HEROES OF CASPIAN SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3390, 20 January 1920, Page 6

HEROES OF CASPIAN SEA.

12 BOLSHEVIK SHIPS SUNK. BRILLIANT FEATS OF A E-‘RITISH FLOTILLA.. .m=}_l_o\\' a ccmparatively small group of M_E32_-i*,i.~:.h naval officors and 322021 clean,-<1 ".120 ffiispian sOll of Bols};e~.=il{ forces is gm-::p}lically told by Boar-.-‘\dm'n'al ,~‘;.\'._nl-rmx‘. cmnmanding in the Black .‘~\n::. A.ltog-;-fhm: J2 cllc~m_v ships were

_-rim}; in Al<\xall<h'o\n~:l~: H:lrb(\.u‘;. Noxvs *.\‘-as received that the Bolshevik Naval ,;I,u‘g,‘;lol‘ifigs at .»Ks‘n'akan intended to out an atiacli on lT‘c-trovsk 01' Ba.kau_ with the object of -obtaining oil, of which they were in ul'ge.nt_ need.

_A preliminary to that was the Occupamtion of‘ Fort Alexandrovsk. Reinforcemcnrs reached COl]llllodOl'C David T. NO3l-is, C. 8., in command of the Brifislhlflotilla. and in an eneounfer some days lafer The flotilla had. a severe fight with an enemy force, which included a‘(l(stroyer and several armed })‘barges. The destroyer was hit lby a. shot from the B'ritisll ship Venture, and appez-n'ed to run ashore. The British ship E-mie Nobel was hit in the engine room, five men being killed and seven wow"-:lecl. The vessel drew out of the line. but continued I'o fight. Five British Shir-9 followed the enemy into the hal'bour, and did great damage before drawing off in the direction of

Astrakan, as Commodore Norris in.tended, if possible, to remain in the enemy’s line of re"(rca.t. During the next few days,’the operations, of .a seaplane providcd the chief incidents. In the second raid on Fort Alexandrovsk one bomb hit an armed merchant cruiser and a large destroyer was sunk. On one occasion the seaplane ran into :1 fog and fell into the sea. The officers‘ were not picked up for 32 hours. Three or four days later a close reconnaissance of Fort. Alexall§.rlo.vsk was Ihade. The coastal motor boatsiproceeded up harbour under the command of Commander Eric. G. Robinson, ,:V.C. On itheir way they -torpedoed" a large lbarge, and on arrival up harbour (a lwhitc flag was hoisted ashore, and EL deputation came off. From these men full details of the Bolshcvik occupation was obtained._ Admiral Seymour specially mentions several ofiicers and T men, among them Acting-Captain Basil i G. VVashington, C.M.G., who comm-and-‘ ed the \\7indsor Castle‘, on which he‘ was the only British officer. and Com—i mander Kenneth A. F. ‘Guy, who. handled the crippled Emile Nobel with great ability. Commander Robinson gained his V.C. in 1915, for gallantrywhen he destroyed two enemy guns. l Litufenant Agar, R.N., was this week received by the King, who conferred upon him the V.C., «and also the D.S.O. These {honours were awarded for Lieut. Agar’s gallant feats in conneetion with the torpedoing of thel Bolshevik fleet, and the King detained him for nearly half an hour, listening; to his adventure-s_ in the Baltic. Lieutenant Agar informed a reporter that the presentation of the D.S.O. was a surprise, as he did not know it had been awarded to him. J