Item 01: J. E. Morrison diary, 13 October 1917-29 October 1918 - Page 101
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[Page 101]
The destroyers steaming in circles at the rate of 30 to 35 knots & the monotors & sloops about 18 knots in battle form. The convoy steaming away at 18 knots all in a line of about 200 yards apart. Lucky none were torpedoed & arrived in Alexandria at 9.30 am after taking a pilot aboard. Made fast to the troopship wharf at 1 pm & commenced to discharge cargo & disembark troops.
5 pm News came through of 3 submarines having been sunk & still after the fourth & that one of the large sloops which sunk the 2nd submarine had been torpedoed by the 3rd submarine & sunk. All the crew of the sloop were saved by some submarine motor chasers otherwise known as M.L. boats.
The narrowest escape the transports have had yet having ran into a nest of submarines. Thanks to the Japs smartness otherwise there would have been a great disaster & a great loss of life. Where the Aragon & Osmania were sunk 5 months ago with the loss of 1400 lives.