THE CHANNEL BARRAGE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 142, 11 March 1919, Page 4

THE CHANNEL BARRAGE

SIR ROGER KEYES REVEALS SECRETS. In accepting the freedom of Dover recently, Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keye3 said that' he could not but feel that the honour was done to him vis the representative of the Dover Patrol.' Now that we were within eight of peace he could say something about its work. He gave interesting particulars of the Channel Barrage and its powerful searchlights from 'specially built ships which could ride out the heaviest gale at anchor. One line of these ships was from Folkestone to Grisnez, and thero was.another across the Channel seven miles westward. In the dark interval between were scores or drifters and obsolete patrol craft, tho patrol being so close that it was impossible for anything to pass through on the surface. Underneath were other anti-submarine measures, and the duty of the patrol craft was .to attack enemy submarines if they attempted to get through, to use depth charges when they dived, and to drive them down on to the hidden perils below. List September the enemy submarines based on the Flanders coast gave up attempting to get through' the Straits of Dover and went north, and we had definite proof froin enemy sources that between Jnnuary and September 1 that the Flanders flotilla lost thirty 'submarines, fifteen lying under the lighted barrage patrol anil two others outside it. Sir Roger humourously remarked that the efforts of the Dover Patrol.were so successful that submarine-hunting flotillas lower down tho Channel complained bitterly that this patrol was taking ths bread out of their mouths.