THE SECRETS OF SCAPA.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1919, Page 11

THE SECRETS OF SCAPA.

SIR P. SCOTT OX WHY HUNS DID NOT WIN. At a dinner given by the Skinners' Company, Admiral Sir Percy Seott, in responding to I lie toast of'the Navy, told some fascinating- secrets. In Novenfber, 1014, lie said, I visited the Grand Fleet. Tli'e.y were then at Seapa Flow, in the Orkneys, in ;;n absolutely unprotected harbour. Hun submarines could have come in and sunk them on any night. I slept on board the Iron Duke. Jly last remark to Lord Jellicoe ■was. "Shall we he here in the morning?" His reply was: "I wonder.'' Some people have said to me: "Why did Lord Jellicoe have his fleet in an unprotected harbour?" The answer is that prior to the war he had only considered submarines as toys, so we had not got a protected harbor to put our Fleet in. Then I have been asked: If that was the case, why did not the Huns destroy pur Fleet, and win the war in 1914? Well, why did not they? Admiral Jellicoe, in his book, says that he thinks the Hun minds could not conceive that we were such fools as to have our Flee', in an unprotected harbour. There is a story that the Him airmen, having reported in d!) 14 that they could see no defences at Seapa, Iwo* spies were cut, and at that time it was very easy for tiiem to get over. They reported that there, was no protection. * The Huns promptly shot then!, as they considered they were lying, They then sent two more. They were not going to take any risks, so they reported that our Fleet was as safe as theirs was in the. Kcil Canal. Perhaps this is why the Huns did not win, as they could have won.i the war in 1014. If the Huns had had halt a dozen men n f the stamp of our submarine commanders, we should now be a Hun colony. The knowledge of this will, I think, be the bitterest pill that the Huns have ever had to swallow. Lord Jellicoe has been criticised because after the Battle of Jutland he did nt pursue the Hun fleet and fight Ihem at night. Lord Jellicoe had a very good reason for not doing so. The British Fleet was not properly equipped for fighting an action at night/ The German fleet was. Consequently, to fight them at night would have only been to court disaster. Lord Jellicoe's business was to preserve the Grand Fleet, not to risk its existence. I have been asked why was the Grand Fleet not so well prepared to fight a night action as the Hun navy. Jly answer is: Ask the Admiralty.