside, and quickened her rate of fire,

hitting the steamer twice in succession. It was this kind of experience

which always tested the discipline and training of the Q-ship, as a

well-trained boxer can receive punishment without losing his temper,

knowing his chance will come presently.

 

[Illustration: FIG. 11.—DIAGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE APPROXIMATE MOVEMENTS OF

‘PENSHURST’ IN HER ACTION WITH SUBMARINE ON JANUARY 14, 1917.]

 

The first hit broke an awning ridge-pole on _Penshurst’s_ bridge,

the second shell struck the angle of the lower bridge, severing

the engine-room telegraph connections and the pipe connecting the

hydraulic release gear, by means of which the depth charge aft could

be let go from the bridge. This shell also killed the gun-layer and

loading-number of the 6-pounder, wounding its breech-worker and the

signalman who was standing by to hoist the White Ensign. So at 4.24

p.m. _Penshurst_ opened fire, her first shot from the 12-pounder

hitting the base of the enemy’s conning-tower and causing a large

explosion, as though the ammunition had been exploded. Large parts of

the conning-tower were seen to be blown away, and a big volume of black

smoke arose. The second British shot from this gun hit the enemy a

little abaft the conning-tower and also visibly damaged the hull. The

starboard 3-pounder hit the lower part of the conning-tower at least

four times, and then the enemy sank by the stern. _Penshurst_ wanted to

make sure, so steamed ahead and dropped depth charges over her, then

picked up her boats and made for Portland, where she arrived at ten

o’clock that evening and sent her wounded to the Naval Hospital. It

had been another excellent day’s work, for UB 37, one of those modern

craft fitted with net-cutters forward for the purpose of cutting a

way through the Dover Straits barrage, had been definitely destroyed

without a single survivor. More rewards followed, and, later on, more

prize bounty.

 

_Penshurst_ resumed her cruising, and just about a month later she

was in the western approach to the English Channel, the exact date

being February 20, and the position Lat. 49.21 N., Long. 6.16 W. At

12.36 p.m. a German submarine rose to the surface, and a quarter of

an hour later began firing at a range of 3,000 yards. _Penshurst_

then ‘abandoned’ ship, and at 1.4 p.m. opened fire and scored a hit

with her 6-pounder. At 100 yards range the other guns came into

action, and the enemy was hit above the waterline in the centre of the

conning-tower and abaft this superstructure. She then submerged and was

depth-charged; yet this submarine, in spite of all this, was not sunk.

This again illustrated the statement already made that a submarine

could be severely holed and yet be able to get back home. A still more

illuminating example is to be found in the following incident.

 

Only two days had elapsed and _Penshurst_ was again busily engaged. It

was at 11.34 a.m., February 22, and the ship was off the south coast

of Ireland, the exact position being Lat. 51.56 N., Long. 6.46 W.

_Penshurst_ was steering S. 89 W. when she saw a submarine steering

west. The steam-ship therefore steamed at her utmost speed, but could

not get up to her, for we may as well mention that this was U 84, a

very up-to-date submarine which had a surface speed of 16 knots and

could do her 9 knots submerged for a whole hour. It is not to be

wondered, therefore, that she could run away from this slow steamer and

at 11.55 a.m. disappear. At this time there was in sight 8 miles away

H.M.S. _Alyssum_, one of Admiral Bayly’s sloops based on Queenstown,

who was escorting the large four-masted S.S. _Canadian_. As _Penshurst_

proceeded, she sighted at 12.18 p.m. a boat with men in it, these being

from the torpedoed sailing ship _Invercauld_, which had been sunk 22

miles S.E. of Mine Head, Ireland, that same day. A few minutes later

and _Penshurst_ observed the keel of this ship floating bottom up. At

12.35 the periscopes of U 84 were seen to emerge 400 yards on the port

beam, and the track of a torpedo making straight for the midships of

_Penshurst_. By at once starboarding the helm, disaster was avoided,

but the torpedo passed as close as 15 feet.

 

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “PENSHURST”

 

In this dummy boat mounted on the main hatch is seen hidden the

12-pounder gun. The sides of the boat were movable. The voice pipe from

the bridge to the two after guns was lashed to the derrick and thus

hidden from the enemy.]

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “PENSHURST”

 

This shows how the concealed 12-pounder gun could be brought into

action by removing the boat’s sides. The bow end of the boat has been

moved to the far side of the gun, where Captain Grenfell, attired in

his “mystery” rig of a master mariner, is seen standing. As will be

seen from the other photograph, the sides of the boat when in position