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[Page 4]
side of the French T.B.D. "Scimitaire" and must have given the crew of that ship the shock of their lives, for the spray thrown up by the exploding bombs pretty well swamped the ship. After getting rid of her little bit of hate the plane faded away and was no more seen. We secured to our proper berths in the inner harbour muttering to ourselves "The same old tale, anothy dummy run."
The following day April 16th the barrage was to be increased from six to ten T.B.D's and in putting to sea that morning we felt that with ten T.B.D's we should give Fritz a really unhappy time of it. Little did we dream it was ourselves who were in for an unhappy time. As the patrol S.O. Lieut. Commander Proudhomme-Whipple in the "Comet" closed Saseno Island at the Mouth of Valona Harbour a large troopship the "Roumania" was observed escorted by four Italian T.B.'s making for the swept channel leading into that port and only about half a mile from the mark bouys. As we watched her, suddenly to our amazement a column of water shot up on her port side right abeam and as it sub-sided although distant from her some five miles we could see her list heavily over to port. "By the Lord she's torpedoed!" exclaimed the skipper at the same moment putting the telegraphs to full and pressing the alarm gongs.
The other ships had also seen what happened, and the "Comet" immediately signalled dispositions for hunting Fritz and rescuing the "Roumania's" troops. By the time we reached the now rapidly sinking vessel most of her boats and rafts were in the water loaded deep with troops of which the "Roumania " carried some 2000. Three T.B.D's were told off for rescue work, and the sea being flat calm, soon had most of the troops safe on board. An attempt was then made to tow, but the tow-line was hardly fast when the doomed ship's bow started to rise out of the water her stern went down and as the tow-line was promptly cut, the funnels of the "Roumania" became submerged, her stem now mutely pointing to the sky hesitated a few seconds, and then slid from sight. A puff of vapour as though from a bursting shell, a dull report and another fine vessel was lost to the Allies.
We never even got a sight of Fritz or a hint as to the direction he was steering, but we could not help admiring the