BRITISH VESSELS SUNK

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2262, 23 September 1914, Page 5

BRITISH VESSELS SUNK

EMDEN CAPTURES SIX SHIPS GERMAN LINER SENT TO BOTTOM ACTIVITY IN THE OUTER SEAS

The Prime Minister yesterday received the following message from the High Commissioner:— London, September 20. Official.—Sinco the outbreak of the war H.M.S. Pegasus' has been working from Zanzibar, and has rendered very useful services, including the destruction of Dar-es-Salaam and the sinking of the German gunboat Mowe and the floating dock. Early, this morning the Pegasus was attacked by the Konigsborg while, at anchor in Zanzibar Harbour cleaning her boilers and repairing machinery.. The Pegasus was; thus taken .at a disadvantage, and, being somewhat outranged by tho newor 4-in. guns of tho Konigsborg, was completely disabled after suffering loss, which is unofficially reported as 25 killed and 80 wounded, out of a. crew of 234. The damago done, to the- Konigsbcrg is not known. Slid was last seen steaming away to the southward. On September 10 the German cruiser Emden, from tho China Station, after being completely lost for six weeks, appeared suddenly from the Bay of Bengal. During tie period from September 10 to 14 she captured six British ships—the Indus, Lovat, Killin, Diplomat, Tabboch, and Kabing.i—of which five were sunk nnd the sixth sent into Calcutta, witli crew. The Emden is nowreported at Rangoon. It is possible she has made some other captures. The British auxiliary cruiser Carmania went'into action on September 14 off the East Coast of South America with a German armed merchant cruiser Btipnosed to be the Cape Trafalgar or Berlin, mounting eight~4-in. guns and pompoms. ' The action had lasted one hour and 45 minutes, when the German ship capsized and sank, her survivors being rescued by an empty collier. Of the crew of the Carmania nine men were killed, five seriously injured, and 21 slightly wounded. No officers were injured. Tho First Lord of tho Admiralty has sent the following telegram to Captain Noel Grant, of the Carmania: done, you have fought a fine action to a successful finish." ; The Warship Cumberland reports from the Cameroon River that a- German steamboat on the night of September 14 attempted to sink the gunboat Dwarf with an infernal machine in the bows. Tho attempt failed, and tho gunboat with one prisoner was captured. On the night of September 15 tho Dwarf was purposely rammed by the NachtiKall, a German merchant ship. The Dwarf was slightly damaged, but sustained no casualties. 'Nachtigall was wrecked. The enemy lost four .white men, and ton coloured men are missing A further report received from the Cumberland to-day states that two German launches, one carrying explosiVo.machines, were destroyed, the enemy's losses being one white man killed, three whito men and two natives prisoners, i London, Septpmber'222. 1.35 a.m. Tho casualty li«t of the Pegasus shows: Five officers killed and wounded, 24 men killed, 9 missing, and 50 wounded. Lloyd's'reports that the Emden sunk '. tho British steamer Clan Matheson in the Bay of Bengal. The crew were landed at Rangoon. (Rec. September 22, 9.55 p.m.) • Capo Town, September 21. Official.—The revise.d list of the Pogasus casualties shows that 25 were killed, 52 wounded, and 10 missing: DAMAGE PUT AT £750,000. (Rec. September 23, 1.45 a.m.) Calcutta, September 21. The cruiser Emden, aesisted by misty weather and by intercepting wireless messages, sank between September 10 and; 14 two colliers, two empty steamors, and the iteamer Diplomat, with a cargo worth £350,000, including forty thousand packages of tea. All tho captured crews were transferred to tho Kabinga, which was sailing for America. The Kabinga arrived. at Calcutta on September 16. A British, warship is pursuing the Emden, which escaped southward. All sailings in the Bay c.f Bengal have been temporarily cancelled. The Emden caused British owners and underwriters a loss of three quarters of a. million. They treated the crows well.

The Emden is a third-class cruiser of 3544 tons, built in .1909. She has a speed of 25 knots, and is aiued with ten 4.1-in. and four 2.1-in. guns. She carries a complement of 361 nion. . She is attached to tho German Chinn Squadron, and was reported early in the war to hnvo been imnle in a duel with the . .Russian. ctuiwa AskoW, '{lie follow..

ing are. the particulars of the vessels taken by her:— Indus, 3393 tons, built in 1904, owned by James, Nourse, Ltd., London. Lovat, G829 tons, built in 1904, owned by J. Warrach arid Co., Leith. Killin, 8544 tons, built in 1908, owned by Connell Bros., Ltd., Glasgow. ■' ■ • ■ Diplomat, 7608 tons, 13 knots, built in 1909, owned by T. and J. Harrison (Cliarente Steamship Co., Ltd.). Trabbocfl, 4014 tons, built in 1910, owned by the Kyle transport Co., Ltd., Liverpool. Kabinga, 4657 tons, built in 1907, 12 knots, owned by the Bucknall Steamship Lines, Ltd. Cln-n Mntheson, ■ 4775 tons, built • in 1907, owned by Cayzer, Irvine, and Co.. Ltd., Glasgow. Tile Carraania is one of the Cunard liners, and is a vessel of 19,524 tons, built in 1905. She has triple screws, and lier turbine engines can drive her at a speed of 18 knots. The Cap Trafalgar is a 6teamor of 18.710 tons, w.ith a. jspeed of 17J knots, belonging to the Hamburg-South America Company. When the war broke out she.was on route from Lisbon to Buenos Avres.. - . ■ Tho Berlin is a' Norddeutscher Lloyd liner of. 17,324 tons, with a speed of 18 knots. ■ ' . The Nachtigall belonged to the German Government, and was stationed at Duala, Cameroon. The Dwarf is a snvnboat of 710 tons, armed with two 4-in. and four 12-poira-tler guns. She is stationed on the West Coast of Africa with her base at Srerra Leone. The Cumberland is an armoured cruiser of 9800 tons, 23* knots, oarrying foitrteen 6-in. guns, Prior_ to the' outbreak of war she was a training ehip for cadets.