THE ZEEBRUGGE RAID

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 26 April 1918, Page 5

THE ZEEBRUGGE RAID

SOME ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS

REPORTED DAMAGE TO MOLE

CONFIRMED

LONDON, April 24

Participators in the raid state that the concrete-laden ships were anchored at the entrance to the harbor, and swung round and sank within 23 minutes of anchoring. Other survivors state that before destroying the guns on the mole, the lancrng party turned them against the enemy fortifications.

The Vindictive left a number on the mole. Some of these were subsequently taken off by patrol boats and launches. The others remained to complete the task of the destruction of the military works, knowing they -would be killed or made prisoners. The British destroyer which was reported lost received a salvo of guns in the engine room, and dashed ashore in a sinking condition. Ultimately she was beached, and another destroyer took off the survivors and then blew up the stranded vessel. There are conflicting stories of the enemy losses. Some of the survivors state that, in addition to the destroyer rammed, two destroyers were sunk in the harbor, one was sunk alongside the mole, and other smaller craft, including submarines, are reported to have been sunk. The Press Bureau reports, that ViceAdmiral Keyes has been promoted and made a Commander of the Bath, in recognition of his services at Zeebrugge. Lieut. Carpenter, commander of the Vindictive, has been promoted to be captain. Following yesterday' 6 operations, aircraft carried out observations and bomb attacks. Owing to the clouds, the Machines descended to fifty feet, and observed a clear break of twenty yards on the side and inner end of the Zeebrugge mole. A sunken object was seen lying between the piers at Ostend, blocking tho greater part of the fairway. Numerous bombs 'were dropped on objectives on shore.