Another New Document

Through the night we sped on our way down the Aegean Archipelago, and the following evening, a Sunday, saw our real encounter with the U-boat that had dogged us so relentlessly. Without one moment's warning, a terrific explosion occurred, made hideous by the splintering into matchwood of great timbers, the crash of falling glass and the groaning of steel girders wrenched asunder, followed by the hissing rush of escaping steam from the ship's boilers.

Nobody needed enlightening as to the fact that the old Arcadian, which had so often completed the Eastern trip, had received a "Blighty" one, and was shortly due for Davey Jones's locker.

If doubts existed, these were soon dispelled, since, having given one convulsive shudder from end to end, the great ship began to settle down on her port side with the loose deck paraphernalia slithering about in all directions and dropping into the sea.

To get away easier, I discarded my military boots, and donned a life-belt. On reaching the side of the ship and peering over, one of the two small boats which had survived the explosion was to be seen putting away full to overflowing with men. Nothing else remained but to make the descent into the sea by a rope conveniently to hand, and this I attempted.

Unfortunately, my equilibrium on the ship's rail was disturbed by someone in great haste to be among the rescued, and, falling, my arm became jammed at the wrist between two steel uprights employed as supports.

For moments that seemed long years, I was dangling from the side of the rapidly sinking Arcadian, but was rescued just in time from that perilous position by two comrades, one easing my weight from underneath the shoulders while the other wrenched the caught arm from the fixture.

I do not know the identity of my rescuers to this day. Seizing the means of escape, I shinned quickly down into the sea - my hands suffering badly from rope-burns, and was surprised to find the water comfortably warm. My attire consisted of trousers, shirt and socks.

This account was written by Trooper Reginald Huggins who enlisted in 1915. This takes place in 1917. He was aboard the boat Transport Arcadian in the Aegian Sea. During the time the Submarine Blockade was in full swing trying to defeat Great Britain at sea. The ship was led to the African coast by a Japanese Destroyer, who was there for their protection. When they were in sight of the coast they spotted a submarine, so they took shelter in a skinny river in North Africa's cost where they were bottled up for 3 days. After 3 days they set back out to sea, but later on encountered the U boat, who without hesitation, destroyed the boat with a torpedo and forced the writer of the diary to abandon ship.

"Our real encounter with the U-boat that had dogged us so relentlessly. Without one moment's warning, a terrific explosion occurred." In this quote he is talking about being torpedoed by a German U boat. U boats were submarines built and operated by the Germans. "U" stands for undersea boat. The submarines were mostly used for economic warfare blockading the British convoys and trade ships that were bringing supplies from the British Empire to Great Britain. They were also very powerful, and useful in destroying enemy vessels, and were a great advantage in sea battle. They were gas powered and armed with torpedos, making them particularly dangerous because they could stay under water for weeks at a time and sneak up on ships and destroy them. They were vulnerable though when they surfaced for oxygen because they were powered by gasoline engines.

All information came from here:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/torpedoed.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat