ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 January 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

LOSS. OF ALLIED SHIPS. A FRENCH STATEMENT. Pari?, Jan. 7. Tybe Ministry of Marine has published diagrams showing the looses of Allied merchantmen, owing to su'.unarinism. Since, June, the measure? taken after the serious crisis which culminated in April, 1317, so reduced the !os«c.» that the situation in December, 1017, was better than in December. l'.ilO. The losses of supply ships were reduced to 1.4 per cent., especially o«'ing to convoying. Tile results of the destnv'ion of pnerny submarines were a'.so eiK-uiiiaging The losses based oh eertainties have steadily increased since September, JAM. and were during the last quarter of 1017 nine times greater than in the corresponding period of IUW. The decrease in losses by submariuism ia due not to reduction of floating tonbut to the new measures. NEW MINE-FIELDS. '

FOE PROTECTION OF OCR MERCHANTMEN. Reuter Service. Received Jan. ft, 12.10 a.m. London, Jan. S. Lloyds announce that two new Britisih mine-fields for the protection of merchantmen against submarines, have been laid, covering practically the whole sea area between tiic Belgian coast and DoVer and Folkestone. There is a British mine area off the coast of Jutland end the German seaboard, also England. BRITISH DESTROYER SUNK. Received Jan. S, 11.10 p.m. London, Jan. 7. m The Admiralty reports that a Britisli aeßtroyer was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean. Ten men were lost. AMERICAN SHIP SUNK. New York, Jan 7. The American steamer Harry Luclienbaeh has been torpedoed. Eight of the crew perished.