NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16807, 17 March 1915, Page 7

NOTES ON THE WAR.

ON LAND AND SEA.

The squadron that has been watching for the Dresden to show her nose out of port seems to have been a particularly strong one. ' How many cruisers have been on patrol duty off the South American const it is impossible to say, but it looks as if fast armed liners lind been employed to assist in the scouting, the warships always'being bandy in case of a “ find.” Tho Dresden was ultimately located near Juan Fernandez, between 300 and 400 miles off the Chile Coast, and no doubt the scheme of the search for her involved the employment of two fleets, one sweeping up from tho south and the other coming down from the north. It was quite possible for the German cruiser to slip away even under these conditions, but sho would have been compelled to leave the neighbourhood of the South American coast, where coaling arrangements would b© comparatively simple, and take to tho open sea, where she would have to depend on tho casual capture of merchantmen for her fuel. It was near Juan Fernandez, of course, that the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were _ coaled, prior to the engagement off Valparaiso, and it is evident that Juan Fernandez has been used fairly regularly by the raiding cruisers as a rendezvous.

The Dresden was a sister ship to the Emden, but she had the advantage of the Sydney’s victim in speed. The Emden was built at Dantzig, and was credited with twenty-five knots, whereas the Dresden, built at Hamburg, was credited with twenty-seven knots. Both were ships of 3544 tons, but the Dresden carried' twelve 4in guns, tho Emden’s main armament being ten 4in guns. There was not much hope for tho Dresden once she was cornered. She might have made a fight of it with the Glasgow, just as the Emden did with the Sydney, for the Glasgow’s speed is given officially at 36.8 knots, and her main armament consists of two 6in guns and ten 4in guns, as compared with the Sydney’s eight 6in guns. Obviously the s e course would have been for the G.usgow to. hold’ the Dresden until the slower Kent came into action, when the preponderance of British attack would have put the issue beyond all doubt. The Kent,, an armoured cruiser of 9300 tons, carries fourteen 6in guu3 and eight twelve-pounders. Her speed is less than twenty-two knots, so that the Dresden, under normal conditions, could show her a clean pair of heols.

The Oram a, which was also on the scene of the action, probably carries a couple of extremely useful guns, and she would be quite capable of attending to any supply ship or collier that attempted to get away. She was in action with another armod merchantman, it will be remembered, only a few wpeks ago. when she sank the Hamburg-Amerika liner Navarra. The Orama is a fast Orient liner of 12,927 tons, and it is an easy guess that she was not the only merchantman engaged in the search. She had the goes! luck, however, to be in at the death — almost the only way in which a British armed liner can earn disti.iJtioi in these days, when German shipping is hunted from the seas. Naturally a good deal of interest is aroused by the activities of marauders like tlm Pnn? Eitel _ Friedrich,, but it on gat to be kept in mind that the opportunities for raiding. enjoyed by the few (.crn.ai’ ships are almost unlimited, for British traders are frequenting the high reui as though such a thing as war had never been heard of. German ships, cu tlie_ other hand, are conspicuous : v their absence.

'file Dresden’s career in the war lias ! been nothing like as successful ns was that of tho Emden, and the Karlsruhe’s achievements liave surpassed those of both the other cruisers. The Dresden was responsible for the sinking of two British merchantmen in August. capturing the Hyades and the Holmwood in tho waters east of Pernambuco. Whore she was operating during the next couple of months is not known, but as British cruisers were fairly active in the South Atlantic it is probable that she was sheltering somewhere. Ultimately she got into the Pacific, cruised up the coast and joined Admiral von Spee’s squadron. She was present at the action with Rear-Admiral Cradock’s squadron on November 1, and subsequently was mentioned in connection with the curious, coaling incident at Juan Fernandez, when she was reported to have taken a cargo of coal from an American collier in spite of the skipper’s protest. Sho was not reported again until Admiral von' Sneo’s squadron appeared off tho Falkland Islands, and she was the only member of the German squadron to escape from t.lio little dispute with Sir Doveton Sturdee's ships. She put into Punta Arenas and coaled. Lately she was said to be somewhere on tlio west coast, of. South America-, and in a note 'in this column yesterday it was suggested that tho British authorities “ ought to have a reasonably accurate idea of her whereabouts.” At the time that note was written she must have been at the bottom ,of tho sea.

There now remains the Karlsruho to ho dealt with. A few months ago a German gunboat was at liberty somewhere on the west coast of Africa, but as nothing lias since been heard of her it is probable that her commander lias bidden her in some river mouth, or perhaps sunk her to avoid capture. The Karlsruhe, early in November, had seventeen vessels on her list of successes, and there has been no really definite news of her activities for many weeks. She was rtatefl to have been damaged by the Glasgow, and sho certainly had narrow escapes at the hands first of the Suffolk and then of the Bristol, and thero was an American report that she was in action on November 27 off the island of Grenada, north of Trinidad. Indeed, the story al'eaed that she had been sunk, but no official news of any action in the locality named has ever been publi°hed. When the Karlsruhe, the Ei+el Friedrich and the Krormriiiz Wilhelm are dealt with there will be precious few German armed ships carrying tho flag out of port.

The nfFrir at. St EH, in Flanders, indicates that the Germans are endeavouring to make un for their recent reverse at Neuve Chanelle. St EH is a vdlnire on the Yores-Ar-uenticres road, abmit mirlwav between Veres pnd Wvtscb.nete, and in tllo of the latest cation of the general position m this region the action mav have been of some importance. For a distance of some two raifo s ,j7* go the Armentieres road j s held bv the Germans, who have driven *a w»dge Mo the ntish lino and maintain their position on the mm?. ground about Wvtsebaete and. Messines. It is evident that, a sneeia.l attack was deve'onod agamst tbe British to the north of this wedge, just wW e the road from Women. - °P. " 1e French border, loins the mam hmhwav to Ynms The Germans course. wnuM like to cut in J7*' from tlla south, and a utwtantiai success on the Amientieres road would certainly fnjWed up bv an attack m fnr~,. i n t l,„ hone ofp»rtmllv isolating Yores. Th» feoorts do r*. TT* 77 the fitting at St WH develoned ,ot 0 moTO local 77' . - ,n Vl< ' w of the importance t 14 u that the enemv should be alloa-ed to make no serious rn-ogress immediately to the south of til© CltjT.