ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 May 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

Zeebrugge and Ostend SUCCESSFUL AERIAL RAID. LONDON, May 14. The Admiralty reports: Between the 6th and 11th insts. aircraft from. Dunkirk successfully bombed the docks and seaplane base at Ostend, also Zeebrugge mole, the lock gates and shipping. Several direct hits were secured on the sheds at Zeebrugge mole. A large shed at Ostend was completely burned. , We destroyed six machines and drove two others down during the patrols. One British machine is missing. THE OSTEND OPERATIONS. ADMIRALTY REPORT. Received 9.5 a.m. LONDON, May 14. The Admiralty has issued the following account of the Ostend operation dated Dunkirk, May 11th: —The Sirius lies in the surf some 2000 yards east of the entrance to Ostend harbour, which she failed so gallantly to block. The planning and the execution of the enterprise was entrusted to Commodore Tubert Lynes, who directed the previous attempt to block the harbour with the Sirius and Brilliant bh a former occasion. Unforer - f seen and unforeseeable conditions fought against him on this occasion. The main problem was to secure the effect by a surprise upon the enemy, who was clearly expecting him. (The Sirius was an old vessel ox the Apollo class, constructed in 1893, of 3,400 tons.) GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF RAID. GERMANS COMPLETELY SURPRISED. Received 10.25 a.m. The Sirius and Brilliant had previously been baffled by the displacexixent of Stroomhank Buoy, marking changes to the harbour entrance, but since their aerial reconnaissances established the fact that the Germans removed the buoy altogether. There were no guiding marks of any kind. They also cut gaps in the piers as a precaution against landing further men. When at ihidnight on the 9th the ships moved from the anchorage it was known some nine German destroyers were patrolling the coast. The night was favourable for the enterprise; there was little wind, no moon, and a still sea from Dunkirk. Sudden brief gunfire announced German aeroplanes were about. The Vindictive was seen mistily through the streamy smoke from the destroyers’ funnels. She plodded silently to her goal. She receded astern as a destroyer raced on to lay the light buoy, which was to be her guide. She passed thence into the hands of the small craft, whose mission it was to guide and hide her in the clouds of a smoke screen. The absence of the preliminary bombardment was the first surprise element. The timetable had been laid down for every stage of tbe operation. Monitors anchorect far to seaward, and awaited the signal to fire their great seige batteries. The Royal Marine Artillery in Flanders stood by to neutralise the big German artillery along the coast. Airmen, to co-operate with an aerial bombardment of the town awaited somewhere overhead. The destroyers patrolled seawards qf the small craft. The Vindictive, guided by the light of the buoy, arrived where the motor boats awaited. By a calcium flare upon the old position of Stroomhank buoy, four minutes before her arrival there, the signal was given for the guns to open fire. Two motor boats dashed in and torpedoed the high wooden piers; simultaneously a shell came from the monitors at sea. The surprise part of the attack was sprung, and the sur. prise, despite German watchfulness, seems to have been complete. Up to this time not a shot had been fired from the land. Motor launches manned by the Naval Volunteer Reserve worked magnificently. They produced a likeness of a dense sea mist on either hand of the Vindictive’s course; then the guns roared into action.

A MARVEL OF DASH AND CUNNING. THE VINDICTIVE’S LAST VOYAGE. Received 11.10 a.m. LONDON, May 14. A tremendous uproar followed, and the Germans opened fire on the monitors registering with six inches to fif-teen-inch naval pieces. The Marine Artillery and monitors replied; mean, while aeroplanes bombed methodically. Through this big gun conflict, the Vindictive, not hurrying, approached the entrance, then the sea fog came and the destroyers had to use lights and sirens to keep in touch with each other. The air attack was suspended. The Vindictive, with some

distance to go, found herself in darkness. Motor boats, supplied with flares capable of illuminating a square mile of sea, escorted her to the entrance, but the fog and smoke together were, too dense even for the flares. The Vindictive started to cruise to find the entrance, and at the third attempt as the mist lifted she saw the entrance dead ahead. Motor boats dashed up, raced into the opening under a heavy fire, and planted a flare on the water between the piers. The Vindictive steamed over it and on she went in. The guns found her at once, and she_ was hit every few seßbi'Ss.' AfteT 1 ep- I '' tering the decks ahd : upper works were swept by a hail .of lead, which*’ converged upon herefrom machine guns inshore. Her'Wt'eb demolished by a shell'^W*ch a of its occupants,, including sub-Lieut. MacLachlan, Commander. A LUCKY SHOT. STRIKES VINNDICTIVE ’S CONNING TOWER. Received 11.25 a m. LONDON, May 14. Commander Godsal and officers of the Vindictive proceeded to the conning tower and observed the eastern pier breached two hundred yards from the seaward end, and then the Vindictive’s holm was put starboard she laid her battered nose to the eastern pier, and prepared to swing her length across the channel. That moment a shell struck the conning tower of the Vindictive and she lay at an angle of forty decrees' to the pier and seemed hard and fast. After vainly working the engines for some minutes the order was given to abandon the ship, which was done after blowing up the charges. The shin sank about sis feet and lay low_ upon the bottom of the channel, her work done. Commander Godsal was presumably killed by the shell which struck the conning tower. Most of the casrmltics were incurred while the ship was being abandoned. Men behaved with cheery discipline and courage.