Q Ships and Their Story 6

Q Ships and Their Story 6

Showing gun on port side of the poop and disguised crew.]

 

[Illustration: Q-SHIP “BARALONG”

 

Showing disguised marines and method of concealing the gun.

 

To face p. 28]

 

_Baralong_ now sighted the submarine’s conning-tower, and when about

five miles away the submarine dived, so _Baralong_ altered course to

the southward, so as to compel the enemy, if she meant to attack, to

rise to the surface and use her oil-engines. This ruse succeeded, for

presently U 41 came to the surface and proceeded at full speed to head

the Englishman off. _Baralong_ now hoisted United States colours,

whereupon the German hoisted ‘Stop instantly!’ The former obeyed, but

by using the engines now and again cleverly manœuvred so as to close

the range. The next order from the enemy was for the Englishman to send

his papers aboard the submarine, the two craft being now about two and

a half miles apart. _Baralong_ answered the signal, steamed slowly

ahead, altering very gradually towards the enemy, and pretended to be

hoisting out a boat on the side visible to the submarine. On board

the latter the forward gun was already manned, Ober-Leutnant Crompton

being on deck in charge of the firing. But Hansen had already been

outmanœuvred by Wilmot-Smith, just as in the olden days the sailing

man-of-war sought to win the weather-gage. For, having got the

submarine 2 points on the starboard bow, _Baralong_ so steered as to

keep her in that position, and the two approached until the range was

down to 700 yards.

 

All this time, though every man in _Baralong_ was at his station,

there was not a movement that in any way caused the enemy to suspect.

The latter was concerned rather with the details of making quite sure

she was a neutral. It was then that _Baralong_ starboarded her helm

so that it might appear as if she were just swinging in order to give

the ship’s boat a lee while being lowered, a perfectly natural and

sea-manlike piece of tactics. But when she had swung sufficiently

for the starboard and stern guns to bear, down came the disguise, up

went the fluttering White Ensign, and a heavy fire at only 500 yards

came pouring forth, accompanied by rifle fire from the marines in the

well-deck aft. The enemy was taken so completely by surprise that he

got off only one round, and this was a long way out. So smartly had

_Baralong’s_ men begun the attack that the second round scored a direct

hit at the base of the conning-tower, and several other shells got home

with deadly precision. The Germans on deck became panic-stricken, left

their guns, and made for the conning-tower hatch, but whilst they were

doing this another direct hit struck the conning-tower, blowing Hansen

and six men to pieces. After several more hits, U 41 listed to port

with a heavy inclination and dived. This submersion was useless, as she

was leaking very badly, and the main bilge-pump ceased to function.

Down she dropped to a terrible depth, the diving tanks were blown by

the compressed air, and with a great sense of relief the Germans who

were still alive found their craft coming to the surface. First came

the bows, and then the top of the conning-tower showed above water, a

large volume of smoke and steam escaping, and then she disappeared for

the last time very rapidly, stern first, Ober-Leutnant Crompton and the

helmsman escaping through an open hatchway.

 

After she had sunk finally a large burst of air and oil-fuel rose to

the surface, the submarine’s bulkheads having apparently burst owing

to the pressure due to the deep water, which here was 75 fathoms.

Only Crompton and the helmsman were saved, the former having been

badly wounded whilst entering the conning-tower. All the others,

consisting of five officers and twenty-five men, were lost. In the

meantime _Urbino_ had sunk, too, from her shell-holes, and _Baralong_

picked the whole crew up from their boats to the number of forty-two

officers and men, her master, Captain Allanson Hick, stating that his

ship was on her way from New York to Hull. _Baralong_, conscious of

having obtained another brilliant and brave victory, now proceeded with

her survivors to Falmouth, where she arrived in the early hours of

the following morning. Lieut.-Commander Wilmot-Smith was awarded the

D.S.O., and Temporary Engineer J. M. Dowie, R.N.R., received a D.S.C.,

a well-deserved decoration; for much depended on the engineers in these

ships, and they had much to suffer. Two of the crew received a D.S.M.

each, and the sum of £1,000 was also awarded, this being additional to

the bounty subsequently awarded in the Prize Court.

 

