CAMERA MEN AT NAVAL SURRENDER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 143, 12 March 1919, Page 8

CAMERA MEN AT NAVAL SURRENDER

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS. . The following account of the meeting between tho German Fleet and a British destroyer early on Thursday morning! was-supplied to a London "Times" correspondent by a Press- photographerr"lt was my good fortune to be in the first British warship to come up with the Germans. With colleagues of the camera I went out to eea in the small hours of Thursday , morning in If.M.S. Seymour, one of the trimmest and fastest of the British destroyers, bomewbere out of eight behind us we knew there were other fast torpedo craft, and hjjrtnd them again the light cruiser Cardiff, whose duty it was to lead tho German Fleet into the custody of the Grand Fleet. . "It vras, as nearly as I can tell, at 20 minutes to .8, or, as the Ne.vy would. say, at 07.40, that iwe -first, sighted the Germans. Dawn was just leaking, and away on our port bow we saw a patch slightly darker than the still dark sky. At great speed we dashed straight for the centre of 'the patch, \ and prudently it resolved itself into the dim forme of tha German battle-cruisers steaming 6lowly in lino ahead. Wβ kept on our course, came abreast of the Soydlitz, tore past her, and proceeded down the line until the massed destroyed flotillas came into view. Stil at a high speed, we swung behind them, as a sheep dog might round up a flock to be penned. Soon we were back at the head of the German Fleet. We had completely encircled it, travelling at anything up to 36 knot 3 an hour. By this lime the light was becoming suitable for photography, and we got to work. For more than an hour we dashed hither and thither, our stem shearing through the water and throwing up great waves which svept constantly over our bows. We wnro close enough to the Seylidtz and others of the ships for the German seamen to see what we were doing. They were evidently amused by the sight of the kiiiematograpl) men turning the handle, and 6ome of them laughingly mimicked the motion. If they felt the utter humiliation of their plight they did not show it. Nor did the men in our ship give any sign of gloating."