NAVAL FIGHTS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 159, 25 March 1918, Page 6

NAVAL FIGHTS

TWO ENGAGEMENTS REPORTED

BRITISH CASUALTIES LIGHT

London, March 21. The Admiralty reports: "Two British and three French destroyers, off Dunkirk, between four and five o'clock iu the morning, engaged German destroyers which had previously bombarded the town for ten minutes. Two enemy destroyers and two torpedo-boats are believed to have been sunk. Survivors from two torpedo-boats were picked up. None of the Allied vessels was sunk. A.British destroyer was damaged, but reached, harbour. The British casualties were slight, and there were no French casualties." London, March 22. A French official report states: "A division of French and British destroyers fought a detachment of German torpedo-boats in the North Sea, between four and five o'clock this morning, sinking two. Shortly afterwards the same division fought a second action with five large destroyers, which bad previously bombarded Dunkirk. One German destroyer was sunk, and two others were probably lost. We captured some prisoners. It appears that three enemy flotilks were ordered to tombard Dunkirk, La Panne, and BrayDunes." A-Belgian communique states: "During the naval engagement last night off Dunkirk, enemy vessels bombarded our coast towards La Panne." — Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Eeuter.

THE GERMAN VERSION "ENEMY DESTROYERS RETIRED WHEN HIT." (Rec. March 24, 5.5 p.m.) \ London, March 23. IA ■- German official report states: "Yesterday morning our torpedo -tombarded Dunkirk and military works' among the Bray dunes. ' They fired 800 shots at barrack camps near de Panne. The coastal batteries replied without result. On the return journey there was a firing engagement with enemy destroyers, which retired when hit. Our forces which participated were not damaged. Two of our small outpost ressels have not returned." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

COMMERCE RAIDER- CAPTURED BRITISH-WARSHIPS TOWING HER TO PORT. ■ Vancouver, March 22. : A German comnisrco raider has been captured in the Pacific, and is being towed to a Pacific port by a British warship.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Washington, March 22. It is announced that a small vessel las been captured in the Pacific, off the coast of Mexico. There is no information as to whether the vessel is 4 raider.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

WELL-ARMED AUXILIARY SCHOONER. (Rec. March 24, 5.25.p.m..) Vancouver, March 23. The auxiliary schooner Alexander 'Agassiz, seized off Mazatlan, Mexico, and( fitted out as a German raider, * fell in with an American gunboat. The Alexander Agaesiz flew the German flag and carried a small crew, but was v/ell armed. The plot obviously was to capture a larger vessel and tit her cut with heavy guns hidden along the coast, and then prey upon Pacifio ship-ping,—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Aesn.