At this stage in the world’s history there is no intention of exulting

in the discomfiture and pain of the enemy. Day after day during this

period the writer used to see the sad sight of our survivors without

ship or belongings other than the clothes on their backs. It is

difficult altogether to forget these incidents or the unchivalrous

behaviour of the enemy. Without wishing to be vindictive, it is well

to place on record that the nineteen German sailors on the deck of

U 41 all jeered at Captain Hick in his distress, and yet although a

callous enemy had been sunk in a fair fight, this second _Baralong_

incident aroused in Germany a wave of horrified indignation akin to the

decoy’s former exploit. The German Press referred to the sinking of

U 41 as a murderous act, but if this were so there were to be plenty

more to follow. Happily, at last, we had found a real, effective means

of grappling with the submarine problem. Against us were contending

the finest brains of the German Navy, and these determined officers

were not over anxious to save life, as we knew from their behaviour at

the sinking of _Falaba_ and _Lusitania_. Such craft as U 41, over 200

feet long, with a maximum surface speed of 14 knots, but an endurance

of 5,500 miles at 10 knots, armed with a couple of guns and eight

torpedoes, were formidable foes, and any clever stratagem that could

be used against them, without infringing International Law, was surely

entirely justified. Thus, very wisely, four colliers were fitted

out that same autumn as Q-ships, these being the _Thornhill_ (alias

_Werribee_, _Wellholme_, and _Wonganella_); the _Remembrance_ (alias

_Lammeroo_); _Bradford City_ (alias _Saros_); and the _Penhallow_

(alias _Century_). These, together with _Baralong_, were sent to

operate in the Mediterranean, for here the submarine campaign became

very serious just at the time when it temporarily died down in North

European waters. Diplomatic relations between Germany and the United

States, consequent on the sinking of the _Lusitania_ and then _Arabic_,

were becoming strained, so that Germany had to accept the American

demands for the limitation of submarine activity. The result was that

from September 24, 1915, up to December 20, 1915, no ships were sunk by

German submarines in North European waters, though the Mediterranean

had a different story to tell. At the end of December a short, sharp

submarine campaign was carried out off Ireland by U-boats, and then

there was quiet again until Germany began her extended submarine

campaign on March 1, 1916. This in turn lasted only to May 8, and was

not resumed until July 5, 1916.

 

It is as well to bear these periods in mind, for otherwise we cannot

appreciate the dull, monotonous weeks and months of cruising spent

by the Q-ships when they saw no submarine, received nothing but

vague, inaccurate reports, and had to keep their crews from getting

disappointed or eventually wondering whether they were really doing

any good in this particular service. But as the winter passed and

the U-boats displayed their usual spring activity, the Q-ships had

their opportunities again. Before we come to see these, let us take a

glance at the work which they were performing during the winter in the

Mediterranean, where the enemy sought to cut our lines of communication

to the Dardanelles.

 

In December, 1915, the steamship _Margit_ had been fitted out as a

decoy, and on January 17, 1916, in Lat. 35.34 N., Long. 17.38 E.,

she was steering west for Malta, when she received S.O.S. signals on

her wireless. The time was 9.30 a.m., and presently shots were seen

falling close to the S.S. _Baron Napier_, who was about five miles to

the southward. The captain of the _Margit_ was Lieut.-Commander G. L.

Hodson, R.N., who then hoisted the Dutch ensign and altered course

towards the _Baron Napier_. The latter kept making signals that she was

being shelled and that the submarine was approaching; but when _Margit_

got within a couple of miles the submarine transferred the shelling to

her. _Margit’s_ captain conned his ship, lying prone on the bridge and

peering through the chinks in the bridge screen. In order to lure the

enemy on he pretended to abandon ship, hoisted the international signal

‘I am stopped,’ and sent away the ship’s lifeboat with Sub-Lieutenant

McClure, R.N.R., in charge. The ship now had every appearance of

having been abandoned, but in addition to the captain lying unseen on

the bridge, the guns’ crews, under Lieutenant Tweedie, R.N.R., and a

sub-lieutenant, were remaining hidden at their stations. Riflemen were

similarly placed on the foredeck and aft.

 

[Illustration:

 

FIG. 3.—DIAGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE APPROXIMATE MOVEMENTS OF ‘MARGIT’ IN

HER ENGAGEMENT WITH SUBMARINE ON JANUARY 17, 1916.]

 

After the ‘panic party’ had been sent away in the boat the enemy seemed

fairly satisfied, ceased shelling, dived, and then reappeared a quarter

of an hour later 800 yards away, with a couple of feet of his periscope

showing. He was now going to make quite sure this was no trap, so,

still submerged, he came within 50 yards of _Margit’s_ port side and

then right round the ship, scrutinizing her carefully. At length, being

apparently quite convinced that all was well, he steered for _Margit’s_

boat about a thousand yards away and came to the surface. Three men

then appeared on the submarine’s deck, the German ensign was hoisted,

and one of them waved _Margit’s_ boat to come alongside. This was as

far as Lieut.-Commander Hodson deemed it advisable to let matters

go. Giving the orders to down screens, open fire, and hoist the White

Ensign, the enemy now came under attack. One shot seemed to hit abaft

the conning-tower, and the submarine submerged. so fire was ceased and

_Margit_ proceeded to pick up her boat. The davit-falls had only just

been hooked on when the submarine showed her conning-tower 70 yards

off, apparently in difficulties. The Q-ship therefore opened fire once

more, but the enemy again submerged. Unfortunately the submarine had

not been sunk, although no effort had been neglected. From 9.30 a.m. to

about midday officers and crew had been compelled to keep in cramped,

tiring attitudes, with very little knowledge of what was going on;

and after he had finally disappeared _Margit_ had remained for about

three hours in the hope that he might return. By a curious coincidence,

at the time when _Baron Napier_ was being attacked, another steamer,

the _Baron Ardrossan_, belonging to the same owners, happened to be

passing and saw the shells dropping around, but as she could steam

nothing better than 3 knots slower than _Baron Napier_ she could not go

to her assistance. However, if the submarine had not been destroyed,

_Margit_ had saved the _Baron Napier_ and caused the enemy to break off

the engagement.