British Battleship Sunk.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 170, 4 January 1915, Page 5

British Battleship Sunk.

IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE. London, January L Official.—The [battleship Foiniidable has been sunk in the Channel by a mine or submarine. Seventy-one survivors have been picked up; the remainder are missing. [The Formidable is a pre-Drcadnouyhfc battleship built in 1901, a sister ship of the Bulwark. Her displacement was 15,000 tons, speed 18 knots, and she carried four 12in and twelve Gin guns.] BOATLOAD OF SURVIVORS PICKED UP. THE EXPERT'S THEORY. "' SUNK BY A DRIFTING MINE. ■DURING A TERRIBLE STORM. Received 3, 10.30 a.m. London, January 2. __ The trawler Providence picked up the Formidable's pinnace, with 08 men and two officers aboard. These were landed at Brixham, on the coast of Devonshire. The pinnace was leaking, and nearly full of water. Many of the men were in night attire, and others wrapped in blankets. Several other fishing boats were in the vicinity. The Providence was running for shelter m the heighth of a gale, with mountainous seas running, when she sighted the pinnace. The crew performed heroic work in taking off the survivors. Received 3, 3 p.m. London, January 3. Survivors report that two other boatloads left the Formidable. Navy writers suggest that the gale ■ possibly caused to break from their anchors some of the mines laid to the eastward of Dover, causing them to drift down the Channel. They remind readers, whether the Formidable was mined or torpedoed, of the appositcness of Mr. Churchill's words on 27th November regarding our ability to afford such a loss every month, and also the Admiralty's wisdom in carefully avoiding unnecessary risks with the battle squadron. SUNK DURING A STORM. DIFFICULTY IN LAUNCHING BOATS. Received 3, 3.25 p.m. London, January 2. The Providence, at D o'clock on Friday morning, sighted the pinnace, flying a scarf from an oar as a signal of distress. With the utmost difficulty the trawler manoeuvred to windward, and after four attempts hauled the pinnace round the stern, and the sailors began to jump aboard amid great danger, the seas being 30 feet high. It took half an hour to get all aboard. The survivors state that they had the greatest difficulty in launching the boats. Theirs was stove in, but they stuffed the hole with their jumpers. All the oars were smashed in fending off the vessel. Some jumped from the decks and swam to the boat. One boat fell by the nose, first throwing her crew into the sea. When the pinnace got away the men were singing "Tipperary," but a heavy sea broke over the boat, and compelled them to save their breath for continuous baling. ONLY 201 SURVIVORS. VESSEL SANK IN AN HOUR. DISTRESS SIGNALS MISUNDERSTOOD. Received 4, 12.5 a.m. London, January 3. Official: The .latest list of the Formidable's survivors gives the number as 201. (A survivor states that after a groat explosion the fires were drawn, and the men came on deck. The Formidable had a "heavy list to starboard, and she sank in! an hour. Had the weather been favorable, all could have been saved. Many plunged into the sea, and were picked up by the boats, but the darkness made rescue difficult. A number of trawlers misunderstood the signals, otherwise more would havo been saved. The Press Bureau publishes a list of thirty-nine officers drowned, including Captains John Deed and Arthur Loxley, .and Commanders Charles Ballard, William Harrison, and Henry Street.