FORCING THE DARDANELLES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 233, 11 March 1915, Page 8

FORCING THE DARDANELLES.

THE ALLIES' GREAT TASK. (By J. D. Leckie in the Auckland Star). Tho narrow passage of the Dardanelles (formerly known as tlie Hellespont) ha, played an important part in Kuropc.ihistory. The strait extends for a total length of some sixty miles, with a breadth varying from one to four miles. From the Sea of Marmora, a strong current runs through the strait to the Aegean Sea. This current, while unfav. orable to the approach of hostile ships, is of further advantage to the Turks, ag it allows of the, broadcast sowing 01 mines, which, carried downward by the current, might play liavoe among a hostile squadron. Although the use oi mines in this manner is contrary to the regulations of the Hague Convention, it has been practised by the Hermans •throughout the war, and the defence of the Dardanelles is now practically in German hands. Th ß diuiger has, however been minimised in i.nc present case by the help of the mine sweepers which accompany tho Allied squadron. A treaty concluded bi.cv.-ccn Turkey and the Great Power* :n iM.! and stiil in force, prohibits the pi.ssi.ge ui' the Dardanelles by any warship other than Turkish without the express permission sometimes granted in tho ease of warships of small si«'. 'ft is .stipulated, however, that the pa«ug' „i cue straits is free to the merchant ships of all nations, a condition winch wo a violated by the Turks when the.y Wosed the Dardanelles to foreign mercuuic ships before the outbreak oi hostilities. The Dardanelles, ~r has many historic associations. More than once" it has been classed b) invading armies, among others, by the hordes oi Xerxes and Alexander the Great, the | pajw-a-ge,. in, both cases being effected in the. nei'ghiiuiJiood, of Abydos. Hero also,, the. young Leamlcr nightly across to vidit. liis beloved hero, and the same feat was performed in 1810 bj Lovd Byron. The- 'difficulties, in. the wa? of Jorcinj the passage of the Dardanelles arc greater than might appear at first sight In 180-2 the 'fedeial fie<it under Farragui successfully passed die forts whicl guard the appioaeh to 'Soiv Orleans, ani ii'.y, though Farragut'i vessels weru ot \,ooii, a:; ironclads has not j-tt c-jme into general use. Fou: years lati-r the allied Argentine am Brazilian llect iojccii tiis passage o Humaita, o" tho Parana, though th< place had Ocen converted into a regula: Gibraltar and obstructions placed iu tin • channel. ' ■■But such feats cannot be comparec with the attempt to force the Davdan elles, which is not a low-lying river (a in both the cases cited above), but linei by rocky heights 'bristling with fortifiea tions, which eoiiiina'rid the narrow chan nei, and from their lofty elevation eaii bombard tlie decks of a warship, her most vulnerable point. If the armor of ships has increased of late in strength, su nac« the power of artillery, and the attacK on tlie Dardanelles is rather to be compared to s.uch a fcal .of arms as tiie capture of Port Arthur, where the forts had to bo captured one by one at a great loss of life. In the Japanese attack? on Port ArtlnuV. tjotli ia IS9i and IDU4, tho oo operation of a land force was necessary—in fact, the fleet played merely a subsidiary jart. The same is true of the attuci: on Wei-Hai. Wei in 1B!)5, und the Spanish attack on Santiago (Culm) in ISDS; all these points fell before aT-acks directed nga'msi a £he land uido of theii doi> ; ,Kcs, It is now stated in {he I'lcsS U.ai & liUtd force is being prepared for 'the nuroosc of attacking the Dardanelles forts from the land side, an opeiation winch, if successful, will be attended with the most important results. A'ot only is the Dai dandies a position of great 'At the advantages afforded by Xatuiv. have been irretitiy increased, -ny science; of' late ye.ar3 the defences iiave been greatly strengthened by General Liman von Sanders. (Some of toe old forts have been practically reconstructed, and tho latest types of Kriipp guns have been placed at the most advantageous points. An arrangement of torpedo tubes nas been set up at the water's edge, and not oiny are the Straits thickly mined, but they are patrolled day and night by steam trawlers, while powerful 'search, lights have been placed'at all points of vantage. The mine-sweeping operations successfully undertaken by the British Fleet are m themselves a great accomplishment, as it was considered by the military authorities who planned the defences that the fire of the fortilicatious and batteries would effectually prevent the removal or destruction oi the inme • fields. " The defences at the entrance of the Dardanelles, already wholly or nartially , destroyed by the allied fire, are far lrom , being the most formidable part of the defence; the real defences lie higher up , the channel at Kflid Bahr and CluriaK i kalesai, where the shores are but a mile ■ apart. If the allied fleet forces this ; point, the capture of Constantinople is . inevitable. Above, on the crest' 01 the hill, some hundreds of feet above the . water, arevery powerful batteries. These ! constitute the greatest danger to an ad • vanciug fleet, a B from their elevation the • projectiles from the ships would pass over them, while they would bo" able to ■ play on the enemies' decks, their most ' vulnerable point. The strong current at this point (the Narrows) is also untavorable to an attacking party It is true the Straits have before now been forced by the British, but under circumstances very different from those which prevail to-day. ]. n 1807 Admiral Duckworth, m the Royal George, led a British squadron through the Straits, catching the Turkish garrison apparently unprepared, but i,e met with a very warm reception on his way back, ins ship being badly holed bv the enormous marble round shot fired" from brass In January, 1878, a British fleet of eight ironclads steamec? up the Straits, hut in tli, s case, thougn some resistance was expected, none was offered, to the great disappointment of all on board the i.tsik.l Bay some 12 miles to the south of the Dardanelles. JJext month sudden and secret orders were given to the fleet '' to leave Bes.ka Bay, ttnd ga , it , merit prevailed when orders were «ivcn that the passage of tlie Straits was to ■ oeforceda ail costs if resistance were orl red. The ships prepared for action, and steamed up the channel durin., a heavy snowstorm, which rendered liavi ', gation difficult. In this case again how""f^ 0 ™* offered, though - ono oi tl,o Jirit.sh ship.,, the Agincourt, ian ashore. ,si, e was fiaj P, > fonZ h t. UrS aft , ormirdß . b »t Kttle the worse tor the accident.