ALLIES' SUBMARINE WAR

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 281, 27 November 1915, Page 2

ALLIES' SUBMARINE WAR

BUDGET OF TURKISH LOSSES

MERCHANTMEN GREATLY

REDUCED,

The Rome Tribuna reprints from tlie Messager d'Athenes details received from Constantinople of Allied Riibmiairine achievements on and since August 15. On that date a collier managed to re^ich the Bos-phorus from the Black Sea, but was torpedoed and sunk by a French, sxibmarine. On the sanie day another steamer and four sailing vessels with oammunition were sunk off San Stefano.

On the 16th a French submarine fired 18 pilots at the- railway bridge at Guebieoh and damaged the bridge. On the 17th a submarine entered the bay of Haidar Pasha to torpedo a vessel carrying- BGO tons of coal. The .stroke failed because the vessel was protected by the wreck of a steamer previously torpedoed there. However, the German steamer Tenedos laden with ammunition and forage was caught and sunk. A submarine on the 18th snnk the big transport Beir Alep, which had 3000 men on board. On the next day the torpedo boat His.sar and a steamer with ammunition were sunk.

Oil the morning of the 21st the railway bridge at Guebiech was again bombarded. Pillars and two girders were smashed and 15 soldiers killed.

3000 GRENADIERS GONE

The cruiser Haireddin Barbarossa, ! which, as has already been notified, ' wias 'torpedoed by throe submarines, ; had on board several thousand meni and a large sum in, gold. The naval j action of Rodosto between three sub- ; marines and two destroyers convoying j the transports Bosphorus and j Ma;hmud Shevket-Pasha and another, j with troops and ammunition on board, j did more damage thian has hitherto ' been announced. One of the trans- j ports carried 15,000 hand grenades j and 3000 trained grenadiers with '

German instructors

The destroyer Yadiknr-i-Millet managed to reach Constantinople badly damaged, but without injury to her crew. Another destroyer had to run ashore. Twenty motor-ciars were sent to take back the survivors.

In order to minimise the effect of these losses on the public mind, the Turks have re-named other ships with the names of those lost. Thus after the loss of the Mahniud Shevket, a Russian steamer seized at the beginning of the war was painted to resemble her, and a few days later appeared at Constantinople as tho Mahmud Shevket. It is believed that the Turkish mercantile marine is now reduced to about 18 steamers.