DESTROYER FIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1917, Page 5

DESTROYER FIGHT.

HOW VC9 REACHED PORT. GERMANS BADLY MAULED. Published in the Times. London, Jan. 27. The correspondent of the Times at Ynmiden Bays that nine depressed German petty officers have landed, and are staying at an hotel. With the aid of Dutch; beer they recovered their spirits and sang hymns. They are convinced that numerous Germans destroyers were sunk, but as they were in the rearguard themselves they could not see the actual fate of these vessels.

Ono petty officer said;' "The night was clear. Tlfc alarm bell wont at 3 a.m. I went on deck to supervise the ammunition supply. I saw the enemy abeam at long range. Apparently there were two British squadrons, each consisting of four to %ix moderately-sized ships. Their marksmanship was very accurate. We were soon hit, and tried to make a German port.

"Wo would have reached Emden, but wo sighted British destroyers near Ymiudcn. Therefore, we decided to fun ashore, but a Dutch trawler explained

that we were close to Ymiudcn. The main action occurred thirty miles oil Zeebrugge. It seemed impossible to us that the rest of the squadron could have escaped." The naval correspondent of The Times says tliat the action reveals that the British fleet has resumed the offensive, operating on the Dutch coast and punishing Zeebrugge. The destroyers which have been caught were probably those vliich had been lately interfering with the Anglo-Dutch trade in the vicinity of the North Hinder lightship, where the action was probably fought. The Times' correspondent at Ymiuden says tin/ the sea battle has greatly excited Holland. iPeople are flocking to Ymiuden.

Three Dutch tugs towed VC.9 in. Her torpedo tubes were knocked sideways, her signal tower, searchlight, funnel, and hridge destroyed, and there was also a ■deep indentation on the aide where the British vessel rammed her. Four officers were killed, and 80 ot the crew of 100 are missing. It is reported that German wounded admit that sixteen German vessels were sunk. The bodies have been brought ashore for burial. The battle was fought in a fierce blizzard, and the intense cold added to the terror of the conflict, which lasted for five hours. "It was the first short, fired at 2 o'clock in the morning, which killed Commander Schultz and his officers. Commander Boehm has requested the Dutch authorities not to decide regarding the internment of the vessel, even if VflO is unable to depart within twentyfour hours. The decision will be made on Wednesday. ' The Daily Mail's correspondent at Ymiuden says that one wounded German sergeant of marines stated: "We don't want to fight, but we have to." The VB!>, -which is of, 1-200 tons, was in the thickest of the fight from the outset, the first shell killing Commonder Schultz on the bridge, killing the helmsman, killing the ofileer alongside, and destroying the steering gear. The vessel, steering by her screws, attempted to escape northwards, but other shells crip-plied her. Then a British destroyer dashed up at full tilt at 4 o'clock and attempted to ram her, .bringing down the funnel and tilting VCD to an agle of 4udeg., causing her to make water fast, and flooding the officers' cabins. Great efforts enabled the crew to keep her afloat, though deep in the water. The destroyer was a grisly spectacle coming in to Ymiuden haritor, with shattered human limbs and viscera hanging frozen to the broken rigging. Eight corpses were frozen' hard to the deck, necessitating the use of axes to remove them. Commander Schultz's legs were amputated, and lie died on reaching the harbor. The Vlii) (a new boat) was journeying towards Emden with -11- others, when the British attacked them off the Flemish coast. The crew believes that part of the squadron managed to crawl back to Zeebrugge ibadly mauled. Several fied northwards, and their fate is unknown.

A German submarine participating in the action appeared in Dutch waters. Dutch warships chased her, and she submerged. Experts are inclined to discredit the reports from tmiuden of the German losses. . They agree, however, that it would have been impossible for the British to have observed the losses in the darkness. i

Damaged German vessels have arrived at Zeebrugge and Emden,