|
|
 |
Rear Admiral Percy W. Foote
|
 |
|
Some of the ship's survivors
On the morning of May 31, 1918, the 32,500 ton (displacement) transport USS President Lincoln
was steaming about 600 miles from Brest, France, bound for the United States after delivering a load of
American military personnel earlier that month. 715 persons were on board, mainly ship's crew but with
about 30 Army officers and men, some of whom were sick and two totally paralyzed. She was
accompanied by three other Navy transports, Antigone, Rijndam and Susquehanna,
steering a zig-zag course in line-abreast formation. They had left Brest two days earlier, convoyed by
destroyers, but were now proceeding unescorted since the zone of most serious submarine threat had
been left behind.
Just before 9 A.M. the German submarine U-90, which had been tracking the convoy for several
hours, hit President Lincoln's port side near the bridge with two torpedoes, immediately killing
seven men working below decks. Shortly afterwards a third torpedo struck further aft.
Rear Admiral Percy W. Foote, son of Major James H. Foote (CSA and deputy US Marshall),
commander of the U.S.S. President Lincoln, stood on the bridge with his megaphone
and gave orders "as calmly as if we were maneuvering out of a harbor instead of getting away
from a sinking ship as quickly as possible."
Admiral Foote ordered her abandoned by all but the crews of her four six-inch guns. These remained on
board, and kept firing, until President Lincoln was close to sinking, in the hope that the submarine
might surface and present a target. All but those killed by the torpedo explosions had gone into the water
by the time she sank at about 9:30, but three officers and sixteen crewmen were unable to get clear and
were drowned.
Once the submarine had left the vicinity, President Lincoln's boats and rafts were collected and
lashed together in order to minimize the chances of further loss of life. During the night the destroyers
Warrington and Smith arrived and took everyone on board, a considerable crowd on two
ships of such modest size. While en route back to France, they encountered U-90, attacking
her with depth charges, but causing no damage. The survivors of USS President Lincoln arrived
back at Brest on June 2, 1918. Their ship was the largest U.S. Naval vessel to be lost in the First
World War.
Admiral Foote's actions during the attack resulted in him being promoted as aide to Secretary of the
Navy Josephus Daniels. Admiral Foote was decorated with the Order of the Crown in person by King
Albert of Belgium in 1919 and also decorated D.M.S. by president Woodrow Wilson. He was again
honored when asked to deliver the Memorial Day address in New York some two years later.
|
|
|
|
|
![\"160X600](\"http://www.goncnetwork.com/20100903195943/10753798-1.gif\")
![\"Full](\"http://www.goncnetwork.com/20100903195943/10754862-2.jpg\")
