LOSS OF THE HAMPSHIRE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1565, 17 June 1916, Page 3

LOSS OF THE HAMPSHIRE.

THE OFFICIAL INQUIRY. London, June ,15 The High Commissioner, London, reports The Admiralty, as the result of inquiry into the Hampshire disaster, reports that the vessel was proceeding in a heavy gale on the west coast of the Orkneys. At 7.30 p.m., after striking a. mine, she settled by the hows and sank in fifteen minutes. .The ship's company went to stations and uiit.de unsuccessful attempts to lower the boats, one of which w;is broken in halves. As the men moved to stations, Lord Kitchener appeared, accompanied'by it naval officer. The latter called out. “Make way for Lord Kitchener," and both went on to the quarter deck. The captain called for laird Kitchener to come forward on to the bridge find into the captain's boat.

No one is able to say whether Lord Kitchener entered the boat or what occurred to the boat. No one saw the boats (dear 1 the ship. A largo number of the crew used life-saving hells and waistcoats, which kept them afloat.

Three rafts, with fifty to seventy on each, cleared the ship. In daylight to about 11 p.m., (hough the rafts with these large numbers of men got. safely a,way, in only one ease out of over seventy men six alone survived.

The survivors all report that the men gradually dropped off, and even died on hoard the rafts from exhaustion and exposure to (he (-old. Some of the crew must have perished ■ trying to land on the rocky coast after such long exposure. Some died after landing'.

In forwarding this report of the enquiry, the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet says ; “I cannot adequately express the sorrow felt by me personally, and by the officers and men of the Grand Fleet generally at the fact that so distinguished a soldier and so great a man should lose his life whilst under the care of the fleet.”