ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 June 1918, Page 6

ON THE SEA.

ITALIAN NAVAL DARING. HOW AUSTRIAN WABSHIPS WERE TORPEDOED. Rome, June 12. The torpedoing of two powerful Austrian warships is the most serious blow yet inflicted on the Austrian navy, Italian light torpedo boats have made many daring incursions into enemy waters, but this seems the most darins of all. The torpedo tats boldly joined the Austrian torpedo escorts, steamed >' "y side with them in the darkness, and seized an opportune moment to deal a fatal blow, twice torpedoing a 22,000ton battleship and hitting an armored cruiser with a third torpedo before the enemy was aware of their presence. Captain Rizzo, commander of the expedition, has had a brilliant career. Ho is 30 years old and was trained in the mercantile marina. He has been engaged in many raids on the Adriatic coast and in the Gulf of Trieste. He assisted in protecting the army's retreat to the Piave. He penetrated Trieste harbor and torpedoed the cruiser Wien. He achieved his latest performance without mishap. Mr. Ward Price had an interview with Captain Rizzo. The latter said he was going slow in order to reduce the noise of the motors and the size of the wash when the Austrian whistles sounded the alarm and there was no time to lose. The dreadnought had not yet sighted us, so we carried on till within 200 yards and fired our torpedoes, the first hitting between the funnels. The other Italian patrol tot came up and fired at a second dreadnought. The first torpedo missed, but tlhe second hit and exploded. The torpedo boats danced hither and thither firing wildly. One was following Rizzo closely, and he decided to throw over two depth charges while running. One exploded below the torpedo boat, which reeled like a drunken man. The following day an Italian destroyer saw a damaged enemy destroyer being towed home. Italian seaplanes state that the wreckage of the dreadnoughts covers a square mile. There is one now at Pola instead of three. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. IT BOATS OFF AMERICA. TRANSFERENCE OF COiPtPER CARGO. Received June 14, 2.55 p.m. New York, June 19. Details of the sinking of the Norwegian ships Vindegen and Hendrick Lund show that the latter approached during the transference of the former's cargo. The U-iboat, which had been hidden alongside the Vindegen, ordered the Hendrick Lund's crew to leave the ship, which was then suik with bomlbs. Some reports state that eighty tons of copper were transferred to the U-boat, which towed the lifelboats containing 68 of the crews of the two vessels until another ship was sighted, when the submarine submerged. Some officials ibelievc the proximity of the U-boat to the Vindegen may explain the mother-ship theory. AMERICAN SHIPYARDS. Received June 14, 2.45 pjn. Washington, June 13. Mr. Sherek, chairman of tfhe Appropriations Committee, made a statement "that (by next calendar year America will have shipyards of ten million tons deadweight capacity.