THE NAVAL WAR. NAVAL VICTORY

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17192, 12 June 1916, Page 7

THE NAVAL WAR.

NAVAL VICTORY

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND. ONLY HIT ONCE.

HAS TROPHY FOR DOMINION

MUSEUM

By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright LONDON, June 9.

Complete accounts of H.M.S. Zealand's action show that she battered and helped to sink a big German ship, and' herself was only once hit. The shell struck a turret, displacing a piece of armourplate a yard square and seven inches thick. This fell on tho deck. The ship's company intend to present it to a New Zealand museum. The ship had the good fortuno to escapo the first terrific onslaught m which the British suffered the heaviest damage. The Queen Mary, the first to go, closed up like a clasp-knife. The Invincible and the Indefatigable next succumbed.' The New Zealand was now in the hottest corner, and the converging German salvoes intensified the clauBC Tho New Zealand was firing as fast as the men could serve the guns, bho and the Lion, tho Tiger and the Princess Royal, with the assistance of destroyers, were engaging the entire German fleet'. . , At'this stage she had a spirited encounter with a German battle-cruiser, whose loss is now admitted. The New Zealand entered the action five minutes after it commenced, and remained an active and fomrdable unit throughout. She was handled superbly at ton speed', and her almost miraculous escano was due to her constant movement, thus not offering a standing mark to the German gunners.

THE DESTROYERS.

HEROES IX THE CHASE

LONDON, June 9

The Sparrowhawk's crew give vivid details of the destroyers' night pursuit. The Sparrow-hawk and other destroyers were busy in the daytime encircling Admiral Jcllicoe's battleships _ and praying for dusk to give them a chance to get among the enemy. The moment- it was dark enough the destroyers slipped off and raced, with every pound of steam available, the Tippcrary leading. Every man knew what was expected of him. The Sparrowhawk's crew started up a popular song, the next ship took up the refrain and ere long tho men on all the ships were singing ns they raced along, until the flotilla commander reluctantly ordered the singing to stop

and the men to keep quiet. Presently German hulls were visible through the gloom, and at almost the same instant the Germans began to fire at the Tipperary. The first shot hit her and she soon sank, after she had launched two torpedoes at a German cruiser.

The Sparrowhawk was now leading, and several shells hit her, hut she fired two torpedoes, which apparently got home. Suddenly a German cruiser rammed the Sparrowhawk.. and sliced off her bow, but she remained afloat, firing her guns. Next the stern was blown off. but the remainder still floated. A British warship rescued the crew and blew up the derelict.

OFFICERS' STORIES.

AMAZED AT GERMAN CLAIMS,

LONDON, June 9

Officers on furlough are amazed at the Germans' claim to victory. They describe tiro attacks of the enemy aestroyera as feeble in the extreme. They seemed not to dare to persist in Ine attacks. Their firing was accurate at first, but directly tho ships were hit it became wild. An officer states that the Germans lost two vessels of the Kaiser class, two battle-cruisers, four cruisers and tweuty destroyers, and five German big ships were, on fire. The second salvo from a British vessel at 8000 yards disposed of all the turrets on the Lutzow except one. The Lutzow then burst into flames fiom the stern to the foremast.

THE GERMAN LOSSES.

STATEMENTS BY NEUTRALS

(Received June 11, 0.0 p.m.)

YMUIDEN, Juno 10

The Dutch trawler Barcncz, stopped by Germans and taken to Cuxhaven, has arrived here. She reports that she learned at. Cuxhaven that six large German warship?, including the Dreadnought Ostfriesland, and also seventeen destroyers have not returned since the battle. AMSTERDAM, June 10.

Travellers from Berlin state that they heard that the Derfllinger sank at Wilhclmshaveu.

(TV Ostfriesland is shown in the navy annuals as a battleship of 22,-140 tons, completed in 1911, and carrying twelve 12-inch guns as her main armament.)

POMMERN A BATTLE-CRUISER

COPENHAGEN, June 10.

\ mercantile skipper, who 'is a frequent visitor in German harbours, states that the sunken Pommern was a battHe-cruiser, just completed ibefore the Skager Rack action.

GERMAN SUBMARINES,

FIVE BELIEVED TO BE LOST.

COPENHAGEN, Juno 9

Messages from Kiel state that five German submarines have not returned from the Skager Rack battle, and are regarded as lost.

WRECKED WARSHIP PASSED.

SEA COVERED WITH DEAD

SAILORS

COPENHAGEN, June 9

Tho steamer Vanda reports that she passed on Saturday, in tho North Sea, the wreck of a. gigantic warship, of unknown nationality. She steamed for three hours through dead sailors wearing lifo-b-dts. The letters " Mad." were visible on ono of the lifebelts.

GALLANT CUNARDER.

TOOK WARRIOR IN TOW UNDER FjIRE.

(Received June 11, 5.5 p.m.)

LONDON, June 10.

The Cunard liner Campania acted as seaplane ship in the naval battle. When the Warrior was hard pressed the Campania got between the Germans and the Warrior and put a tow lino on board. She towed the cruiser for ten hours until the Warrior gradually sank. Then the Campania took off" the crew.

THE NEWS IN .JAPAN.

JAPANESE OFFICIAL VERSION

CONFIRMS BRITISH

i,ONDON, Juno 9

"The Times" correspondent at Tokio states that the extraordinary battle news received on Saturday greatly depressed the foreign communities.

Further reports restored confidence. The battle is now seen in its true perspective. . . The Naval Department is publishing communiques from its own official reports confirming the British statements.

FRANCE'S APPRECIATION.

THANKS FROM KING GEORGE.

PARIS, Juno 9

King George warmly thanks M. Poincare for his high tribute to tho naval victory. "Notwithstanding the enemy s effort to conceal the truth," the King adds. " I am happy to find that France and the Allies appreciate tho glorious results which our bravo sailors have obtained."

IN LONDON.

THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY

LONDON, June 9

A " To Deum " for tho naval vctory will be sung at St Paul's Cathedral, aiid throughout the country generally on Sunday afternoon.

ACTION OFF ZEEBRUGGE.

GERMAN DESTROYERS DRIVEN TO PORT.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.

LONDON, June 9

It is officially stated that a British patrol, consisting of monitors and destroyers, engaged German destroyers off Zeebrugge. The Germans returned to port when the monitors fired. We had no casualties and suffered no damage.

THE SUBMARINES.

NORWEGIAN STEAMER SUNK. (Received June 11, 5.5 p.m.) AMSTERDAM, June 10. A submarine torpedoed the Norwegian steamer Orkedal, and the crew landed at Ymuiden.

ESCAPED FROM BALTIC.

BRITISH VESSEL CONVOYED BY

SWEDISH PRINCE.

LONDON, June 10

The " Daily Mail " correspondent at Copenhagen says that the steamer Diuirobin, of Newcastle, passed The Sound bound for England. She had been in Lulea, in the Gulf of Bothia, since the beginning of the war. Twenty German armed trawlers chased her, but a Swedish torpedoer, with Prince Wilhelm, second son of the King of Sweden, in command, convoyed her through The Sound. The Dunrobin presumably started directly after the Jutland battle. Apparently the German destrovers were unable to patrol die South Baltic.