H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15110, 28 October 1914, Page 7

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

IN ACTION AT HELIGOLAND.

WITH THE BATTLE-CRUISER SQUADRON.

AN OFFICER'S ACCOUNT

11.M.5. New Zealand, in tho First Battle-Cruiser Squadron, took a proininrnt part in the r.aval action in

Heligoland Bight on August 28th, when tho Gorman cruisers Mainz, lvoln, and Ariadne, and two destroyers were sunk and several others .-.eriou.-oy damaged. Tho first account of the psrfc played by tho New Zealand in the first naval action of tho war has been received iv a letter from an officer in the bauloeruiser, written to friends in Christchurch. Tho story of tho fight is simply told as follows: — THE GENERAL SCHEME. "You will have teen all about tho action of the -Bth of Augtist in tho papers., but L will try and give you my views on it in brief. The giucral scheme was that tho destroyers should go into Heligoland at daylight and try to draw the enemy's cruisers out, so that they could be engaged by us nnd the First Light Cruiser Squadron. It was successful, and at 5.13 a.m. on tho 2Sth we got a signal saying tho destroyers off Heligoland were in heavy action with tho enemy. They drew them (.the enemy's destroyers.) out, and small cruisers came with them. GERMAN SUBMARINE FIRED AT.

"At about, 10.40 a.m. tho Invincible, who was just ahead of vis, opoued ilro with her 4in guns ou a submarine. Wo sighted it on our port bow and tired one filiot. when it dived, and came up again on our quarter. i just managed to got my turret trained on it when onco more it dived, and didn't appear again. Tho destroyers spent soino time looking for it without result. Why it didn't nit us goodness knows! FULL SPEED INTO ACTION. i: At 11 o'clock tho vfeather got thick, aud wo heard heavy .iinng ahead, for which we went oft" at i'uil speed. Tho squadron wero then in iho following order:—Lion (Hagship), Queen Mary, Princess Royal, ><r.v Zealund, and Invincible. Tho Light Cruiser Squadron wero soon sighted on tho starboard boiv, heavily engaging tho opemy. who wore out of sight from tis in tho fog. They wore four ships in line ahead. On tho port bow there was a flotilla ot" destroyers chasing a submarine, with shells falling amongst them. . THE BIG GUNS SPEAK. ''We were now going about 20 knots, dashing towards where- tho firing was coming from. We soon sighted the Mainz, a small cruiser, on the starboard bow, put out of action by tho Light Cruiser Squadron, who had then stopped firing at her. Sho looked liko a •coal hulk —no masts, oniy ono funnel standing, and burning amidships. On wo dashed past her at about a- mile or less away. Soon wo hoard tho Lion open fire at something on tho port bow. Shortly afterwards, the .Queen. Mary p]K>ncd fire, and a few minutes later I tho Princess Royal. "NEW ZEALAND, OPEN FERE!" "Anothor five- minutes, and the order came:—'New Zealand, open firoj' Off wont the fore turret. Mino being in tho stern, wouldn't train on tho enemy, who was ivell on tho bow. Tho second turret fired, and then tho third. 1 felt my guns ought to bo firing, but owing to the smoke of the foremost guns, I couldn't see anything of the enemy. Ono of ray gun-layers, a hotheaded Irishman named , saw the enemy, but tbo trainer couldn't, whereupon flung his cap, amidst frightful oaths, at him. All tho Runs' new "burst into peals of laughter. Eventually tho smoke cleared, and tvo started, but after firing fourteen shells at her, 'Cease Firol' was sounded. ! ENEMY'S CRUISER SINKS. I "1 could sco that tho enemy's ship I was burning, and that two of her funnels had ,gono, and also both masts. Destroyers then started to close in< to see if they could pick up any wounded, but a≤, they got near, a Hash •was seen to como from her and it was thought that sho had fired again. Tho destroyers then retired, and tho Lion opened firo again and ijrtcr a very few shots tho cnomv suddenly hank by tho bows, her stern eoniing well out of tho wnler as sho went down. The range during the whole action was only about 4000' yards. I saw the wholo thing from my* periscopein tho turret. Although 1 could m tho Gorman cruiser's guns going off, I didn't know till afterwards that she had been firing at this ship. They tell mo a good many «sh«>lU fell over us, and a few foil short, but nouo hit us. If they had. I don't think they would have done a great deal of damage, as sho oniy carried 4iu guns. A GENEROUS TRIBUTE. "I don't think wo can judge the German gunnery at ail by this show, as wo had .some twenty-four Itt.oin and sixteen lain guns firing at her five Jin guns, which must have absolutely demoralised her during tho first few*minutes. It was not at all a 'glorious victory.' ]n fact. I should call it .sheer butchery. Noi. ono of their 100 men is now alive. In my opinion, they were very fetout- folloivs to 'stidc it' to tho end, and not haul their flag down when they eavr they hadn't a chance of doing us any damage. SUBMARLV.E AND .MIKE. "The Princess- Royal had one man wounded, otherwise I don't think there were any casualties in our squadron at .i 1 ;'. Tho Light Cru»?r iS'quodron had a fov.', and the destroyers ecverai, including Lieutenant AVest-niacott, a good follow. Thr* extraordinary luck of thething was that during, tlio action wo urre nii&spd by a submarine, and passed a Tory few feet, from si mine. I think thf* whole thing was frightfully lucky, but still —'nothing venture, nothing have.* Our men behaved splendidly durint: toe whole ihinj:, and* the cheer that went np in my turret when they heard tho enemy's cruiser was sinking was a revelation."