A FIGHT IN THE CHANNEL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 218, 3 June 1918, Page 5

A FIGHT IN THE CHANNEL

HOW A HUN DESTROYER WAS RAMMED. A recent destroyer action off Dunkirk between an Allied flotilla and a largo German force, returning from a brief bombardment of' Dunkirk had about it something of tlio great old fighting days when the practice was to get to close grips with tho. enemy. On our side there were engaged the destroyers Botha (Commander .Roger L'E. M. Rede) aud Morris (Lieut-Commander Percy R. P. Pcrcival) and Hie French destroyers Mehl, Magon, and Bouclier. They wero cruising together with Botha as_ senior officer's shin when they fell in with the enemy raiding force, 18 torpedo craft, trying to steal back to its base in the darkness. Without » moment's delay the Allied vessels opened a heavy fire, bore "down on the enemy at full speed, overhauling him rapidly and pounding him with the full weight of their gunpower. The enemy ships fought and ran. But in a destroyer engagement Rrsfc blow means everything, and tho Allied flotilla had got this in most eiTcctivcly. Tho enemy fireri many lortiedoes, but. none struck an Allied ship. He also throw out i( smoke-screen _to Vide his movements. Morris, dashing into this, cut off ono of the largest German destroyers and at 500 yards' range fired a torpedo at her. It went homo ■in a'vital part and (he destroyer blew up and sank almost immediately. By this time tho Allied flotilla was riglit in the press of tho enemy and at close quarters the fishl rased furiously. A shell cut through Botha's main steampipe, and the commander, recognising that quick action was necessary if his crippled boat was to take any further effeetivo iinrt, fired both his torpedoes at the leading enemy craft. Then, inmming his helm hard over, ha drovn Botha straight at the fourth vessel in Ihe enemy line. Although Botha's speed had" fallen off considerably, her i-iwlike bow causa'- Hie fro cleanly amidships and cut her completely in half. Swinging Ms ship round. Commander Rede tried lo ram the German vessel next astern, but she eluded tho blow. Two 'French destroyers, however, 1 fell on her promptly and their.torpedoes and gun-fire soon reduced her to a blazing wreck. ■ Morris returned from pursuing an enemy whicii had'escaped her in the smoke and mist, picked up Botha and towed her out of action, while (ho French destroyers steamed about in search of survivors of the three enemy vessels accounted for.

A squadron ol' the K.N.A.S. sighted the 15 vessels which hn<l fled from the Hicouufcr. and bombed them so vicornusIv Hint the Germans scattered wildly. Then (lie air squadron espied a number nf enemy seaplanes. Unit had come out I) escort the raiding flotilla borne. _ A short, sharp encounter with (lie lighting escort; of -our air. souadron resulted in Hie destruction of four of the enemy planes, three of them by one Bn<i«': pilot. Even-when the rest of the German flotilla reached Ostend. and were making, as [hey thought, safely for harbour, 'another attack was sprung mran them. Tliis lime it was by a sinister, almost invisible craft, which, racing up at a tremendous speed, fired a torpedo into the stem of one of the enemy destroyers. Tho Germans turned a' hail of shell and bullets on the strange assailant, which, liarinjr done its work, turned, unscathed, and vanished ghostlike into tho mist.