CHAPTER XII
"Away Diving-party!"
Lieutenant-Commander Stockdale descended the ladder from theconning-tower and gained the 'midship compartment of the submarine.Outwardly he appeared cool and collected. If the intense gravity ofthe situation assailed him, he kept his emotions to himself.
"A nice old jamboree, Macquare!" he exclaimed. "It's the portpropeller getting fouled that's the trouble."
"It is, sir," agreed the Lieutenant.
"The consequences of halloing before we're out of the wood," addedStockdale. "I'm going to blow the ballast-tanks. We must risk it,although it's pretty well a dead cert that the Huns havecalcium-light alarms in connection with this infernal net. We'll bein a fine old mess if we do break surface in the full glare of adozen search-lights and hampered with a ton of wire netting overeverything."
R19 had been too premature. When the raider and her attendants hadincreased speed they were clear of the mine-field, but not of themaze of steel netting, which, supported so that the upper edge was ata sufficient depth below the surface to enable them to pass withouthindrance, was a dangerous trap to submarine craft.
"Why not fill all ballast-tanks, and see if we can sink clear?"suggested Macquare.
The Lieutenant-Commander shook his head.
"We would only get in a worse mess," he objected, "and as likely asnot foul the starboard propeller into the bargain."
"It's not much use standing by and waiting for the Huns to strafe uswith distance charges," remarked Macquare doggedly. He was beginningto roll his R's again. "If you have no objection, sir, I'll call forvolunteers, and see what it's like outside."
"That's my job, I think," said Fordyce quietly.
The Lieutenant demurred at the assertion, while the Sub was equallyemphatic.
"Don't argue about it!" exclaimed the Hon. Derek. "The best way youcan settle the matter is to toss for it."
A florin glittered as it spun in the rays of the electric light.
"Heads!" declared Macquare. "It's your go, laddie, and good luck!"
In common with other submarines of the "R" Class, Stockdale's commandwas provided with a means of enabling divers to leave the interior ofthe vessel while submerged. One of the sub-compartments was fittedwith two water-tight doors, one of which communicated with theinterior; the other, in the vessel's side, gave access to theoutside.
Without loss of time the Sub called for two volunteers. Of thesubmarine's complement twelve men had "proficiency pay" asseamen-divers, and every one of the twelve volunteered for thehazardous task.
"I'll take Cassidy and Payne," decided Fordyce. "They are mostreliable men, and both unmarried. If we are not back in an hour, sir,don't wait if you have a chance. We'll do our best."
"And good luck!" exclaimed the Lieutenant-Commander. It was the navalway of bidding farewell to a comrade about to undertake a riskyenterprise--a pithy expression conveying a wealth of possibilities ofthought.
Assisted by willing helpers, the Sub and the two seamen donned theirdiving-dresses. These were of the "self-contained" type, in which thecumbersome life-line and air-tube are dispensed with. The dresseswere of "armoured" rubber and canvas, specially contrived towithstand high pressures. The copper helmet was fitted with threelarge scuttles, so that the wearer could see what was going on oneither side by merely turning his head, and thus doing away with thenecessity of having to keep the desired object in view directly infront. At the back of the helmet was a flexible metal tube supplyingchemically-treated air from a reservoir to the wearer. The reservoirwas strapped to the small of the back, if such an expression can beapplied to an inflated diving-dress. Immediately above thebreathing-apparatus container was another contrivance of strongelastic material, capable of being expanded to double the size of afootball. Normally it lay flat and compact against the diver'sshoulders. Strapped across the chest, immediately below the leadenweight attached to the collar of the helmet, was a strong copperreceptacle connected with the deflated bag on the diver's back, andfitted with a stopcock and a small but powerful suction-pump. Thiscontrivance took the place of the life-line in the older type ofdress; for, should a man wish to rise from the bottom of the sea, allhe had to do was to release the compressed air from the coppercontainer into the expanding bag, until the buoyancy of the latterovercame the weight of the diver's equipment.
