GERMANS WATCH NAVAL MANOEUVRES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 225, 20 September 1913, Page 18

GERMANS WATCH NAVAL MANOEUVRES.

COOL AUDACITY. SHADOWING THE BRITISH FLEET. A startling and amazing story is told in connection with the recent -naval manoeuvres in the North Sea and along •the East Coast. It is alleged that two German vessels of war "shadowed" our fleet during the operations. I That the German officers and men ran considerable risk in carrying out this daring task, will be seen from the fallowing story which hae reached the London "Standard" "from an authoritaI tive source." The operations of espionage, it is said, ' were carried out by the German fisheries protection cruiser Zieten and by the d-stroyer D 8, which is also on fisheries protection service. The Zieten is an iron-built cruiser of 904 tons, with a complement of 115 men. The D 8 is a 23-knot boat, carrying 40 men. The British manoeuvres included tests concerning the possibility of a hostile raid on the East Coast, so that they were of exceptional interest to Germany, the only potential invader in those regions, the tests demonstrating the possibility of landing an invading force on the East Coast of England, after which the imaginary enemy's fleet was able to attack the western trade routes to Great Britain. Thus they were doubly instructive to German onlookers. The choice of the two German vessels of war which are permanently stationed in the North Sea to protect German fisheries in those waters was astute, the journal goes on to say. j It obviously expected that their I presence would either remain unnoticed or be regarded as a matter of course. But the commanding officer of the D 8 i was carried away by an excess of zeal i in conducting his operations of espionage, and his ship was observed not far from Myth, Northumberland, steaming during the night without lights in the immedii ate vicinity of a manoeuvring British squadron. Three British destroyers were detached to deal with the intruders. The D 8 made for the Tyne, and was followed to the mouth of that river. | Meanwhile the German fisheries protection cruiser Zieten continued to hover in the area of the naval manoe- ! uvres, which ended on Saturday. By a curious coincidence, the Zieten arrived in the Tyne on the same day, her North . Sea cruise being no longer necessary. Much comment has been excited in 1 naval circles by the cool audacity of these operations. Admiration has, indeed, been expressed for the German | officers, who, in the performance of their 1 patriotic duty, ran considerable risk. 1 This is not the first time that this I particular German destroyer has undertaken a similar task (concludes the "Standard"). Some five years ago the . D S arrived in the Tyne when the river defences were being manned, and it was then reported that two British destroyers escorted her away to the mouth jof the harbour. j On that occasion the operations [ abruptly terminated, and this was ■generally attributed to the discovery of : the fact that they had been under 10-6ers_.tio!n.