North Sea Disaster

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 105, 26 September 1914, Page 5

North Sea Disaster

HOW THE THREE CRUIKLRS WERE SUNK. CHIEF GUNNER'S STORY. . THE SCENE ON THE ABOUKIR. London, September 24.

Dougherty, chief gunner of the Cressy, states: "We were steam'ng slowly in line, somewhere off the coast of Holland. One hundred yards approximately separated each vessel. Suddenly we heard a great crash, and the middle ship, tha Aboukir, heeled over, goii.'g down,rapidly. We closed up with the sinking ship, when there was a second crash, and the Hogue began to settle. As we drew near them someone shouted to me. 'Look out! There's a submarine ok the port beam!' I saw it about 400 yds away, with th» periscope above the waves. 1 took careful aim with a 12-pounder, but the shot went over her about two jßids. I gave the range and fired again, and hit tne periscope. She disappeared, but cajie up again, showing the conning tower. I fired a third time, and smashed in the top of the conning tower. After that ), shot at a trawler a thousand yards away, evidently a German disguised directing operations. The shot set her on (ire, hut her ultimate fate is unknown. By this time we had been struck by one torpedo. The damage, however, was not vital. Then we saw a second submarine on the starboard, and made a desperate effort to get her, hut faiied. Her torpedo got home in the engine-room, and the Cressy began to turn over. I believe Captain Johnson went down with the ship. One torpedo pasted under the stern. The enemy was actually discharging torpedoes while the water was thick with drowning men. 1 saw live submarines, but only one was hit." The Chronicle's Harwich correspondent says the' parent ship of the submarine flotilla ffcW the Dutch flag and made no effort to iave life. It is reported that the flotilla I'eft the Baltic last week, came through the Kiel Canal, and dashed to Borkum, -whence the raid was made. Two torpedoes struck the Aboukir. Most of her crew vfefo killed while asleep. The officers and. crews- of all the ships behaved admirably.. A member of the wateh on the Ahoukir states: "The explosion' shook the, whole ship and tore a great lump out of the •ide. Many men oil' the upper decks were killed outright. When the vessel Reeled over until the Tail was immersed the order was given, 'Every man for himself.' Long before the Cressy and Hogue reached the spot the Aboukir had disappeared. The German certainly took us lr r surprise, and made the most of th* opportunity." Most of the victims belong to Chatham, where about a thousand homes are faced with mourning.

THE CRUISERS ALMOST OHSOIJETE. GERMANS JEER AT DROWNING BRITISHERS. Received 25, 8.15 jun. London, September 24. Despatches indicate that the Cressy alone saw the submarines in time to attempt to retaliate. An officer said it was satisfactory lo know that the Germans have destroyed only throe comparatively obsolete vessels, which were shortly destined to he scrapped. They were manned, by scratch crews, who had only been together for six weeks. The hardest thing was the fate of the cadets. Many were only fifteen years old, but they acted as coolly as the old hands. Twenty-four men were saved after clinging for hours to a target which had floated off the Hogue's deck. The Titan's captain, ignoring risks, ci uised for hours about the scene of the disaster, and rescued many exhaiusted

Some of the submarines came to the smfaee, and their crews, from the eon-ning-towers, jeered the drowning Britishers. Five Germans from the wrecked submarine were Baved. GERMANS ARE JOYFUL. GREAT ENTHUSIASM IN BERLIN. A BOASTFUL PREDICTION. Rome, September 21. News from Berlin states that the sinking of the cruisers has caused great enthusiasm. It is declared to he only a foretaste of what Britain may expect when »he faces the German iia^y. Amsterdam, September W. A message from Berlin states thai only one submarine, No. 0, attacked the cruisers, and returned undampped. None of the wounded sailors 'ended in Holland were seriously injured.