]
The boats had been provided with water and food, but none was used
during the day, as the quantity was necessarily limited and it might be
a period of several days before a rescue could be effected.
The ship's wireless plant had been put out of commission by the force of
the explosion, and although the ship's operator had sent the radio
distress signals, yet it was known that the nearest destroyers were 250
miles away, protecting another convoy and it was possible that military
necessity might prevent their being detached to come to our rescue.
[Sidenote: Destroyers _Warrington_ and _Smith_ arrive.]
At about 11 p.m. a white light flashing in the blackness of the
night--it was very dark--was sighted, and very shortly it was found that
the destroyer _Warrington_ had arrived for our rescue and about an hour
afterwards the destroyer _Smith_ also arrived. The transfer of the men
from the boats and rafts to the destroyers was effected as quickly as
possible and the destroyers remained in the vicinity until after
daylight the following morning, when a further search was made for
survivors who might have drifted in a boat or on a raft, but none were
found, and at about 6 a.m. the return trip to France was begun.
The performance of Lieutenant Commander Kenyon, commanding the U.S.
destroyer _Warrington_, and Lieutenant Commander Klein, of the U.S.
destroyer _Smith_ deserves great commendation, as they located our
position in the middle of the night, after having run a distance of
about 250 miles, during which time the boats and rafts of the _President
Lincoln_ had drifted 15 miles from the position reported by radio, and
it had been necessary for the commanding officers of these destroyers to
make an estimate of the probable drift of the boats during that time.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353