ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 May 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BACK FROM OSTEND, REJOICING AT DOVER. LONDON, May 10. There was great rejoicings at Dover to which port the British raiders returned. Heavy gunfire was hoard at one, two, and three o'clock in the morning. It was a brilliant night. Admiral Keys directed operations. THE GERMAN VERSION. LONDON, May 11. The German official version of the Ostend exploit states that enemy ships, protected by artificial fog, tried to force their way into the harbour, but were driven off by the coastal batteries. It also asserts that the Vindictive, which was battered entirely to pieces, lies aground before the harbour, outside the navigation channel, and that the entrance is quite free. LONDON, May 11. Wireless German official: The splendid directed fire of our coastal batteries repelled several enemy vessels which were endeavouring to penetrate Ostend harbour. An old cruiser, completely battered by shells, lies aground outside the channel. Tile whole entrance is quite clear: Two survivors who jumped overboard were taken prisoner. The attempt to block the port was completely frustrated. We sank two motor boats and badly damaged a monitor. A Belgian communique states?— German artillery bomb£rfS*!T works and communications in the Nieuport zone during the night, while the British were attacking the coast. 20 FEET OF CHANNEL LEFT. LONDON. May 11. It is now disclosed that the previous attempt to block Ostend' failed because the enemy had just previously moored a buoy a mile out of position. It is stated that there is no shadow of doubt about the present position of the Vindictive. She lies at an angle of forty degrees between the piers, about two hundred yards inside • the entrance. This has. been photographically confirmed. ! She-> does not effectively block the channel, which is 20 feet wider than her length, but a partial and most serious blockage has been achieved, and will certainly tend to increase under the conditions or tide and the rapid silt prevailing along the coast. What is'very important is that German light craft, when chased by our vessels, will be unable, as hitherto, to rush at full speed to shelter.

The small number of British casualties indicates . that the enemy was surprised. ■ ' • • i ' ■

It has been ascertained that silt'at Zeebrugge is collecting very rapidly, despite dredging. The blocking cruisers, are so placed that: any attempt to blow- them up is fraught with danger to the neighbouring permanent structure, i ;<s'j -■: '.§?, THE OSTEND AND ZEEBRUGGE RAIDS. THEIR OBVIOUS LESSONS. Received 8.35 a.m. ""**"' LONDON, May 12. Newspapers are asking why the Navy was not fully used in an earlier attack on the submarine bases. The Pall Mall Gazette says the inability to focus measures to deal with the submarine problem must be recorded as* one of our major errors. Our present shipping shortage is the penalty of past torpor and piecemeal defensive. Commander Bellairs, a Commoner, in an article in the "Standard," says It its no longer necessary to conceal the fact that our men had long been ramiliar with Zeebrugge and Ostend, and repeatedly pleaded for permission to block them before the building of defences was completed. Papers express the opinion that naval commanders in the future will be given a greater initiative. BRILLIANT OPERATION SPLENDIDLY CARRIED OUT. LONDON, May 11, A great naval air raid accompanied the Vindictive's raid. British monitors also bombarded Ostend. The Vindictive was sunk obliquely off the pier. 150 or 200 yards from it. Monitors, destroyers and smaller craft preceded the Vindictive to the entrance of Ostend at about 2 o'clock. The weather suddenly thickened, and the Vindictive cruised for 20 minutes before she sighted the pier. Her commander rammed her stem against the pier. The Vindictive grounded, and the charges were blown. Admiral Keyes was present throughout the operations at Os. tend, aboard a small craft, which was the last vessel to return to return to Dover. The flotilla of attackers afforded a splendid spectacle when leavim Dovor. It was a calm, clear nieht Tlv

incioti.ve v. ?.s he&vfy sandbagjjr

having the place of honour. She travelled slowly to Dunkirk, thence to Ostend, which was brilliantly lighted by powerful searchlights; but the sea haze and artificial fog concealed the British purpose until the Vindictive was within a quarter of a mile of the Ostend gates, when the Germans sent up a regular pyrotechnic display of star shells. Guns on all sides opened fire, and .cGESimied ."until .±h*> Vindictive was sunk, 150 yards inside the piers. Throughout, four great monitors steadily bombarded. In a short while aeroplanes caused many fires. The Vindictive's success was secured despite the fact that the Germans had heavily •mined the seaway, expecting another attack. The silt will materially assist the completion of the blocking up of the channel.

