Item 02: Alec Donaldson diary, 6 August 1917-24 December 1918 - Page 11

[Page 11]

awakened by a revolver shot in the tween-decks, a lot of shouting on deck, & we could see through the hatchway that the searchlight was playing in on our end of the ship, also star rockets were going up galore & making the night like day, suddenly we were surprised to hear the two machine guns on boats deck firing away good ho. Officers rush down on us fully armed & ordered us to muster, but found on counting us that nobody was missing. It appears that they had everything ready thinking some of us would try to get away, & and a nervous sentry seeing someone moving underneath a hammock, loosed off his revolver & gave the alarm. No one was hurt but the after ropes between the two ships were cut to pieces by machine gun fire