RUSSIAN NAVAL DISASTER

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 4406, 25 November 1916, Page 5

RUSSIAN NAVAL DISASTER

NEW DREADNOUGHT LOST

(Received November 24, 10.55 p.m.) PETROGRAD, Nov. 24. Official: Fire on October 20exploded the magazine on the Dreadnought Empress Marie, which sank. Iwo hundred and thirteen of her crew are dead. :

The Empress Marie was a new Dreadnought belonging to Russia’s Black Sea fleet. She was completed in July, 1915, and was of 22,500 tons. She was armed with twelve 12-inch guns, twenty 4.7 in guns and four anti-aircraft guns. She had a speed of 21 knots. Her loss will hardly affect the naval situation in the Black Sea, as before she was commissioned the existing Russian fleet, which included a sister-ship to the Empress Marie, proved itself able to drub the Turkish fleet, even when backed up by the Goeben and Breslau. Then, again, the new Dreadnought Alexander 111. is nearing completion now, if not actually in commission, so that- the loss, though serious, should not affect the strategical situation in that locality.

THE SLAVE RAIDS.

BRUSSELS OVER-AWED BY

GUNS

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) AMSTERDAM. Nov. 23. Deported Belgians refusing to work were sentenced to two months in gaol. Brussels streets are lined with machine-guns to overawe the people.

AUSTRIA ALSO MAKES SLAA 7 ES

DEPUTATION OF SERBIANS

ROME. Nov. 23

Austria is deporting thousands of Serbians, including women, to worn in munition factories, hoping thereby to liberate during the next three months one hundred thousand Austrians for active service.