THE OSTEND RAID.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16213, 16 May 1918, Page 7

THE OSTEND RAID.

OFFICIAL VERSION.

THE VINDICTrVE, r S GREAT EXPLOIT.

(By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Reuterg Telegrams.)

LONDON, May 14. Tho Admiralty has issued the fohow ing account of the Ostend operations dated Dunkirk, May 11th: — nrif "The Sirius lies iu the surf so™® yards east of the entrance of y , Harbour, which sho so gallantly a tempted but failed, to block. planning and the execution or tne terprise was entrusted to Commo Hubert Lynes, who directed the previous attempt to block the harbour a the Sirius and the Brilliant. oriner occasion ccnditions whien mforeseen, and could not be for ';®^f r . r ought ngninst him. On this oc • ;ho main problem was to )y a surprise attack upon the en „: v'ho clearly was expecting hnn ; ™Tho Sirius and the Brilliant li previously been baffled by the display nent of the Stroombank Buoj, ng the channel to the harbour • franco, but since then aerial recon • lance had established the i lt alto . Germans had removed the buy •, rether. There were no guiding mar . >f any kind, and they also had^ raps in the piers as a P , 'gainst landing. when al nidnight on May 9th the P noved from their anchorage, it * £ cnown that some nine German destroy ?rs were patrolling tho coast. "The night was favourable for tne mterprise, there being little wind, noon, and a still sea. From Dunkirk brief gunfire annooncec ;hat German aeroplanes were awut The Vindictive was seen misti J ;hrough streaming smoke from tho oe itroyers' funnels. Sho plodded silentlj to her goal. She reccxied astern as c iestroyer raced on to lay a j .vhich was to be her guide. Sne passei thence into the hands of smaU craft ■vhoso mission was to guide and hid lier in a eloutl, followed by a smok< absence of any preliminary jombardment was tho first surpnse e ment. A time-tahio had been laic lown for every stage of the operation The monitors, anchored far to seav awaited the signal to fire their groa siege batteries. The Royal IVlarmi ■illery in Flanders stood by to neutrals the big German artillery along th< ?oast, and the airmen, who were to col aborate with an aerial bombardment o. sho town, awaited somewhere over head. „ , , . "The destroyers patrolled, seawards o tho small craft, and the Vindictive mided by the light buoy, arnved when i motor-boat awaited by a calcium flare upon the old position of the sank Buoy. Four minutes berore hei arrival there the signal was given to the guns to open. Two motor-boat lashed in and torpedoed the higi .vooden piers. Simultaneously, shell iame from the monitors at sea. in< ;urprise part of tho attack was sprung Tho surprise, despite the Germans watchfulness, seems to have been com "Un to this time not a shot had beei Ired from the land. Motor launches nanned by the Naval Volunteer Re ierve, worked magnificently. They proluced the" likeness of a dense sea mist m either hand of the Vindictive , jourse. Then the guns roared intc "A tremendous uproar followed. The 3ermans opened fire on the monitors, registering with four six-inchers to X nch naval pieces. The marine arti • erv and monitors replied, and meanwhile the aeroplanes bombed methodicdly. Through this big gim conflict th< Vindictive, riofc hurrying, approachet ;he entrance. Then a sea fog cam ip, and tho destroyers had to use ieiits and eound sirens to keep it jouch with each other, and the air attack was suspended. , ''The Vindictive, with some distanct to go, found horself in darkness. Motoi boats supplied with flares capable o lluimnating a square mile, escorted he to tho entrance, but the fog and smok together were too dense, even for th lares. The Vindictive started t< ;ruiso to find the ontrance. At th third attempt the fog Wted, and th< antrance was seen dead ahead. "A motor-boat dashed up, raced intc the opening under heavy fire, amDlnnted a flare on the water betweer Z%s. The Vindictive steamec iver it and she was in. The gun found lier at once and she was hii jvery few seconds after entering, in leeks and upper works were swept l>s i hail of lead, which converged upon ier from machine-guns inshore. in® lfter control was demolished by a shell, vhich killed all of its occupants, iniluding Sub-Lieutenant Maclachan, tnc Godsal and the officers proceeded to the conning, tower observed the eastern pier, and JOO yards from tho seaward end. inen the Vindictive's helm was put to starnoard. Sho laid her battered nose, to .he eastern pier and prepared to swing ier length across tne channel. At tliat noment a shell struck the conning .ower. The Vindictive, which lay at an ingle of 40 degrees to the pier, seemed lard and fast. After vainly worln P ;he engines for some minutes, the ortar vas given to abandon the ship, whic vas done, after blowing up the charges. Pho ship sank and lay upon the bottom >f the channel. Her work was done. "Commander Godsal, presumabiyi vas killed by the shell which struck tho :onning tower. Most of the casualties rere incurred while tho ship was being ibandonod. The men behaved witn :heery discipline nnd courage."

MENDACIOUS GERMAN CLAIMS. . Admiralty per Wireless Press. May 15th, 7 p.m.) LONDON, May 14. A German official report claims that an examination of the Vindictive proves that the vessel contained no cement. The report proceeds to state that the Vindictive was not blown up by ie English, but -was sunk by German fire. The British Admiralty comments that these statements are entirely false.

POSITION AT ZEEBRUGGE,

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received May 15th, 7.30 p.m.) AMSTERDAM, May 14.

Frontier reports states that aerial raids are inflicting heavy losses. The Germans are repairing the damage to Zeebrugge caused by the naval raid, but little progress has been made. Soldiers. assisted "by the male population of Zeebrugge, are engaged at work continually, and are compelled to recommence after each-bomb bursts.