RUSSIA.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 October 1917, Page 5

RUSSIA.

RIGA SEA FIGHT. RUSSIAN SHIPS OUTRANGED. DRIVEN BACK FROM ENTRANCE LONDON, Oct 18. A Russian official message says: "The enemy completely occupies OeseT Island. We destroyed everything of military utility. The enemy penetrated the Gulf of Riga, after depriving us of the control of Irbe Channel, and pressed back our patrols on Moon Sound. Our battleships Grazhbanin j and Slava and the cruiser Bayan engaged the enemy and drove back the vanguard Our ships engaged the enemyfs; principal fighting units including jjtwo dreadnoughts of the Grosser Kurfurst type.-; The enemy's artillery, outranged , that of. our old ships* which defended .the entrance fdr aj: considerable time till severe damage ! forced' their retirement, "•■ The Slava received, several hits below the wateTlhiie • and finally sank. Nearly all the crew were saved. Our coast batteries at the entrance to Moon Sound dispersed torpedo boats attempting to approach, but afterwards an enemy dreadnought put the batteries out of action. Another detachment of our naval forces in Moon Sound kept back the attacks from the north I Smultaneously a great number of aircraft dropped many bombs on our ships in the harbours. The enemy landed small detachments on Dago Island, but our fire forced them to return to the ships. Subsequently an enemy cruiser and dreadnought bombarded the landing place. Our patrols report 55 enemy ships in the neighbourhood of Oesel and Dago Islands, i GERMAN STORY OF. FIGHTING 10,000 PRISONERS CLAIMED. • ■•-*" 1 ' :', LONDON Oct 18. ft : C J A German official message says: "As a : reprisal for the attack on Frankfort we again bombed Nancy. "The captures at Oesel total 10,000 prisoners, onily a few hundreds escaping to Moon Island, and 50 guns. Portions of our naval forces advanced through the mine fields as far as the southern exit of the Great Moon Sound, whither after a short engagement, twenty Russian warships retired. We silenced the batteries on Moon Island and the Esthonian coast. Our naval units occupy the eastern portion of Kassarwick, barring the passage westward.