Naval Fight

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 81, 31 August 1914, Page 5

Naval Fight

Daring British Attack FOUR VESSELS SUNK AND ONE SINKING REMAINDER SEVERELY BATTERED BRITISH FLEET PROVES ITS STRENGTH.

SLIGHT BRITISH CASUALTIES.

London, August 2S. The Press Bureau announces that destroys, supported by light cruisers and battle cruisers, attacked German destroyers in Heligoland Biglt. Two German cruisers and two destroyers were sunk and many damaged. The British, cruise Amethyst and the destroyer Laertes were damaged. Other British vessels sustained no serious damage. British loss of life was not heavy. Further particulars of the naval engagement show that the British battle cruiser squadron, although attacked by submarines and floating mines, successfully evaded them and is undamaged. The light cruiser squadron suffered no casualties. The commanding officers responsible fo r this skilfully handle operation wero Rear-Admirals Beatty, Moore and Christian, and Commodores Keys, Tyrwhitt and Goodenough. London, August 28 (evening). The Admiralty states that in the naval engagement at Heligoland, the German Tcssels sunk were the Maintz and a cruiser of the Koln class. Another cruiser disappeared in the mist, heavily afire and in a sinking condition'. The cruiser Amethyst and the destroyer Laertes were damaged. No other vessel was injured seriously. (The Ametiiyet is a light turbine cruiser of.WOO tons, speed 21.75 knots, with 1U 4m guns, 8 three-pounders and two machine guns. Tho destroyer Laertes has a speed of 32-33 knots, and carries three 4ui guns, with four 21 in torpedo tubes. Her displacement I* &SO-IJM tons. The whole of the Heligo. land Bight is practically, one big German naval base).

ONLY ONE- BRITISH SHIP MARKED.

HUMANE TREATMENT OF THE

WOUNDED.

ACCURACY OP BRITISH GUNNERY

Received 30, 5,5 p.m.

Jx>ndon, August 29 (evening)

The destroyer flotillas have arrived at Harwich. An immense crowd on the pier cheered the Jack tars. Of 13 destroyers, only one presents signs of having participated in a battle, and even this one arrived under her own stt'am, without a list. The Lurcher -was tho first to arrive. in l,he early morning, conveying 30 German wounded. --_ Viscoant Tredegar's Red Cross yacht, the Fearless, carried over 20 Germans, badly wounded. Twelve died on the

way, and were buried at sea. Another destroyer brought 20 German wounded. Several tugboats hoisted the Red Cross flag, and assisted in the removal of the wounded.

Boys from the naval barracks, clad in white overalls, carried the wounded on stretchers to the hospital, handling them tenderly. It is stated" that towards the end ol the battle gome pinnaces followed, picking up Germans who were struggling in j the water, and produced a great imprcs-

Gorman prisoners state that the, BritMi guns shot with terrific force and accuracy. Host of the men on the decks perished.

EVERY GERMAN SHIP "DISPOSED OF." FLOATING MIXES AGAIN. . Received 30, fi.j p.m. 1/ondon, August 2!) (morning). The oniiser Liverpool is returning with nine German officers and SI in.'n, many of whom were wounded. There i ; reason to hope that these are not all th:German survivors, but that others were saved.

The Admiralty states that all the German cruisers engaged in the light Were dlsjH)Scd of. German submarines attacked the battle-cruiser squadron. The German?) also used floating mines, but the British were not damaged by these. Two hundred Heligoland prisoners llune arrived lit Shecrncss.

SHARP AND TERRIBLE ACTION. ENEMY TAKEN BY SCR PRISE. Received 31, 12.5 a.m. London, August 2!i. News from Harwich states that several British and Germans were badly injured on the head. One German, by signs, tried to thank his rescuers. Two Germans died at Harwich, and were removed with the British dead to await burial. i *. TSic Ja;-k tars tell thrilling stories. They describe the fighting as sharp and tevrible. A non-commissioned officer on the Feariess, which was; in the thick of the battle, said the operations lasted for eight hours. "There was a thick haze , throughout. .We came upon the Get-

ing was very hot. We must <have done a lot of damage."

London, Aug. 30 (morning). Tliirty German wounded from Heligoland Bight, besides Britishers, have been sent to hospital at Chatham. The majority of German survivors have engineroom ratings. Ninety of the Mainz's prisoners landed at Leith include eight officers, among whom was a son of Admiral Tirpitz, and I<s wounded.

