Q Ships and Their Story 26

Q Ships and Their Story 26

This concentration at important centres was noticeable during the

submarine campaign; in fact, but a few weeks later _Glen_ was again

engaged with an enemy in the same vicinity. This was on June 25, the

exact position was 14 miles S. by W. of St. Catherine’s Point, and

the schooner was sailing close hauled on the starboard tack, heading

S.W. by S., doing her 2 knots, when she sighted a vessel apparently

under sail on her port quarter 4 miles distant. Presently this vessel

fired at her, the shot falling 1,000 yards short. This, of course,

was a submarine, and it was a not unusual thing to attempt disguise

by this means; for obviously a low-lying craft on the surface viewed

from a distance would create suspicion. But, parenthetically, it may

be mentioned that this sail device was not always carried out with

common sense, and I remember on one occasion a submarine giving himself

hopelessly away by motoring at good speed in the eye of the wind with

his sail of course shaking wildly. Such an unseamanlike act was at

once spotted by the nearest patrol, and the submarine had to dive so

hurriedly that she left the sail on the water.

 

In the case of _Glen_ the recognition was obvious as soon as the first

shot was fired. Several minutes later came another, which fell only

60 yards short, so _Glen_ hove-to and ‘abandoned’ ship, the enemy

continuing to fire every few minutes, but the shots fell just over. Her

seventh and eighth shots fell much closer, in fact so near that their

splash flooded the schooner’s deck, and shell splinters struck the

sails and bulwarks. _Glen_ then opened fire with both guns, but this

was a more cautious submarine, who declined to approach nearer than

4,000 yards, fired three more rounds, then submerged and made off.

 

The activity of the submarines during this week in the neighbourhood

of Portland Bill was most noticeable. Submarines were also stationed

in the western approaches of the English Channel. The reason for this

is not hard to appreciate, for it was on June 26, the day after the

above engagement, that the first contingent of U.S.A. troops landed in

France on the western coast. Whether the transports would be bound up

Channel to Cherbourg or Southampton, the enemy submarines were lying

in wait ready for them. And it is significant that also on June 26 the

Q-sailing-ship _Gaelic_ sighted a submarine at the western entrance of

the English Channel and had a short duel with her.

 

On July 2 _Gaelic_ had another indecisive duel, and on the tenth _Glen_

(now commanded by Sub-Lieutenant K. Morris, R.N.R.) once more was in

action. This time she was further down Channel, about 45 miles S.W. of

Portland Bill. In this incident the enemy fired several rifle-shots

at the panic party rowing in the boat. An officer appeared at the

conning-tower presently, hailed this rowing boat, and in good English

ordered her to come alongside. The boat began to do so, but just then

something seemed suddenly to startle the officer, and he disappeared

into the conning-tower. _Glen_ opened fire, and the submarine—one of

the UC type—submerged. She was not sunk, but she had been damaged, and

Sub-Lieutenant Morris was awarded the D.S.C.

 

We saw just now that submarines were very fond of hanging about on

the approach to Cherbourg. There was a sound reason for this. The

coal-fields of France were in the hands of the enemy, consequently

it fell to us to keep France supplied. From February, 1917, a system

was organized which was the real beginning of the convoy method soon

afterwards adopted with such beneficial results to our shipping. This

embryonic organization was known as the ‘F.C.T.’—French Coal-Trade

Traffic. The ships would load coal up the Bristol Channel and then

sail independently round to Weymouth Bay. Having thus collected, they

were sailed across to Cherbourg together in a group, protection being

afforded by trawlers during daylight and moonlight hours only. As one

looked at this heterogeneous collection of craft, some of them of great

age, lying at anchor off Weymouth Harbour, they seemed distinctly a

curious lot; but there was a great dearth of shipping at that time, and

any old vessel that could carry coal and go ahead was worth her weight

in gold. The system was found most successful, and other group sailings

on definite routes, such as Falmouth-Brest and Dover-Dunkirk, were

instituted.

 

The next development was to have one or two Q-ships among the convoys,

for the most obvious of reasons, and especially well astern of the

convoy, so that the enemy might take them for stragglers and sink them

before any of the escort could turn back and help. Then came a still

further development, which had been in the minds of many naval officers

for a long time. Since there was such a scarcity of tonnage available

for general purposes, why not let the Q-ship, instead of carrying

ballast, be loaded with a proper cargo? She could easily carry this

without interfering with her fighting ability: in fact, she would be

trimmed more normally, and rather increase than decrease her power of

deception. As to the possibility of secrecy being lost whilst loading

in port, the armament was very cleverly concealed and only a little

organization was necessary to prevent her true character being bruited

about. The main difficulty would be when in the presence of neutral

shipping in that particular harbour, but this problem was capable of

solution.

 

Thus it happened now that in many cases the Q-ship became also a

trader. Be it noted, her character was not that of an armed merchant

ship which is armed only defensively, but a properly commissioned

warship carrying cargo as well as her offensive armament. Now, one of

these craft was the two-masted 179-ton brigantine _Probus_ (alias Q 30,

_Ready_, _Thirza_, _Elixir_). She had been purchased by the Admiralty

in 1915, and fitted with an auxiliary motor. Then, based on Granton,

she had worked as a decoy in the North Sea.

