They had been at sea over a week and were entering the war zone when, late one afternoon, there came a sharp cry from the lookout in the Dewey’s deck steering station.

“Periscope two points off the starboard!”

Instantly an alarm to general quarters was sounded.  Jack and Ted, detailed in the same gun crew, had just come on duty at the forward gun.  The Dewey’s wireless was flashing the news to the rest of the fleet.

The destroyers drew in closer to the troopships and began immediately belching forth dense black clouds of smoke under forced draft that the boys divined instantly as the smoke screens used so effectively as a curtain to blind the eyes of the U-boats.

Turning her nose outward from the hidden transports the Dewey drew away in a wide sweeping circle to starboard.

“All hands below!” came the order.  Immediately the deck guns were made fast and the crew scrambled down through the hatches.  In a few minutes, driving ahead at full speed, the Dewey was submerged until only her periscopes showed.

All at once the crew heard a shout from the conning tower.

“There she is!” yelled Lieutenant McClure, as he stood with his eyes glued to the periscope glass.

“U-boat driving straight ahead at the smoke curtain.  Port the helm!” he commanded.

The Dewey came around sharp and, in response to the guidance of her commander, began to ascend.

Having executed a flank movement, the Dewey now was endeavoring to engineer a surprise attack on the German submarine from the rear.  To all intents, the German commander had not yet noted the approaching American submersible.  He was going after the transports full tilt, hoping to bore through the destroyers’ smoke curtain and torpedo one of the Yankee fleet.

Quickly the Dewey dived up out of the water, the hatches were thrown open and the gun crews swarmed on deck, carrying shells for their guns.  Jack and Ted followed Mike Mowrey on deck and dropped into position behind “Roosey.”  Gazing ahead they could make out the German periscope and its foamy trail.

“Fire on that periscope,” ordered Lieutenant McClure.

The U-boat was not more than nine hundred yards away, according to the Dewey’s range-finder, and apparently yet unconscious of the proximity of the American submarine.  In a moment the gun was loaded and ready for firing.

“Bang!” she spoke, and then every eye followed the shot.  Commander McClure had jumped up on the conning tower and was hugging the periscope pole.  There was a moment’s silence before he spoke.

“A little short, boys,” he called.  “Elevate just a little more—–­you’ve nearly got the range.”

Again the gun crew leaped into action.

“Hurry, boys! he sees us now and is beginning to submerge!” yelled the young lieutenant as he followed the U-boat through his glasses.