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Show SUBMARINE GOESJWWN Collides With Battleship St. Louis Crew May Be Drowned Cherbourg, June S. The French submarine Vendemalro was sunk today to-day in collision with the battleship St. Louis. The submnrlno was cut in two. It Is feared that tflo whole crew of twenty-six was drowned, Tho accident occurred during the practice maneuvers of tho French fleot between Aurlgny island and Cape Haguo, in the Raco of Alderney, where violent tidal currents prevail. Tho battleship was steamlDg along quietly when tho Vendemalro appeared right under the bows of the warship. There was no time to avoid a collision col-lision and tho next moment tho stem or tho St. Louis struck the submarine submar-ine with terrific force, driving the latter below the surface. The englnos of tho warship had been quickly ro-ersed. ro-ersed. but when she was brought to a stop, the submarlno had disappeared disap-peared and only a threshing of waters wa-ters showed where the submarine fighter had sunk. The Vendemalre was commanded by Lieutenant Prloul, a young ensign and a crow of twenty-flvo men. Sho wa3 launched July 7, 1910 and was the ninth vessel of the Pluvloz typo added to the French navy. She was 1C7 feet In length, with a beam of 16 feet Admiral Klcsel. maritime prefect of Cherbourg, hurried to the sceno on the destroyer Catapult, accompanied by dispatch boats and tugs, and barges provided with complete salvage apparatus. ap-paratus. Word was also sent to the government at Paris and a message later received here 6tates that the minister of marine, M. Delcasso, was departing for Cherbourg. This disaster has caused great distress, dis-tress, not only throughout the service, serv-ice, but among tho people generally, who have been made so "frequently to mourn naval disasters. No other navy has been so unfortunate unfortu-nate In the matter of submarines. The Vendemalre is the sixth craft of this typo to bo lost by the French. Tho Pliivloux was run down by a channel raTeamlinndJlo8t.3lltlw,hoC:crjyAPLgI' glimmer of hope that some of tho Ven-demairo's Ven-demairo's crew might survive, but owing to tho depth of tho water in which she sank, twenty-five fathoms, tho general feeling Is pessimistic. When tho wrecking vessels reached the scone, preparations were made for an effort by divers to reach the submarine sub-marine and attach chains to tho rings In her hull to raise her to tho surface. sur-face. The maneuvers were those of the third squadron. Tho submarines of tho Cherbourg station had received orders to attnek the warships and it was during one of those inanouvers that the Vendemalre mado the fatal error of getting direct! In the path of the St. Louis. |
