"
Again and a shot from the enemy, and this time it struck in the water
just in front of the conning tower and flung a great spray that
blinded the portholes.
The _Dewey_ was just starting to submerge. With her diving rudders
inclined, the ship was tilted now until her bow pointed downward and
her stern reared up out of the water. She was shipping ballast in
her tanks rapidly, but the process was necessarily slow and, even
with her improved equipment, it must be one and a half to two minutes
before the hull could be submerged, let alone the conning tower.
"Hold her right there!" suddenly shouted the young lieutenant to his
navigating officer.
The latter was for a moment completely dumbfounded by the order.
"What---you don't mean---why---" he started to say, but instantly
withheld his speech at the frowning face of his superior officer.
"Up with that hatch!" the _Dewey's_ commander thundered, as his
executive officer stood aghast at the reckless procedure.
The latter hastened, however, to comply with the order.
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