, FURTHER DETAILS. LONDON, May 11. Monitors, destroyers, motor launches, and coastal motor boats placed ,';at Commander Lyne's disposal by Ad- ; miral Keyes, assembled at the en- ' trance to'Ostend at 1.45 in the morning. Fifteen minutes before the Vindictive was due, the weather conditions were all that could be desired, there being a calm sea and a light wind, but before the Vindictive arrived a sea fog drifted towards the shore, reducing visibility to about 300 yards. The Vindictive therefore found it extremely difficult to lpcate the entrance, and was obliged to cruise backwards and forwards for twenty minutes, seeking the entrance. Meanwhile, the ! enemy detected her presence, and the • shore batteries opened a fire. The Vindictive suffered a number of casualties before tbe piers were sudently sighted, almost alongside. There was intense fire from the guns, which, with mcahine gunjs, were now conoeftrated against the Vindictive. The Vindictive, with a crew of 32, swung into the channel and ran her stem against the east pier, in order to swing the ship athwart the channel. When the Vindictive grounded, her stern would not swing, so her commander' ordered all below to come dn deck while he prepared'the charges. The crevv made their escape in" motor which gallantly ''ranged' ' alongside the Vindictive 'to save the crow, despite'the heavy fire. The''gallant' rescuers were severely "'punished;' one launch being sunk. When the charges went off, the Vindictive' settled down.

During the raid not a single enemy vessel was sighted. The Vindictive's' creHv consisted of volunteers drawn from the ships of the Dover patrol. At 5.15 the rescuing motor launches were picked up by the Warwick, which was Admiral Keyes' flagship. From it 38 of the crew were taken aboard: One died later -

• Commander L'ynes, reporting on' 'the* affair,' warmly praises the gallafrtfy of all engaged. The sea" on'the outward trip could not have been more suitable for the small craft. They,went to their stations with destroyers in support. The enemy was quiet until 1.45, when he opened a heavy fire. Our star shells showed our smoke screens to be progressing. Then the sky, hitherto unclouded, became obscured. The seafog was so dense that it stopj>ed our air attacks, and even the searchlights were invisible. The fog lasted an hour, The air attacks were resumed. The enemy's fire, assisted by searchlights, lasted an hour. One motor launch, showing especial gallantry,, ranged alongside the Vindictive', taking off an officer and two men who were left behind when the others escaped.- Two launches gallantly searched the shore, despite .the heavy fire, but found nobody. The retirement began at 2.30, according to programme, the inshore forces gradually closing on the dctroyers. Two hundred shells fell round the British monitors, but there were no hits or casualties. Air crafts which flew over Ostend to-day report half the channel to be blocked. It will possibly be useable by destroyers and submarines, but is useless for cruisers.

The naval men who participated returned to Dover in the highet spirits. They were thoroughly worn out after a sleepless night, but were thoroughly delighted with their success. They say that programme 7- r as carried out admirably The small craft performed their task magnifieeciiy, and the smoke screen could no: hs.ve been better. The Vindictive, on striking the harbour, had the luck which was denied the Brilliant on the former occasion. The men behaved splendidly, all being as keen as mustard.

BLOCKING OSTEND HARBOUR

The exploit is the more remarkable in that it comes after the earlier effort to close the ports, and to again surprise the Germans after such an emphatic warning had been given that the British Navy was taking a keen interest in the affairs of the Belgian coast. Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, who was in charge of the first exploit, and probably of this also, is just the man for a cutting-out expedition. During the Boxer rising of 1900 he was

then a lieutenant, and led a cuttingout expedition up the mouth of the Pei-ho River, passed the Taku forts at its mouth, and cut out thrfee new Chinese destroyers, taking one after the other by boarding, cutlass and pistol in hand, quite in the old style. For this exploit he was promoted commander. When the war began he held the rank of commodore in command of the submarine flotilla, and his exploration in the Bight of Heligoland made possible "Beatty's Heligoland" at the end of August, 1914. He Is credited with having penetrated U£ the mouth of the Elbe a good way beyond Cuxhaven. This admiral was born in 1872, and attained the rank of rear-admiral during 1917, and during the war has won' the C.M.G. and D.S.O. He succeeded Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon in command of the Dover Patrol. His father, the late General Sir Charles Keyes, G.C. 8., was a dashing Mutiny hero, who coul handle both cavalry and infantry with the same brilliancy.

NORTH SEA MINEFIELD. LONDON ,May 10. The "Times'" navaT"cbjrespondent states that submarines using Belgian ports have certainly been deprived of much freedom of movement. They have been wirelessly instructed not to return to Zeebrugge or Ostend. If they do they will find the passage impeded by the new North Sea minefields. It is hoped before long that the fulfilment of other plans will cause a decided shrinkage in tonnage sinkings. MOST IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING LONDON, May 11. The "Daily Mail" says: The new minefields comprise one or. the most important undertakings ot the war, and'a complete barrage of both ends of the North Sea. Submarines are able to penetrate to the Atlantic only by using the edge of Norwegian wat ers, where the Admiralty is presumably taking special measures to deal with the -unavoidable gap. | FINEST vNA.VAL F.EAT'IOF r ;ALL ptimeo ,B>tm: Received ; -l£lssfr>a<.fiS. ; Krr> tfO'-i' "; '• PPARTS/M'ay'l2/ Z I "Le Matln-' l^-de^lardsHllke' J »i'atest attack on the Flahders' cda'sf is the nndzt feat in naval history of all times and all countries. "' ' ; " y '*'