H M.S. OCEAN INCIDENT.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1414, 22 November 1904, Page 3

H M.S. OCEAN INCIDENT.

I! KIT ISI I WARS lilt' CHASED BV GERMAN, One of the officers of the battleship Ocean, in a letter to a friend at Home, gave an interesting description of the chasing of his vessel by a German cruiser. It appears, from his account, that the Ocean had been ordered to convoy a torpedo boat destroyer from Hongkong to Weihaiwei. When about fire leagues oil Quclpart Island, a foreign cruiser was seen approaching at full speed, cleared for action, with her crew at war stations The Ocean was at this time towing the destroyer, to economise fuel ; but there Mas something so aggressive about the appearance of the approach ing vessel ithat Captain Greet, in command of the Ocean, ordered the caWe to be slipped. The destroyer dropped astern, and the cruiser then altered 'her course slightly, and came sweeping down towards the smaller British boat. The thick coils of smoke from the stranger's funnel hid her colors until she was within two miles, when it was seen that she was Hying the German ensign. A few minutes later Captain Greet ordered "general quarters" to be, sounded, and in a moment the decks wen; covered with hurrying figures. Still the. German warship came on a I full speed, and when she was scarcely a mile and a-half away, the order, "Clear for action, man ami arm ship" was given on the Ocean. With great smartness all the superstructures of awning, stanchions, and the like were struck, skylight screws and port- shutters screwed down, and magazines, shell-rooms, and ammunition hoists opened. Within a few minutes all the guns were loaded, trained, and manned. Then it was that the German vessel, apparently, thought that she had gone far enough for she swept round on a wide curve, scarcely 500 yds from the destroyer. Captain Greet signalled, "Why have 1 been (J)ased." and getting no reply, started in pursuit of the cruiser. The German boat was considerably the faster, however, and rapidly drew away, signalling "Find I am mistaken." before she had gone far. The incident, which was mentioned in the cablegrams at the. lime excited a good deal of angry commejit at Home, and was quoted in some quarters as another instance of Germany's iinfraxlliness towards Britain.