WAR AT SEA 99 



Challenger's starboard quarter at a height of ^o feet. The guns 

 opened fire when the plane was about 400 yards away, the tracer 

 bullets appearing to travel right into her; she banked steeply and, 

 passing between Challenger and Eros, disappeared to the eastward. 



It had been assumed at first that Eros had suffered a near miss 

 by a bomb, but in fact the float-plane had launched a torpedo, 

 which had passed narrowly astern of Challenger as it went on its 

 way to hit Eros on the port side. Although Eros did not as yet 

 appear to be taking on a list, she was dropping astern quickly into 

 the darkness, and just before losing sight of her Commander 

 Jenks decided to go back and investigate. 



It was pitch dark when Challenger got back to Eros and it could 

 only be dimly discerned that the two lifeboats were gone from the 

 starboard side of her boatdeck. She appeared utterly deserted, 

 the lifelines and boats' falls trailing in the water as she moved 

 sluggishly to the gentle swell. She had a slight list to port and was 

 down by the stern about five feet. 



The whaler was lowered, with the seaboat's crew and 

 Lieutenant O'Neill in charge, to cross to the stricken vessel and 

 investigate the possibility of taking her in tow. As the seaboat 

 pulled across to Eros those on Challenger' s bridge heard quite 

 clearly the cries of a demented being coming, apparently, from 

 somewhere within the deserted ship. 



O'Neill climbed the jumping ladder which had recently been 

 used by the crew to abandon the ship. He then walked along the 

 empty decks, calling out to see if any man remained onboard. 

 He neither saw nor heard any living thing except the ship's cat 

 which he carried down to the boat; all he had heard was the 

 dismal slopping of the sea water that had entered the engine room 

 and stokehold. 



Whilst awaiting the return of the whaler Commander Jenks 

 had sighted the two lifeboats from Eros, which could be seen 

 dimly about a mile away in the direction of the shore. They were 

 hailed strongly and they turned back towards Challenger. 



As O'Neill reached the bridge to report to the Captain that 

 there appeared to be no life onboard the damaged vessel, the 

 desperate cries came clearly over the water again, so back went 

 the seaboat. Accompanied by Able Seamen Harry Barbour and 

 Charles McKenna, O'Neill started to search the crews' quarters. 



