We were cruising in the Atlantic, writes a gun layer. The look-out man of the foremost 8-inch gun looking through the telescopic sight, reported a submarine with six periscopes off the port bow.
Action stations were sounded and guns quickly manned. I mounted the platform of my gun, and gave orders to my trainer to lay the gun on_the object. The following took place:
Foremost Gun Control Officer: "Can you see anything, gun-layer?"
No reply.
Control Officer: "Damn you, gun-layer, can you see anything?"
Gun-layer: "Yes, sir, a dead cockroach lying on his back inside the telescope."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.