GERMANY'S NAVY AT WORK

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 3 January 1917, Page 3

GERMANY'S NAVY AT WORK

A tribute to the German navy is supplied to the London Quarterly Review from the pen of Mr I. M. de Braufort, who, according to his <own story, is one of the secret agents of the British Admiralty. He claims to have gained admission to the Mardnemt, in Berlin, and to have passed through the jealously guarded Kiel Canal. Here is his description of the German navy at work: "If I am to believe some of my informants, those people who think that the German navy lies inactive in the Kiel Canal are entirely wrong. It is continually on the watch, and its ships are day and night in the North Sea, often as far as a hundred miles. It is guarding Germany's coast, and here follows a description of how it is done. Draw a circle, with Heligoland for its centre, the circumference passing through the Isle of Sylt, on the Schles-wig-Holstein coast, and Borkum, off the coast of Fricsland. The outer circle having a radius of about sixty miles, is patrolled by torpedo boats, which arc on guard day and night, aud they will report at once any enemy warships that venture near. Behind this line of patrols comes a cordon of fast cruisers, to give the 'thin black line' a firm background. Finally, a third line of defence is formed of armoured cruisers, which act as a reserve and support for the cruisers and torpedo boats. The object of these three lines of defence is to engage and hold back any attacking enemy until the Grand Battle Fleet —which must naturally remain safely in harbour,! protected from submarine attacks —has had time to appear on the scene. In addition to these offensive lines of defence, every channel leading to the various harbours is protected by mines and submarines.