 

In May, 1917, having done excellent work as a pure decoy, we find her

as a decoy-trader. Having loaded up with coal at Granton, she left

there on May 4, and duly arrived at Treguier. From there she proceeded

to Swansea with a cargo of pit-props, which were much needed by the

Welsh coal mines, seeing that our customary supply from Scandinavia,

via the North Sea, was so endangered at that time. From Swansea

_Probus_, who was armed with two 12-pounders and two 6-pounders, sailed

round to Falmouth, and at 3.30 on the afternoon of June 20 she set sail

for Morlaix in company with twelve sailing ships and the one steamship

escort, the armed trawler _Harlech Castle_. Think of it in these modern

days: a dozen sailing vessels coming out past St. Anthony’s Lighthouse!

Truly this war has shown how history goes on repeating itself. Who

would have thought that sailing-ship convoys, which in other wars used

to assemble and leave Falmouth, would ever be witnessed again?

 

Now, to control a dozen sail you must have sea-room, so the convoy

was arranged thus: A mile ahead of the first sailing ship steamed the

trawler, then came the twelve ships spread over 3 miles, and then 4

miles astern of the last ship, and looking just as a straggler would

be, sailed the _Probus_. There was thus a distance of 8 miles between

her and the escort trawler. Most of a day passed before anything

occurred. At 2.15 p.m. on June 21 _Probus_, still astern of the convoy,

was about 23 miles south-west of the Start and heading on a course S.E.

by S. The wind was S.W., force 3, and she was doing about 4 knots

through the water, when she observed what appeared to be a ketch-rigged

vessel, steering the same course, 4 miles away on the starboard

quarter; but from the rapidity with which the bearing altered, it was

soon obvious that the ketch was not under sail alone. At 2.30 p.m.

the ‘ketch’ proved her submarine identity by opening fire, the first

shot falling 10 yards clear of the brigantine’s beam. _Probus_ then

hove-to, the crew went to action stations, and the boat was got ready

to be launched, while the submarine kept up a rapid fire from about

4,000 yards, shells falling unpleasantly close. By now _Probus_ was

heading about S.W. with fore-yards aback, and, owing to the light

wind, was making a stern board. Then her head fell round slowly to the

west. The enemy was now bearing about W. to W.S.W., firing rapidly,

and heading to the south-east so as to cross the brigantine’s bows.

It was a beautifully clear summer’s afternoon, and you could see the

convoy and the smoke from the escorting trawler quite easily. After the

submarine had maintained a continuous long-range fire for ten minutes,

_Probus_ ran up the White Ensign, and at 3,500 yards opened fire with

her starboard 12-pounder. The first round fell 500 yards short, but the

crew of the submarine’s gun hurriedly left their station and made for

the conning-tower. The second shot seemed to be a hit, for the enemy,

lying across the brigantine’s bows, stopped, and a large cloud of smoke

went up, and he temporarily ceased fire.

 

_Probus_ then went about on the other tack, and the enemy took

advantage of this to resume firing, while shots began to fall all

round; but the port 12-pounder of the British ship now came into

action, and the fourth shot was certainly another hit, for it

dismantled the German’s sails and mast, and raised a cloud of smoke

from the fore part of the conning-tower. Shelling continued, and the

enemy was compelled to submerge, _Probus’s_ parting shot hitting him

on the top of the conning-tower. It was now about 3.30 p.m., and

nothing was seen of the German until a quarter of an hour later, when

he was sighted 6 miles away approaching _Probus_. He had probably been

stopping his shell-holes, and was now ready to give the sailing ship

the knock-out blow; but the armed trawler, with its fishermen crew

eager to have a hand in the fight, was by this time making towards the

submarine, and this compelled the German to break off the engagement

and scurry to the north-east.

 

Unfortunately this duel demonstrated yet again the great weakness

of the sailing ship as a man-of-war. In the olden days, when the

swift-moving galley fought the sailing carrack or caravel, the galley

was able to press home her attack if the weather fell light, and left

the other ship rolling helpless in the calm, with yards and tackle

grievously creaking and chafing. The submarine is the modern galley,

and the Q-sailing-ship is the carrack’s counterpart. As long as there

was a good breeze she could be manœuvred, and if there was a hard

breeze it would make it difficult for the enemy’s gunnery. _Probus_

was practically becalmed, so the submarine could run rings round her,

and the sailing ship could not be worked up to windward. Of course,

on these and similar occasions troubles seldom come singly; for when

the brigantine _Probus_ made a stern board her starboard propeller

had fouled the log-line, so this was out of action. However, _Probus_

resumed her original course, followed the convoy, and in spite of the

light airs duly arrived at Morlaix on June 25.

 

[Illustration: Q-SAILING SHIP “FRESH HOPE”

 

This was a 900-ton three-masted schooner which was requisitioned in the

last year of the war. She had previously been the United States “Edith

E. Cummins.”]