Q Ships and Their Story 18

Q Ships and Their Story 18

In this engagement between the Q-ship and submarine everything had

been done that could have been brought about by a most experienced,

skilful, and determined British officer. His guns had kept on hitting,

and yet the enemy had escaped. Fortunately we now know the story

from the enemy’s side, as an account of this incident was published

in the German Press, and bears out all that has been said above. The

German version mentions that U 84 took the British ship for a tank

steamer. This is not in the least surprising, for the _Penshurst_ was

one of those small ships with her engines aft just as you see in an

‘oil-tanker,’ and such a craft was sure enough bait for any submarine.

The Germans say the torpedo was fired at 765 yards range, and missed

because the British ship was going ‘faster than we supposed.’ The

Q-ship’s disguise was perfect, for it was not until she opened

fire that she was suspected of being a ‘trap.’ As to the latter’s

shelling, the German account admits that the superstructure abaft the

conning-tower was at once penetrated, and that hardly had the hatch

been closed than ‘there is a sharp report in the conning-tower, a

yellow flash, and explosive gases fill the air. A shell has penetrated

the side of the conning-tower and exploded inside.’ The result was

that one man was injured. She then dived, and at 65·6 feet they felt

the two depth charges, which made the boat tremble and put out some of

the electric lights. The forward hydroplane jammed, and this was the

reason she came to the surface at such a steep angle. The gyro compass,

the main rudder, the trimming pump, and all the control apparatus also

broke down. But what about the leaks made by the shells? These were

plugged, the tricolour flag of the French sailing ship _Bayonne_, which

they had sunk on February 17 in the English Channel, being also used

for that purpose.

 

The German account goes on to say this submarine was now compelled to

proceed on the surface and run away, and the numerous men then seen on

her deck were engaged in bringing up ammunition, ‘all the men who are

not occupied below’ being thus employed. The submarine at first took

_Alyssum_ for a destroyer, and certainly bow on she was not unlike

one. It needs little imagination to realize how narrowly the enemy had

escaped, and the moral effect which was made on the German crew. We

know now that a German petty officer was killed and an officer wounded.

It mattered little that the conning-tower was holed, for, as has been

already pointed out, this is not an essential part of the submarine’s

construction. By closing the hatch on deck no water could get down

into the hull from here; and the other holes being also plugged, U 84

could thus get back home by keeping out to sea during daylight hours,

avoiding our patrols, and passing headlands under cover of night.

 

A month later _Penshurst_ again fought a sharp action under Commander

Grenfell at the eastern end of the English Channel, the position being

in Lat. 50.28 N., Long. 0.12 W. In this engagement she did not sink the

enemy, but was herself badly damaged and so seriously holed that she

had to be towed to Portsmouth the following day. Here she underwent

a long refit, and then went forth to fight again and to fight, as

ever, splendidly. She had a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Cedric

Naylor, R.N.R., who had been second-in-command to Captain Grenfell, now

invalided ashore, and this lieutenant well maintained the traditions

of the Q-service, and added to the distinctions won by this wonderful

ship. Oft in danger, but always emerging from the tightest of corners,

leaving the enemy seriously wounded, the gallant _Penshurst_ carried

on.

 

 

[Illustration: THE GALLANT CAPTAIN AND OFFICERS OF Q-SHIP “PENSHURST”

 

From left to right: Paymaster-Lieut. W. R. Ashton, R.N.R.; Lieut. S. P.

R. White, R.N.R.; Sub-Lieut. J. R. Stenhouse, R.N.R. (in command of the

“Aurora” in Sir E. Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition, 1914-15); Captain

F. H. Grenfell, R.N.; Lieut. C. Naylor, R.N.R. (First Lieut.); and

Lieut. W. S. Harrison, R.N.R. (Navigating Officer).]

 

[Illustration: MEN OF THE Q SHIP “PENSHURST”

 

The ship’s gunlayers and carpenter. The man in the centre wearing

service uniform was the gunlayer of the bridge 6-pounder who was killed

in the action of January 14, 1917. The others are wearing their Q-ship

“rig.”

 

To face p. 124]

 

On July 2 she was steaming her 8 knots, as usual, and was in the

western approaches (Lat. 49.10 N., Long. 8.25 W.), when at 1.30 p.m. a

submarine was seen crossing the ship’s bows 6,000 yards away. She dived

and waited for _Penshurst_ to approach in the manner of attack outlined

in a previous chapter as being the tactics of a submarine. Then, after

a while, the periscope was sighted 500 yards away on the port beam, so

_Penshurst_, knowing a torpedo was imminent, waited, and, the torpedo

having been sent, altered course to avoid it, just missing by a matter

of 10 feet. The ship’s company then went to ‘panic’ stations and the

ship was ‘abandoned.’ At 3.35 p.m. the enemy came to the surface

5,000 yards away on the starboard quarter, at 3.39 p.m. opened fire

and continued until 4.13 p.m., when _Penshurst_ herself started firing

at 4,500 yards, succeeding in hitting the enemy sixteen times, and

undoubtedly seriously damaging him. The submarine managed to pass out

of range and was not sunk. Three destroyers now came on the scene and

gave chase, but the German got away. For this engagement Lieutenant

Naylor received the D.S.O.

