NAVAL SPIES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 370, 3 November 1932, Page 6

NAVAL SPIES

memor1es of war HAZARDOUS RAIDS ON ZEEBRUGGE AND OSTEND. ADDRESS IN DUNEDIN. Dunedin, Tuesday. Fourteen years ago on St. George's Day, when the outlook for the Empire was about as black as it has ever been, a gallant coinpany of British seamen gave "a damned good twist to the dragon's tail" and helped greatly to turn our hope of victory into certainty. With sublime contemptJ for death they stormed the mole at Zeebrugge in the face of the German guns, and, by blocking the inlet of the U-boats' lair, largely deprived the enemy of the use of his most deadly w>eapon. just before the Vindictive and the other ships set out on their hazardous mission, Vice-Admiral Keyes signalled his little fleet, "St. George for England," and Captain Carp-enter, V.C., commanding the Vindictive, replied: "And may we give the dragon's tail a damned good twisting." It was to hear something of the raid on Zeebrugge and also of the raids on Ostend that large attendance filled the social hall of the Returned Soldiers' Club last night to listen to an illustrated lantern lecture by Commander A. V. Crutch'ley, V.C., D.S.C., of H.M.S. Diomede, at present in port. It was not in any flights of rhetoric that the commander told his story, but in the direct and striking manner of a sailor. The lecture largely took the form of an explanatiofi of -the various lantern slides thrown on the sheet. Additional interest was given to th'e narrative because of the fact that the lecturer was spsaking of events in which he had been a participant. Blocking the Canals. Commander Crutchley pointed out that early in the war th'e German army advanced over the greater part of Belgium and captured the ports of , Zeebrugge and Ostend. The Gexmians fortified the Belgian coast, andc used as submarine bases the two ports, which were both connected by canal with Bruges. The coast was fortified with very heavy guns, against which' Britain used monitors — ships with shallow draughts and heavy guns. Submarines were pnt together at Bruges, sent down the canals to Zeebrugge and Ostend, and did a large amount of destruetion in the Channel. The jeb of the British Navy was to block the entrances to the two canals. JUetails of the preparations for the raids on the two ports were given by Commander Crutchley, who described ihe landing on the mole at Zeebrugge from the Vindictive, the blowing of a hole in the viaduct by a submarine, and the entrance of the block ships, old cruisers laden with cement and with mines in their bottoms, two of these being successfully sunk across the entrance of the canal. The lecturer paid a tribute to the work of .he' R.N.V.R. in the motor boats, which iaid smoke screens for the operations, and which brought off the crews after the block ships had been sunk. The first attempts at Ostend were not successful, but on the next occasion the Vindictive was sunk at the entrance to the canal, though the blockage was not as effective there as at Zeebrugge, as tha ship, which came under heavy fire, was sunk before she was swung right across the canal. It might be asked by some people, said Commander Crutchley, if the operations were worth while. Undoubtedly they had a big effect in making the Germans abandon the ports, and in that respect alone they were of enormous benefit. Another aspect which had to be taken into considera-" • tion was that the British public was at that time becoming very "nervy." This was a matter of serious importance, as neither soldiers nor sailors were at their best unless the country was wholeheartedly behind them. Therer was no doubt that the naval operations at Zeebrugge and Ostend hau had a great effect in raising the spirits of the public. They also gave new heart to the men who were fighting in France, and did much to strengthen the morale of the Allies. When these things were taken into consideration, concluded Commander Crutchley, he thought it was entirely wrong to say that the raids on Zeebruggga and Ostend had not been well worth while.