ON THE SEA

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA

A MASTER STROKE? lIOW THEY AVOIDED THE BRITISH. FLEET. DUTCH SARCASTIC COMMENT. London, August 22. The Daily Telegraph's Rotterdam correspondent states that the German High Sea? Fleet has won another great victory, perhaps even greater than that ofl' .Jutland, because it completely succeeded in avoiding an encounter with the British forces, "but it cannot claim another victory because scores of Dutch skippers saw what happened. Tlissc trained sailors witnessed all the movements of the German squadrons and their reports prove conclusively that there is only one fact important, namely. that on the first news of the appearance of the British Fleet the Germans turned tail and went full speed for home. j Skippers say they sighted the German Grand Fleet, at least sixty vessels of all descriptions, at 0 in the morning. guided carefully by three Zeppelins, and saw the same fleet at G in the evening with its attendant airships, steaming furiously eastward. What had happened meantime is clear from the reports of other Dutch captains who saw at least one-British squadron at 5 in the afternoon much farther south than the G o'clock position of the Germans. The British were then heading north towards the enemy. The Dutch also saw three Zeppelins coming from the north which, after they had spotted the British, immediately returned towards the Germans, and half an hour later the High Canal Fleet was madly retreating to its base. No more was seen of the German warships in the North Sea, but the Dutch saw the British squadrons scouring the seas many hours later. ■Received August 23, 5.5 p.m. London, August 22. The Admiralty reports: 9k. submarine commander states that while a German warship was being escorted, damaged, to the harbor, by five destroyers, we again torpedoed her. The High Commissioner reports, under date London, August 22, 5.4Q p.m.: — Submarine E23 twice torpedoed a German battleship of the Nasau class, which is believed to have been sunk. (The Nassau is a battleship of 18,00.0 tons, with a speed of 19.5 knots, carrying twelve llin. guns and twelve o.flin. 1 guns. She was built in 1909.^

GERMAN BOMBASTIC CLAIMS. DENIED BY BRITISH ADMIRALTY. .leceived August 23, 9.40 p.m Amsterdam, August 2i. A German Admiralty communique states: On Saturday, our submarines observed five small English cruisers and two destroyer flotillas, followed by six battle-cruisers. Our submarine hit and sank one four-funnelled destroyer ot the Mohawk type. A submarine twice torpedoed a cruiser of the Chatham type, but owins to the cruiser protection, was unable to repeat the attack after waiting two hours, when the submarine was (ihliaed to submerge to avoid a destroyer attempting to ram her. Another submarine sank a damaged cruiser. The British Admiralty comments that no destroyer was touched. # AN ADMISSION, GERMANY AWAITING FULL REPORTS. Amsterdam, August 22. A German communique admits that a submarine was rammed after destroying a small British cruiser, but the submarine reached port safely. Whether any submarine was sunk is uncertain until all the submarine reports are received. LANSING LUFFED, AMERICAN VESSEL FIRED ON.

Washington, August 22. Despite Mr. Lansing's efforts to maintain secrecy, it now appears that a German or Austrian submarine fired ten times at the American steamer Oswego in the Mediterranean, many Americans on board narrowly escaping. Mr. Lansing has- sent a secret Note o Berlin, which replies that it knows nothing of any such attack. It is not believed that further action will be taken. WELL-EARNED PRIZE MONEY. London, August 22. The Prize Court lias awarded the Sydney £1985 for sinking the Emden. The Prize Court awarded £IOOS to the crew« of the Alcantara and Andes for destroying the raider Grief, £l4lO to Klfl for sinking the light cruiser Udine in the Baltic, and £12,100 to the warships which sank the Scharnhorst. Gneisenau and Nurnburg in the Falkland's battle.