THE NAVAL FIGHT OFF HELIGOLAND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2243, 1 September 1914, Page 5

THE NAVAL FIGHT OFF HELIGOLAND

BARING BRITISH RAID NEW LIGHT CRUISER PLAYS LEADING ROLE (Rec. August 31, 7.80 p.m.) , London, August 81, morning. The Press Bureau states it was the -new light cruisor Arethusa,--and not the Amethyst, which placed the leading role in the recent' fighting" in Heligoland Bight. She was only commissions;! a few days before the war as an emergency, ship, and the .officers and orew did not know each other. Tho fight indicated tho fighting qualities of the Arethusa class, of which a largo num- . ber will join the fleet during the next few months. . ........... The Arethusa headed a strong force of destroyers, and was aiming "to . out off the German light craft from home and engage them at leisure in the opon sea. Two German cruisers first.attacked the Arethusa for thirty-five minutes at three thousand yards. - Tho Arethusa was damaged, but she drove off the German vessels, one of which was seriously injured by the Arethusa's 6-inch guns. ' - Later in the morning the Arethusa engaged two other vessels which she

I encountered in iiconfused fight, and 1 was in company with, tihe cruiser Fear- • less and the .light "cruiser squadron, during the fignting. The Arethusa assisted in sinking the Mainz, but a3 the result of the fight her speed was reduced !■ to ten knots, and many of her guns were disabled. At one o'clock she was ! . about: to be attacked by : two other German cruisers of the ''town" class, when the battlo cruiser squadron opportunely arrived and sank the Arethusa's new antagonists. 1 . -Only-, two German destroyers were actually seen to bo sinking, but most i ... or the eighteen or, twenty boats that were rounded up were well punished and i woro only saved by scattered flight. The gun-power and strength of ; tho British destroyer, ehip for 6hip, were conclusively, demonstrated. The destroyers' Laurel and Liberty were knocked about in the process, p < The British ; destroyers '.exposed themselves to considerable risk in endeavi . ouring to save as many of the drowning' Germans, as possible. British officers tfho were present vouch for the fact that German officers wcro obi served-firing with pistols'at their own men wMe in the water, and several j : wore'.thus shot. The destroyer. Defender was picking up wounded when she j y. off by a German.cruiser and was obliged to leave two boats' crews fv behind, but fortunately they were reamed by , submarines. As it was impos-' f. - bible-to take thirty German survivors aboard a submarine they were allowed |r ' ti go in the boats. f ■ Altogether 380 Germans were saved out of the crews of five vessels which : . Aggregated • twelve hundred all told. . • The British ships will .bo fit for service in a week or ten days. j MAGNIFICENT' DASH SHOWN BY BRITISH. ji - . 0 London, August 30. [o • • Further .details of the naval action between the British and German t.; . warships in Heligoland Bight show that when the British destroyers went to j h the rescue of the maimed German vessels they found the dccks of the German [S / ships lined with bodies. /In,many cases the wounded had but bleeding stumps f left for.arms;; In.anoth&r case a man's legs were hanging by. a shred. One K: of the wounded men was formerly a. waiter in a London hotel. He had the { i right side "of his iace'; practically blown away. The wounded fiercely denounced ■ f V l . the Kaiser's 1 infam'dus war.' " ' , ... : ;i-. The,,victory was even more splendid than the official 'report indicates. ■ The consensus of the survivors' narratives shows that the battle was characterised,by magnificent dash. The boldest and most daring part was taken by mir destroyers) . which were fairly near the German ships before they were ■ discovered and fired upon.. The forts joined in the cannonade and' the destroyers were soon hotly engaged. They gradually drew the enemy towards r /Vtho open sea. Qle German cruisers reinforced the smaller craft. . ..' _ I- | . DESTROYERS HARASS THE ENEMY. I One account shows that the enemy's gunners made bettor v practice from "*ho forts' than from the ships. The shells from the land did most damage, f;, although .they vfere,fired too high. ■ ' .. ' ■ ■> } ; When'the. German cruisers opened fire they were in' a. position of , great t : : "advantage, inasmuch ,as our battle-cruisera and light cruisers had not yet iv appeared; though they^were'steaming uP fast. The destroyers for some time . ; ■ bore ~the brunt of the battle, aided by two scout leaders. The damage susL tairied by them'showed that'the struggle was a grim one. The destroyers j' . attacked the enemy incessantly until the, heavy warships brought aid. .