THE AUDACIOUS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 271, 26 April 1915, Page 6

THE AUDACIOUS.

AGAIN IN COMMISSION. DAMAGE SAID TO BE REPAIRED. Concerning' the many mysterious reports which have been circulated regarding H.M.S. Audacious, the New York Herald of February 14 says: "The Audacious, one of Great Britain's finest and most powerful battleships of. the super-Dreadnought class, will rejoin the grand fleet next week. She will leave the shipyards of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, without a flaw in her hull or armament. "In the light of the news received here, the Audacious, although badly crippled either by a German torpedo or mine, was not sunk. With her wounded hull bound in collision mats, and the gaping hole below the water-line adequately plugged, she remained afloat, and was safely guided into dock. "When the Audacious appeared to be foundering, following the explosion which rent her keel, a swift inventory of the damage wrought was made by the engineers on board, and also by experts from other naval craft, which were soon along-side. At first it was -believed that the great-fighting ship was doomed. Almost before the echoes of the tremendous explosion had died away the collision mats were overboard and lashed over the hole left by the explosion. Meanwhile sandbags vrere piled into the ragged aperture from within, and with an elaborate system of bulkheads the tremendous inflow of water was practically cut off'. "By this time, of course, the great vessel had shipped an enormous quantity of water through her torn bottom, and was very low iu the sea. It was in this condition that the photographs were made that depicted her in what was believed to be a sinking condition. "At first it was decided to tow the wounded battleship into the Laird Shipbuilding Yards at Birkenhead, a suburb of Liverpool on the other side of the Mersey. From Lough Swilly, on the Irish coast, where the disaster occurred, to Birkenhead, however is a run of KIO miles. The crippled condition of the Audacious, upon further examination, was believed to be too serious to permit such a run. It was accordingly decided to tow the vessel into Belfast, 140 miles nearer, being about 30 milek from tlie mouth of Lough Swilly. "It is believed that of her crew of 1000 men, few were killed or injured by tiie explosion on board the Audacious."