A DARING EXPLOIT

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 141, 14 June 1918, Page 7

A DARING EXPLOIT

SERIOUS BLOW TO AUSTRIAN NAVY

DREADNOUGHT-BATTLESHIP

SUNK

AN OFFICIAL ADMISSION.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPTRIGHT.) (PUBLISHED IN THE TIMES.)

BERNE, 12th June,

It is officially admitted in Vienna that the Dreadnought-battleship Szent Istvan (20,000 tons, built in 1915, carrying a crew of 1000) was torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic. Several officers and eighty of the craw are missing.

[It was officially announced from Home, in a message published yesterday, that two Italian torpedo boats sank two Austrian battleships off the Dalmatian Islands, on 10th June.]

(Received June 14, 10.30 a.m.)

MILAN, 13th June. The torpedoing of two powerful Austrian warships is the most serious blow yet inflicted on the Austrian Navy. Italian light torpedo boats have made many daring incursions into enemy waters, but this seems the most daring of all. The torpedo boats boldly joined the Austrian torpedo boat escorts and steamed side by side with them in the darkness. They seized an opportune moment to deal the fatal blow, and twice torpedoed a 22,000-ton battleship and hit an armoured cruiser -with a third torpedo, before the enemy was awaro of their presence, Captain Rizzo, who commanded the expedition, has had a brilliant career. He ig thirty years of age, and was trained in the mercantile marine. He ha,s engaged in many raids off the Adriatic coast. From the Gulf of Trieste he assisted in protecting the army's retreat to the Piave. He penetrated Trieste harbour on 9th December, 1917, and torpedoed the cruiser Wien. He achieved his latest performance without mishap.