• i Our destroyers, with magnificent pluck, ran between two German cruisers | and greatly harassed them. The Germans were afraid to fire or fired, hesir:: v tatingly, fearing-to;hit each other. j- 'Four, destroyers battered a (German cruiser so much that she was sinking ! -When a battle-cruiser approaohed and finished her.: '. . . [.'■ v; Ono cruiser, which was stiffly, engaging the German,cruisers, was,hit nine-, teen times. Some of the holes were just on the water line and nave since been f plugged with wood, otherwise she was not seriously damaged. A shell caught 1 her aft, piercedher armour, and passed, through the ship. The German cruiser Mainz began to sink at the stern, and then the bow i ' rose high out of the water arid she suddenly vanished. The Admiralty announces that the British losses weTe two. officers and ' twenty-seven men/ killed, nineteen men severely wounded, and one officer and eighteen men Slightly wounded. The casualties were confined to the cruiser 'Arethusa, the destroyers Liberty and Laurel. 1 '■ • The officers killed axe Lieut.-Commanded Nigel Barttelot, of tihe Liberty, f, ■ and Lieutenant Eric Westmacott, who was signalling lieutenant on the light : . cruiser' Amethyst. ' ■ . ! . An additional casualty is Commander Frank F. Rose, - who . was. in com- : mender, of the destroyer Laurel. : . ( : » The -Arethusa is, o'-new vessel of 87{fe tons displacement, with a speed of 29 knots, and: burning oil fuel. She carries two , 6-inch . and eight 4-inch i guns'./ She is protected by side armour extending right'fore and.aft, 'audiof I very considerable depth. The thickness of the armour for the greater part of the; length.is three inches, reduced sljghtly at the.fore and aft ends. There are i two twin torpedo'tubes for'discharging the; largest; and most .powerful'torP pedoes now made. About a-dozen of these vessels are due for completion'this ■year.- : ■ , The Liberty is a torpedo-boat destroyer of 965 tons, 24;500 h.p., with a j speed of 32 knots. Sho was only completed this j;ear, and is' attaohed to, the • . QTiird,Destroyer Flotilla. The Laurel is a'sister ship. « \ \ - GERMAN: ACCOUNT OF THE ENGAGEMENT. ; . ...;. ... . Copenhagen, August SO. | r A German semi-official account states: "Several small British oruisers and ' I nearly fortyitorpedo boats appeared in the .'bay; north-west, of Heligoland. [-' There was desperate isolated fighting betwep. them, and our light forces and j , small German oruisers went in a. westerly direction, and came in contact with p"N-seVeral strong cruisers. , .. . i"The Gennan oruiser Ariadne was hit by shots from two of the vessels • .'of the Lion class, and sank after putting up a glorious fight. The majority ;. of, the. crew of 250. were saved.; [; "A torpedo, boat; was,bombarded.by a small cruiser and ten torpedo boats. and sank after firing till tie last,moment. The commander of the squadron ■ . was killed. /■• •• •' ' y • _ ' ; "The small cruisers Koln.and Mainz axe missing. ' "According to English accounts they sank after a fight against a superior :force. ; - i ; ' . . "Six of their officers and ninety-one men apparently were saved by the j Britisli:'V ■' ] The Ariadne, one bf ft class of five ships, was a German cruiser of 2650 f tons, and 31 knots, speed. She was armed with ten 4;l-inoh guns, and two (\ torpedo tubes. She carried 264 officers and men/. The whole class was'com- • .pleted in 1901. . ;,..The Koln was a third-class cruiser of 4280 tons displacement, 27.2 knots, |.\; ■ nnd carries twelve 4.1-inch guns. The Mainz was a Bimilar vessel, but slightly ;• faster in ' speed.'• I SIR JOHN JELLICOE'S STRATEGY. . • j (Rec. September 1, 0.50 a.m.)'; . !v London, August 31, morning. | r . Other accounts of the naval fight state that the British shells raked the i • Gorman., dccks for© and aft, and although the fight lasted eight hours there j.. were;considerable 'periods 'in. which- there was no fighting.. , " . j, ' The Fleet is delighted with Sir John Jellicoe's strategy by whioh the big !;' :: .v 1 Chip's'appkired on the scene just'at the . right moment to finish the job off. *