NORTH SEA NAVAL DUEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16230, 16 May 1916, Page 4

NORTH SEA NAVAL DUEL.

A STIRRING FIGHT.

ARMED LESTER AND RAIDER. The full story. is now told of the sinking of a German raider in the North Sea by the Alcantara, one of our armed liners which also was sunk. Thus the attempt to get another Moewe out to sea was prevented. The news was kept back by the Admiralty until the Germans, failing to hear of achievements at sea, were compelled to admit that the ship had not got through the blockade. >' The ship in question was the Greif, and was a much more powerfully-armed vessel than the Moewe. According to the most reliable accounts, victory lay with the Alcantara, when her rudder was completely smashed by a chance shot. As the Greif wa sinking she torpedoed the Alcantara, which also sank.

The British official statement records that the Greif was sunk oy gunfire, and the Alcantara by a torpedo. Five German officers and 115 men were picked up and taken prisoners out of a total complement that is believed to have been over 300. The British losses amounted to five officers and 69 men. "It should be noted," states the Admiralty, "that during the whole of the engagement the enemy fired over the Norwegian colours painted on'the side of the ship. This news is now published, as it is made clear by receipt of the German wireless message that the enemy have learned that the Greif, a similar ship to the Moewe, had been destroyed before she had succeeded in passing our line of patrols." , The encounter took place off the northeast passage between Scotland and the j Faroes. The British patrols had been warned that a doubtful craft was about, and they were, keeping a close look out for the suspected vessel. The Greif, later, hove in sight, but she did not in any way answer the description, the patrol had of the enemy craft, and in the light of subsequent happenings it is evident that sue must have completely changed her disguise somewhere on the passage up the North Sea. She flew the Norwegian flag and was painted with the Norwegian colours. The Alcantara commander hoisted the familiar signal, "I'm going to board you." At that time only 800 yds separated them. The answer was, " I'm a peaceful merchantman flying the Norwegian flag." The captain of the Alcantara was. determined to investigate, however, and ordered a boat to be loweredThe Germans then must have realised that the daring game they bad undertaken was up, and that the last cards in their hands were surrender or flight. The Moewe trick was repeated, the merchantman became a warship, and her guns were fired. But the British gunlayers were all ready, and quick as thought a naval duel was in progress. The range was so close that it amounted to almost point-blank firing. The German did try to stand off, but the British auxiliary out-mahceuvred him, and the great ships came so close that their blood tingled at the prospect of actually boarding their enemy and having a go at hand-to-hand fighting in the grand old fashion of the cutlass contests of the heroic days of Nelson and the wooden walls. Every shot that was fired struck its mark. From stem to stern they raked her, and the German decks were soon a perfect shambles. The German gunnery was literally hopeless. Their shots went wide, and the few that did hit the British ship inflicted little or no serious damage. The Alcantara's guns simply pounded her adversary, and soon she was on fire aft. Never was the gamble in naval warfare more thnllinely illustrated. The steering of an auxiliary is not protected in the same massive way as a battleship and with a rudder useless the Alcantara could not manoeuvre. The Greif, like the Moewe. was fitted with torpedo tubes One of these she let go, and, at the ranee and the size of the Alcantara, poor gunners though they were, they could not fail to find their mark. Bv now the frerman was going down, and a British lient cruiser which appeared on the horizon put the finishine touch to her. A shot exploded with terrific effect plumb amidships on the Greif. More shots followed from the same quarter. The German went down, and soon after the 41- ■ cantata shared her fate.* The British cruiser and destroyers were soon on the scene, and every effort was made to rescue Um crews of both ships, irrespective of their natwogtt^