noon
As I was only at twenty metres I feared the boat would break surface , and our enemy was evidently very nearly right over us . I at once ordered hard to dive , and went down to the great depth of ninety-five metres . A series of shattering explosions somewhere above us showed that we were marked down , and we were only saved from destruction by our great depth , the English charges being set apparently to about thirty metres . At noon the situation was critical in the extreme . My battery density was down to 1,150 , the few lamps that I had burning were glowing with a faint , dull red appearance , which eloquently told of the falling voltage and the dying struggles of the battery . The motors with all fields out were just going round . The faces of the crew , pallid with exhaustion , seemed of an ivory whiteness in the dusky gloom of the boat , which never resembled a gigantic and fantastically ornamental coffin so closely as she did at that time .