JUTLAND BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1916, Page 8

JUTLAND BATTLE.

THE WARRIOR'S END,,

WHAT THE EIG SHELLS DID.

A GUXXERY OFFICER'S VIVID STORY.

Devoivport. June 5. A most interesting story is told by a gunnery officer of the Warrior. He says:— On Wednesday, when wr liad been steaming for six hours, the sound of guns firing was heard, and tiie flashes were observable about ten minutes later. Both squadrons were evidently approaching each other at the rate of twenty knots. At "j.50 p.m. "action quarters'' was sounded. At ii.35 the following order came down from the fire control to the forward turret:

Enemy cruiser, three funnels, bearing green DO; range 15,5">0 yards; deflection 10 left; Salvos control.

Twenty seconds Inter tlio gong ran?, and a fraction of a second had not elapsed before a double gong sounded for range-finding. Tlie first two shells having given us tlie range, tlie starboard gun of tlie fore turret thundered out, this shells crumpling up the hindcrmost of the three funnels of tlie enemy. A "direct hit" was then signalled, when suddenly two more light cruisers were s-igmilkd to nort, and the Defence and ihe fiuke of Edinburgh were left to deal with them. The latter vessel had to intercept a mine-layer that had made its appearance. SOMETIUXG BTG. ' All at once a huge fountain of water rose twenty yards ahead of us, and we then knew that we had to deal with something bigger than a light cruiser. j Two shells of at least 12in' calibre fell ahead of the Defence, and three seconds later a salvo cut her amidships, and she crumpled nn and sank. The black Prince was the next to go. Two great shells carried away her funnels and foreturret, a salvo hit her in . the niiisnzine, and she blew up. Our turn had come, for far away on the horizon we could see three tripod masts. By now the enemy light cruisers were burning fiercely, and had ctased to (ire, but one after another 12in shells dropped on either beam of us. At last the enemy had found their mark. The first shell smashed our motor-boat hoist into splinters. The second hit the starboard side in line with the turrets. The third hit the quarter-deck just abaft the I bulkhead door, ploughed downwards and | wrecked the dynamos. The gun-turrets, i too. were almost useless, as the ammunition hoist had gone. Another shot put the port and the starboard engine-rooms out of action, killing twenty men. After five minutes the vessel was on lire, and a number of men were out of action from the ehects of asphyxiating gas shells, which tlie enemy were now using. , WOXDERFUL WORK OF THE WAKSHTR At O." 0 we were a hopelessly battered hulk, and waiting for the shells that would finish us, when the Warspite passed between us and the enemy, and engaged the foremost, battle-cruiser with deadly effect. The first shot from the Warspite lopped off the foremast of the leading enemy battle-cruiser. The next overturned both fore-gun turrets, and in five minutes the enemy vessel was absolutely ablaze from end to end, enveloped in a cloud of dense smoke. The -econd biitlle-cruiser, which had been concentrating her fire on the Warspite, turned to starboard, smoke uelehing from her funnels, and endeavored to pick up her main squadron. But it was not to be. Two shells from the Warspite blew every funnel she had got to pieces. A third made a great rent in her stem. A fourth ploughed up her

deck and burst against the foremast, bringing it down. Two minutes later this vessel also was on fire, and heeling over, with the Warspite still pounding her and ripping great gashes in her starboard side and bottom. The last we saw of her was nothing more than a broken hulk. Slowly the Engadine, a hydroplane parent-ship, towed us towards port, passing the Crescent, which had the survivors of tne Queen Mary, the Invincible, the Ardent, and the Fo'rj tune on board. For ten hours we were towed, and it was not till 5 o'clock | next morniing, when our quarter-decks were awash, that we had to abandon the old Warrior.