Читать книгу Deeper into the Darkness онлайн

24 страница из 184

As the water-filled forward part of the ship sank quickly into the sea, the stern lifted up out of the water and a massive pall of smoke rose into the air. Although the huge explosion in Pathfinder had happened well within sight of land and should have been seen and heard, in an effort to attract attention as she settled into the water, her captain ordered the stern gun to be fired. The gun mount perhaps had been damaged by the force of the explosion, because after firing a single round, the gun recoiled and toppled off its mounting. It rolled over the quarterdeck and then went over the stern, taking the gun crew with it. A short time later, the ship disappeared from sight below the surface, taking most of her crew down with her.

One of the few survivors later recounted how he had been below deck when the explosion occurred. He quickly got himself up on deck, only to slide down the sloping deck and become jammed beneath a gun. He was carried underwater as the ship went down but managed to free himself and swim to the surface.