THE DERFLINGER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1373, 13 March 1915, Page 4

THE DERFLINGER.

The German battle cruiser Derflinger, reported to have been seriously damaged in the North Sea fight, gained undesired public notice before she was even launched. The ceremony was to have taken place on June 14th, 1913. There was a large gathering to witness the affair, and a rousing speech was delivered by General von Mackensen, of whom we have since heard in the campaign in Poland, In christening the cruiser, he declared she was to bear the name of the Great Eleclor’s boldest and most successful cavalry general. His victories and daring enterprises at Rathenow and Fehrbelliu, in Pomerania, and East Prussia, had made Baron George von Derflinger one of the nation’s heroes, and they prayed that the crew of this ship might emulate the great field-marshal’s determination and concentration of purpose. Then he said to the great waiting vessel: —“I commit thee, proud iabric of men’s hands, to thy element.” The band played the National Anthem, the blocks were removed, and —the ship remained where she was. All efforts to move her were without avail, and in a short time the tide had ebbed so the launch had to be abandoned for the day. It appears that the cradles had skewed on the centre way, and ruptured part of the “seating,” thus necessitating the digging away of part or the base of the slip, and rebuilding the way. A second attempt to set the vessel afloat was made a week later, but this also failed, and it was not until July xst that she eventually entered the ■vn'-'r The Derflinger was i. big her trials wbeu the v, ax . e-lit.