GERMAN VERSION ADMITS DEFEAT.

Received 31, 12.4 sa.m. London, August 20. The German official version of the Heligoland fight confirms the British statement. The victory aroused great enthusiasm at Antwerp,

THE BATTLESHIP NEW ZEALAND.

PARTICIPATES L\ THE FIGHT

STATESMANSHIP EARNS ITS

REWARD. Received .11, 12.5 a.m. London, August 29. The battleship New Zealand participated in the sea fight. Ottawa, August 29. Canadian papers are full of warm praise for the battleship New Zealand's participation in the North Sea battle. Conservative papers, while observing a truce on all contentious questions in Canada during the war, point out how dearly every Canadian would like to be able to place to the country's record the fact that Canadian ships had participated hi such a heroic deed as Admiral Beatty's raid near Heligoland.

ARMED LINER'S FATE.

HOW THE KAISER WILHELM FARED

BRITISH CRUISER MAKES SHORT WORK OF GERMANS.

.BRITISH PRISONERS ,PtfT ABOARD A COLLIER. Received 30, 5.5 p.m. Las Palimis, August 29. Lieut. Deane, one of the prisoners from the Oalician, interviewed, said the Kaiser Wilhelm sighted the Highflyer at 1.30 on Wednesday, and ordered the prisoners below for an hour. They were then told to get aboard the collier Aniens, which was coaling the Kaiser Wilhelm. The latter's officers said the Highflyer was going to lire, and had given the Kaiser Wilhelm an hour to clear.

Owing to the officers' delay, the prigoncrs were only put, on board the collier at the last minute, and even then some remained. The Ilighllyer wa.s four miles away when she opened lire, and the shell passed over the Aniens' deck.

There was much delay in cutting the Arnicas" hawser, and sheila were falling all the tune. It was ten minutes before she got out of range. Tin! Kaiser Wilhelm kept the officers, and gnu trews, and a few engineers, and told the remainder to hoard the Aniens as best they, could. There was a frantic struggle to get off the doomed ship.

As the Kaiser Wilhelm was bow-on to the Highflyer, the latter had difficulty in finding the mark, and manoeuvred round to get her broadside.

The cannonade from both ships lasted for 40 minutes. All the Kaiser Wilhclm's shots appeared to fall short. She was hit three times, and caught tire. When the firing ceased the Highflyer's also ceased. The Kaiser Wilhelm was still afire, and the Highflyer standing oil', when the Arucas got out of .sight. It was reported that the, captain gave his sword and a letter to his wife to his secretary, who boarded the Arucas. Ho said he intended to blow up the ship before lie would surrender.

London, August 2!) tu veiling),

A Renter message from Las Pabnas say.s that the Kaiser Wilhelm was coaling from the Arucas, Magdeburg, and two other colliers from Rio de Oro. in Spanish Africa, when the Highflyer was sighted. Tire crews of the Kaipara, Nyunga, and an English fishing-boat were immediately transferred from the Kaiser Wilhelm to the Arucas. Meanwhile thu Highflyer disabled the Magdeburg. It appears that, the English fishingboat was captured and sunk off Iceland, 21 days ago.

The Kaipara was sunk on the 18th inst., in latitude 23.10 north, longitude 17.18 west. The N.vaiigu was sunk shortly,after the Arlanza and Galiehtn were released.

GERMANS MIXE-SOVv'INC!. RKTAUATINCi MEASURES THREAT EXEI).

Tiling and Sydney Sim .Services. Received 2!i, 7 p.m. London, August 2fl. Th, Tinu-s- naval oom-wiKlct, oommenting on the German,' imli>erimmat t min-.-sowinff. wivs that if the action is ... , „,. i , x,,., ~, mir.-ued it may be neee:.sarv to taki lcI <■ i '..,. „ tanatorv in.ca.smus.

MINOR MARINE ITEMS. LOSS OF THE MAGDEBURG. St. Petersburg, August 28. Russian shells destroyed the Magdeburg's funnels and caused an explosion shattering her from the bows to the bridge. The Danish steamer Brentland struck a mine in the Korth Sea. She arrived at Blyth in a damaged condition A trawler landed at Hull five of the crew of a Scottish boat sunk by a mine 30 miles off Blyth. , ..