LATE WAR NEWS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 203, 12 August 1914, Page 6

LATE WAR NEWS

FRONTIER ENGAGEMENTS. FROM LONGWY TO VIRTON. i (Received 12, 3.20 p.m.) j Pans, Aug. 11. 1 OFFICIAL. —Engagements have taken place along the frontier at Longwy, Longuyou, Marville, and Virton. j A German cavalry patrol was encountered north of Montmedy. ; LABOUR UNITED FOR EMPIRE. A REGIMENT OFFERED. i [FEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] I Auckland, Aug. 12. A conferences of prominent Labour leaders authorised Lieut.-Col. Bell to offer the Defence Department, on behalf of Labour, a regiment for service at home or abroad. Speakers emphasised the fact that although Labour had its troubles in the past and would have in future, they would, in time of a great crisis, present a united front for the Empire. Lieut.-Col. Bell said he appreciated the fine spirit shown, and would have great pleasure in conveying the offer to the Department. MINES IN NAVAL WARFARE. (By R.H.F.) The modern fleet that takes the offensive must always expect to find itself seriously hampered by mines. In the American Civil War the Federate lost thirty-two ships, including four ironclads and three armoured gunboats by mine explosions. In the. Russian-Japanese War the Russians at Port Arthur fished up 400 mines which the Japanese had laid, in the two narrow channels, “swept only to the width necessary for a single ship to pass.” The Russian fleet went out on April 13th, 1904. only to be decoyed over a fresh mine field laid by the Japanese cruisers. The “Petropavlovsk” struck a mine and sank hi a few minutes, only about forty out of her crew of 700 being saved, Makaroff, the one Rus sian admiral who might have _aeaccomplished something. being amongst the killed. Some time later a Russian mine-layer stole out under cover of a fog bank and laid mines in the track of the Japanese blcckad ing fleet. The “Yashima,” rd’ 12.300 tons, struck a mine, and sank, a few minutes before the “Hatsuse,” of 15.000 tons, then one of the largest battleships afloat, met with the same fate. The Japanese also lost the 4000 ton cruisers “Takasago” and “ Yoshino ” and some smaller craft in the same manner, before they met _ and destroyed the Baltic fleet. Underwater mines are of several types, the most common and destructive being the “Electro-mechanical,” containing about 721bs of guncotton, which explodes upon the mine being struck by a ship. In the British navy there are seven specially-fitted cruisers which form the. mine-layer squadron, while Germany has three, regular mine-layers, though it appears she is now employing converted merchant steamers also.

For the reported loss of the new cruiser “Amphion” with nearly half her crew it is at least some satisfaction to read of the destruction of the German mine-layer by the ‘•Lance.” It is probable that the Germans were lowering mines from the stein, where many ct the crew and of the mines would be gathered, which would account for the great destruction done, by. three four-inch shells in that part. The “Lance” is one of the lorty powerful destroyers completed tor the British navy in the last year or two, each boat being of about 950 cons and 24,500 horse power, oil fuel only being used, and armed with three long 4-inch quickfirers (of which the New Zealand carries sixteen) and four 21-inch torpedo tubes. The speed of these boats is about 32 knots, and they have a crew of about one hundred men.

German destroyers are as fast, but arc smaller (averaging some 6i)i> tons) less heavily armed, and burn coal instead of oil. (It is said, by the way, that Germany has a vast stock of A elsh coal, in. reserve). Oi destroyers of over 500 tons there are about 90 German to about 150 rn-itish.

To return to mines. In a work by a naval officer it is stated that there am three methods of destroying an enemy’s mine field: “Counter mining,” that is, exploding large mines amongst the enemy’s mines in order ro explode them at the same time ;

‘sweeping” for the mooring ropes of the mines (which are anchored, submerged, by heavy weights) and, in tbe case ot “observation” mines fired from the shore, “creeping” for their electric cables, with a hook with a gun-cotton charge attached. In the British Naw four torpedo-gunboats and a number of converted steam trawlers are specially fitted for sweeping up mines. Battleships carry mines for offensive and defensive purposes, and an exercise in the British fleet is for a battle squadron to endeavour to pick its way through a field of dummy mines, the older ships going first and the flagship, as the most valuable, last, though in such an exercise the flagship has been known to be the only one to strike a mine. It is to be hoped that the destruction of the German minelayer by the “Lance” was no mere rumour. No one could accuse the Japanese navy of wanting in vigilance. but it never caught either of the Russian mine-layers from Port Arthur nt work. One of them struck one of her own mines and sank, the other being captured at the fall of the fortress.