NAVAL LAKE FIGHT.
GERMAN BOAT DESTROYED
Details have been received of the capture of ihe Hedwig Von Weissmann, the largest German gunboat on Lake Tanganyika, after a sharp fight on February 9. It appears that the German gunboat Kingani, previously taken, had been rearmed and furnished with a British naval crew. This vessel attacked the Hedwig in the centre of the lake, with the support of the armed motor boat Mimi, which was also under naval control. The Hedwig decided to make a run for it, and turned towards her port. The Mimi rapidly overhauled her, and opened fire at a distance of 3,500yd5. The enemy replied with her stern guns, and shells dropped all round the motor boat, but the Mimi, by constantly altering her course, escaped damage, and scored three hits.
The Hedwig, which was compelled to adopt a zig-zag course, slackened speed, and the Kingani rapidly came up into range, getting in hit after hit, until the German boat caught fire and commenced to sink. The Mimi went to the rescue, but when she reached the spot the Hedwig had already disappeared. The captain, 12 Germans, and some blacks were, however, rescued from the water. The prestige of the Royal Navy is now very high in the Congo region, especially with the natives. There is only one German steamer left to deal with now, and she appears to be in hiding.
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Bibliographic details
Dunstan Times, Issue 2826, 31 July 1916, Page 5
Word Count
234NAVAL LAKE FIGHT. Dunstan Times, Issue 2826, 31 July 1916, Page 5
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