A LUCKY FIND

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11307, 5 September 1922, Page 5

A LUCKY FIND

DOGGER BANK ENCOUNTER GERMAN SIGNAL CODE FOUND IN A TRAWL. SUBPRISE RAID THAT FAILED. By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. PARIS, September 2. The Paris correspondent of ‘'The Times” states that an article in the “Echo de Paris” discloses the fact that an English trawler’s lucky find was responsible for the Navy’s success at the historic Dogger Bank encounter in January, 1915. A sealed canvas bag, lead-weighted, was discovered in a trawl and handed to the Admiralty. It contained the signal code thrown overboard by the wrecked cruiser iladgeburg. The German Naval Staff, believing that tlie British battle fleet, after a demonstration in force on the German coast, would be recoaling, ordered a surprise raid against British small craft at the Dogger Bank. The British picked up and deciphered tlie wireless orders to Von Hipperia cruiser squadron, resulting in the latter being suddenly confronted by Admiral Beatty’s battle-cruisers. The Germans hastily retreated, but the Bludher was sunk with the majority of the crew. The skipper of the trawler was rewarded, but be never knew the contents of the bag.