Portvoller Lad's Fight with Submarines in the Arctic Ocean.

Portvoller Lad's Fight with Submarines in the Arctic Ocean.

IN our issue of last week we announced the death of Gunner Alick John Macdonald, son of Mr Torquil Macdonald, [4] Port Voller. He was a tall, strapping young man, cool, daring, and alert, and withal exceedingly shy. While serving as gunner on s.s. "Palm Branch" he had a most exciting fight with two submarines in the Arctic, sinking one and probably disabling the other. On the arrival of his ship at Archangel he was presented with a Russian decoration for his excellent work. In a letter to his father he wrote :
—"I was summoned to appear at the Russian Headquarters, and was ushered into the presence of ten officers and forty mariners. I was very shy. Before placing the medal on my breast the officers spoke to me for half-an-hour, complimenting me on my skill and gallantry."

With his usual modesty, he forbade his father from sending his account of the fight to the Press. His
many friends, however, will be pleased to read the thrilling story of his exciting adventure in the cold Arctic regions. We give an extract copy of his written description : —

"Details of encounter with enemy submarines off Kola Inlet on May 4th, 1917. At 1.30 p.m. on 4th May land was sighted on the port bow. I left the cabin at 3.30 p.m., and directly having got to the top of the ladder which goes to the poop on the starboard side aft I saw the wake of a torpedo on the starboard quarter, passing from port to starboard, and reckoned it could not have passed our stern beyond 6ft. at most. The gunman then on watch on the gun platform gave the alarm, which, however, proved useless, as the alarm signal given was not heard on the fore bridge. I got up on the platform, and saw the periscope and upper part of a submarine's conning tower on the port quarter, scarcely seventy yards away. We both rushed to the ammunition boxes. I happened to take that one which is always kept open in submarine waters. I loaded the gun, and while my mate trained on I ran the sights to zero and layed the gun at the bottom of his conning tower, and fired just as his decks were coming awash. The shell hit him right underneath the conning tower, and the explosion tore a great gap in his side and half-way up the tower. The gun was loaded a second time by my mate, and was layed this time abaft the conning tower. By this time the enemy was listing to starboard and sinking slightly by the bow. The second shot was fired and hit him abaft the conning tower, the explosion of the shell sending up a huge volume of smoke and flame. Just as the second shot was fired the remaining numbers which comprised the gun crew were all on the gun platform, and the captain was giving the alarm on the fore bridge. By the time the third round was in the gun the enemy was gone—sunk—and No. 2 at the gun was reporting a periscope on the starboard quarter. The gun was immediately trained and layed on the said periscope, and fired at 4000 yards range. The third shot was fired and went over : the fourth fell short ;.the fifth fell right against the periscope. When the sixth round was in the gun he was gone, but whether hit or not none could tell. Then followed a pause of about eight minutes, after which he came right up a little less than four miles right astern. We opened fire at 7700 yards range. He replied with two guns of about much the same calibre as ours. After a time a great volume of smoke shot up from his foremost gun, after which he only fired one gun. After exchanging a few more rounds he turned round and headed for sea—and fled.

Alexander John Macdonald, 4 Portvoller