Soon the U-boat had wormed its way safely out into the open sea and was skimming along under the heavy fire of the fleet that was being directed against the German coast fortifications.  As the U-boat, with the Stars and Stripes flaunting astern, moved outward, the fleet got under way.

Notwithstanding the heavy German fire from the coast defenses the American ships got safely away virtually unscarred in the battle.  Fifteen miles out at sea the captured German U-boat came up with the Dewey.  Jack had a joyous reunion with “Little Mack,” Cleary and Binns, Bill Witt, Mike Mowrey and all his other friends aboard the reclaimed American submarine.  And then he heard the complete story of his rescue.

No sooner had the Dewey appeared upon the, surface, following the successful consummation of Ted Wainwright’s plan, than she had sighted the destroyer Farragut.  The latter had heard Jack’s call for help from the German wireless station ashore and had come dashing to the rescue.  At first the commander of the Farragut had considered the whole thing a ruse on the part of the Germans to lure an American ship to its doom within range of the powerful coast guns; but the continued silence of the wireless station after that first frantic call for help had convinced the destroyer’s commander that the message was genuine.

Along the way, while still attempting to speak the wireless operator ashore, the Farragut had picked up the battleship Tallahassee and enlisted its aid.  The latter had summoned the Detroit and the Raleigh.  It was while the Farragut was searching for some trace of the sunken Dewey that the escaped submarine had suddenly shot to the surface within a half mile of the destroyer.

When the Tallahassee, the Detroit and the Raleigh had come up, there had been a conference and then the landing party had been resolved upon.  Two hundred and fifty bluejackets and marines had successfully accomplished the landing and after a brief search had spotted the wireless station and the U-boat village.  The German submarine base, it was noted, was located along the banks of a canal leading into the coast town of Blankenberghe—–­a waterway the Germans:  had opened up after their occupation of Belgium.

Jack Hammond got a rousing reception.  The story of his escape from the Dewey and his bold adventure in the German wireless station had become known and he was roundly cheered.  When it was seen that the Americans had brought back with them a huge German U-boat there was great jubilation.

The captain of the Tallahassee, who was the ranking officer of the assembled fleet, decided that the Farragut should tow the captured U-boat to the American naval base on the English coast, while the Dewey also was to return to the same port for thorough inspection and repairs.  A number of her crew were in bad shape from the long confinement in the stranded sub.