Each of the three men was equipped with a knife, hack-saw, crowbar, asmall slate and pencil for communication purposes, and an electriclamp. Their bare hands were protected from the numbing cold by athick coating of tallow.
Their helmets having been placed over their heads, and secured by"butterfly nuts" to their rubber-lined metal collars, Fordyce and hisassistants entered the diving-chamber, the inner door of which wassecured by clamp locks capable of being operated either from withinor without.
The Sub's next task, after securing the door, was to flood thediving-chamber. This was done by means of a stopcock communicatingwith the water outside, while the weight of the inrushing fluid wascompensated by expelling a similar quantity from one of the auxiliaryballast-tanks, in order not to disturb the trim of the submarine.
The diving-compartment filled, Fordyce threw open the door in thesubmarine's side; then, groping until he found the lowermost of aseries of rungs, he made his way to the deck, where he awaited hiscompanions.
Thence the three went towards the bows, flashing their lamps in orderto discover the nature of the entanglement. Although each light wasof 500 candle-power, the rays were effective only for a distance offive or six yards, but they were sufficient to enable Fordyce to seethat a huge large-meshed steel net enclosed R19 on both sides, whiletowards the bows it contracted, thus preventing further progress inthat direction.
Cautiously the Sub lowered himself upon the bow diving-rudder on thestarboard side. Examination showed that no part of the net washolding it; but the one to port was stubbornly enmeshed.
By dint of careful tackling by means of crowbars, the three mensucceeded in freeing the projecting plate from the net. As far ascould be seen, there was now nothing for'ard to prevent the submarinegathering sternway. Obviously the principal difficulty lay in thefact that one of the propellers had fouled.
"By Jove, what's that?" mentally enquired the Sub, as the light ofhis electric lamp fell upon a huge, ill-defined object less than sixfeet from R19's bows. It was a part of the upper works of a largetramp vessel, lying slightly on one bilge, and almost hidden by alavish growth of barnacles and seaweed.
It was the wreck of a tramp steamer, possibly a German one sent tothe bottom by a British submarine during the early stages of the war.Providentially the steel net had done R19 a good turn, for, had itnot stopped her progress, the chances were that the submarine wouldhave collided with the wreck, with disastrous results to herself.
Clearly there was no escape for R19 in that direction. The onlypossible way seemed to lie in the ability of the submarine to backout of the toils, and until the propeller was cleared this could notbe attempted.
Signing to the two seamen, the Sub led the way aft. Here, by means ofa length of signal halyard, Fordyce lowered himself upon the exteriorshaft of the seized-up propeller. It was a risky job, for should herelax his hold he would sink to the bottom of the sea, a distance of90 or 100 feet; and, more than likely, if he made use of hisself-raising apparatus he would find his upward progress interceptedby the intricate meshes of the net.
Examination showed that the blades of the propeller had cut through apart of the flexible steel entanglement and the stranded ends of thewire had wound themselves firmly round the boss. The only thing to bedone was to sever the wire still attached to the rest of the net andunwind it.
Fordyce pointed to the work to be attacked. The two men instinctivelyknew what was required and set to work with their hacksaws while theSub kept the light fixed upon the object of their labours.
Presently he listened intently. Above the faint hiss of the airescaping through the release-valve of his helmet he could detect th
erapid threshing of a vessel's propellers. Louder and louder grew thesound. Submarine undulations almost swept the three men from theirprecarious perch as a swiftly-moving craft passed 60 feet overhead.The suspended net swayed to and fro like a flimsy curtain in a strongdraught, while into and beyond the faint halo of light swept thebight of a metallic rope.
The Sub's first inclination--that of self-preservation--was torelease his stock of compressed air and rise blindly to the surface.It took all his presence of mind to subdue the temptation. He knewthe danger. At the end of that trailing cable was a powerful chargeof high-explosive. A hostile destroyer was doing her level best toblow the trapped submarine to smithereens.
A Sub and a Submarine: The Story of H.M. Submarine R19 in the Great War Page 12
