ECHO OF THE GREAT SEA FIGHT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3007, 19 February 1917, Page 5

ECHO OF THE GREAT SEA FIGHT

GERMAN DESERTER'S STORY SINKING OP THE BATTLE CRUISER LUTZOW (Rec. February 18, 5.5 p:m.) Amsterdam, February 17. The "Telegraaf" publishes a remarkable narrativo by a German seaman who won the Iron Cross at the Battle of Jutland, and deserted owing to the bad food. _He was on board the Lutzow, which carried a crew of sixteen hundred, of which one thousand wore saved. Three hundred of the wounded were drowned when the Admiral ordered the Lutraw to be sunk, to prevent her falling into the hands ,of the English. The German _ dockyards, he said, we're now exclusively constructing submarines and largo cruisers, but the battle-cruisers Hindenbuig and Baden had been completed, and would enter active service in March, and also a new Emden and Karlsruhe. "Heostimated that Germany had two hundred submarines on active servico out of a total of six hundred. Most of tho submarines were not expected to return from their cruises. More' submarines were lost than any of the Germans dared to admit. The training of the crews only occupied six weoks, and there were many accidents during the trials. The Lntznw was torpedoed at 8 o'clock in tho evening, the explosiou killing and wounding many of the crew. Later she received four hitsfrorn 15-inch shells, and tho battle-cruiser's speed was reduced to three miles an hour. A thousand men were taken off ] by four destroyers at 3 o'clock in the ( niorning, when five English destroyers and two small cruisers were threatening the Lutzow. One of the rescuing destroyers was sunk, and finally another destroyer torpedoed the Lutzow, which sank in a few minutes, with tho wounded, who were sacrificed to prevent the enomy capturing tho vessel. The English closed in unon the sinking Lutzow. enabling the three destroyers ti reach Wilhelmshavcn. ATany of the German ships were severely dumaged. and proceeded homewards. Thoy had sineo been repaired.—Aus.-NX Cablo *-sn