 

In accordance with _Penshurst’s_ previous experience, not many weeks

elapsed before she was again in combat. It was the following August 19,

and she was cruising again in the western approaches. That morning a

steamship had sighted a submarine, and _Penshurst_, who was now in Lat.

47.45 N., Long. 8.35 W., was steering S. 50 W., doing 8 knots, when she

saw the enemy 6 miles ahead steering across the bows, evidently making

the ‘approach’ in his tactics. There was little north-west wind, a

moderate westerly swell, and the sky was clear, but there was a strong

glare from the sun. At 5.8 p.m. the enemy dived, and Lieutenant Naylor

estimated that she would probably attack with torpedo about 5.45 p.m.

Exactly at 5.44 a torpedo was observed to break water 1,000 yards from

the ship, 3 points on the starboard bow, just forward of the sun’s

rays. _Penshurst_ put her helm hard aport, and at 5.45 the torpedo

struck her—but fortunately it was only a glancing blow immediately

below the bridge. The smart handling of the ship had thus saved her

from being struck further aft, where the consequences would have been

even more serious. As it was, the explosion caused a high volume of

water to rise in such quantities that upper and lower bridges and after

deck were flooded, overwhelming the gun’s crew concealed there, and

filling the starboard boat hanging in the davits over 70 feet away from

the point of impact. Furthermore, it caused the ship to take a heavy

list to starboard so that the sea poured in over the bulwarks, and she

afterwards rolled to port, the water then pouring in on this side also.

 

Some of the crew were hurled with force against the ceiling of the

cabins, but perfect discipline still continued, as might well be

expected with such a well-tried crew. She had been torpedoed in No. 2

hold, the starboard side of the lower bridge had been stripped, and

unfortunately the 12-pounder there kept screened was thus exposed.

Unfortunately, too, the sides of the dummy boat amidships, which hid

another 12-pounder, were thrown down by the explosion, thus exposing

this gun, flooding the magazine, putting out of action all controls

from the bridge as well as the ship’s compasses and so on. What was to

be done now? Lieutenant Naylor wisely decided not to ‘abandon’ ship

since the guns had been disclosed; the ship could not be manœuvred so

as to hide this side, and the enemy would probably make another attack.

She was therefore kept under way, the steering gear was connected up

with the main steering engines, the wireless repaired, and at 5.58 a

general signal was sent out to H.M. ships requesting assistance.

 

 

[Illustration: FIG. 12.—THE HUMOROUS SIDE OF Q-SHIP WARFARE.

 

This amusing sketch of _Penshurst_, by one of her officers, shows

her being shelled by a submarine and the panic party in two boats

rowing off. In the bows of each boat one of the crew is semaphoring.

BILL (_in boat No. 1_): ‘’Arry!’ ’ARRY (_in boat No. 2_): ‘What?’

BILL (_anxiously_): ‘Did yer make the tea afore we left ‘er?’ ’ARRY:

‘Nar!’ BILL (_much relieved_): ‘Good!’]

 

At five minutes past six the submarine showed herself on the port

quarter 6,000 yards away. This made things better, for if the enemy

had not already observed the exposed guns she could still be kept

in ignorance, as the sides of the false boat had in the meantime

been replaced in position. Therefore the 3-pounder on the top of the

gunhouse aft opened fire at 5,000 yards. This was quite a normal

happening, for many a small mercantile steamer was thus armed

defensively. The enemy replied, and at 6.21, as the latter showed no

intention of decreasing the range, _Penshurst_ opened fire with all

guns on the port side, and appeared to hit, so that at 6.24 the enemy

submerged. Meanwhile the _Penshurst_ was not under control and steamed

round in circles, but help was approaching, for at 6.50 p.m. H.M.S.

_Leonidas_ wirelessed saying she would reach _Penshurst_ at 7.30 p.m.

At 7.5 the submarine was 7 miles astern, waiting stationary to see

what would happen, but at 7.26 she dived on observing the approaching

destroyer. Nightfall came, and as the water was still gaining in

the Q-ship, all the men who could be spared were transferred to the

_Leonidas_. _Penshurst_ then shaped a course E.N.E. for Plymouth, and

next day at 1.30 p.m. was taken in tow by a tug which had been sent out

with two armed trawlers from the Scillies Naval Base. Thus, wounded yet

not beaten, she passed through Plymouth Sound, and on August 21 made

fast to a Devonport jetty, happily having suffered no casualties to any

of her personnel. Lieutenant Naylor received a bar to his D.S.O., the

ship had a thorough refit, and in place of a 12-pounder she was now

given a 4-inch gun, which would enable her to fight the 4·1-inch U-boat

gun on more equal terms.

 

Then, still commanded by Lieutenant Naylor, she went forth again. We

can pass over the intervening weeks and come to Christmas Eve, 1917. At

a time when most non-combatants ashore were about to take part in the

great festival, this most gallant ship, heroine of so many fights, was

in the direst straits. At midday she was approaching the southern end

of the Irish Sea, shaping a course to intercept a submarine operating

off the Smalls, when ten minutes later she sighted a U-boat two points

on the port bow, in Lat. 51.31 N., Long. 5.33 W., about 5 miles ahead,

steering at right angles to _Penshurst_ and beginning the ‘approach’ of

her attacking tactics. _Penshurst_ was making her usual 8 knots, and at

12.12 p.m. the enemy, as was expected, submerged. Although the Q-ship