SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 21

SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN.

Tho British Admiralty supplies the following figures of shipping for the week as relating 'to submarines, which compare with tho previous weeks as shown:

French shipping returns for the week ended January 15: —Arrivals, 793; departures, 751. Sinkings: Five vessels above 1600 tona and- one below. Unsuccessfully attacked, two. [Tho previous week the only loss of French shipping was one vessel over 1600 tons.] An Italian official message states that for tho week there were 294- arrivals and 209 departures. Two vessels over 1500 tons were sunk and one steamer and one sailing vessel were unsuccessfully attacked.

The Spanish steamer Donanova, flying the national flag, and with the Spanish colours painted on her hull, has been torpedoed in the Mediterranean, and had to bo towed into harbour. The Dutch steamer Athasde Royal was torpedoed near Port Cabras, in the Canaries, on the 29th December. The crew were saved. Twenty sailors who were missing from the Joaqim Mumgru have arrived at Las Palmas. The Dutch steamer Westpolden, carrying a crew of 18, bound from Rotterdam to England, has been torpedoed or mined. Twelve survivors landed at Schevcningen. SINKING HOSPITAL SHIPS. The British naval authorities are satisfied beyond doubt that the .sinking of the pital ship Rewa in the Bristol Channel was due to a torpedo. The British Admiralty reports: A German wireless message states that “the English themselves, according to the Daily Chronicle of December 11, admit that hospital ships are used for the transport of troops.’’ This so-called admission (comments the Admiralty) was a deliberate false statement by Miss Ethel Marsh, for which she was sentenced at Portsmouth to a month’s imprisonment. The British public should know the grounds on which the German war on wounded is admittedly based. A semi-official statement denies the allegation of the Cologne Gazette that Spanish officers are serving on British hospital ships in the Mediterranean Sea. As to the statement that these vessels transported healthy troops, it adds: “The Spanish Government affirms that no British hospital ships with Spanish officers aboard ever abused our protection, or transported troops or war material of any sort. ’ YARMOUTH BOMBARDED. Official: Yarmouth was bombarded from the sea on the night of the 14th inst. Fire was opened at 10.55 o’clock, and lasted for five minutes. Twenty shells fell in the town. The casualties are :■ .Four killed, eight injured. All the persons killed wore men. Altogether 50 shells were fired. It is believed that the Yarmouth raider was a large submarine or a light cruiser. Residents were retiring when a preliminary starshell brightly lit up the town, assisting the range-finder. It is presumed that the shelling was a reprisal for air raids in Germany. It is doubtful whether a submarine or a cruiser was responsible, as some of the shells were over-large for a submarine. The vessel passed the town, firing as it went. The bombardment was apparently the work of three destroyers. The night was wild and dark, the visibility being so bad that the British patrols were unable to see more than- 300 yards. Tire enemy ■ destroyers went at full speed past Yarmouth, and fired indiscriminately. A German official message states: Our light forces raided the southern part of the North Sea on the night of January 14-15. We advanced north from the Thames mouth and bombarded port establishments, firing over _ 300 shots. The British Admiralty comments on this that the bombardment of Yarmouth lasted for five minutes, and only 50 shells were fired. No other port was bombarded. THE ATTACKS ON CONVOYS. Answers to questions in the House of Commons revealed the fact that a German submarine attacked a convoy of 20 ships on Boxing Day only 14 miles off Falmouth, sinking one and severely damaging another. ‘ ° ° In the House of Commons Sir Eric Geddes stated that the British Admiralty had confirmed the finding of the Court of Inquiry into the sinking of five neutral ships and one British, which wore being convoyed to Norway, four armed trawlers and one destroyer escorting them being also sunk, and that the escorting vessels did their best to protect the Scandinavian convoy. The escort fought in a proper seamanlike manner, and the covering forces took all possible steps to come to their assistance and prevent the escape of the enemy. The hoard was of opinoin that the circumstances preventing the covering forces from arriving in_ time was unpreventable, and that Admiral Beatty’s disposition was the best possible with his available forces. BRITISH DESTROYERS WRECKED. The British Admiralty reports that 'two British destroyers on the night of the 12th inst. were totally wrecked on the coast of Scotland during q violent gale and heavy snow. All were drowned except one man. A NAVAL BRUSH. THE BRESLAU SUNK. The British Admiralty reports that the Goobon and Breslau and destroyer's were in action with British forces at the entrance to the Dardanelles on Sunday. The Breslau was sunk. The Goeben escaped, but was beached, badly damaged, at Niagara Point, in the Narrows. The Goeben is being attacked by naval aircraft. Our losses were: The monitor Raglan and a small monitor. THE SHIPPING (SHORTAGE. In the House of Commons Sir Leo Chiozza Money, Parliamentary Secretary of the Shipping Department, stated that to the end of December 13 standard ship had been delivered, and one had been sunk. Mr Meadow, United States Controller of Shipping, has asked for 484,000,000d0l for construction of additional merchantmen, making a total of 2.500,000,0C0d01. Mr E. N. Hurley, President of the United States Shipping Board, has announced that definite stops are being taken by America and the Allies to co-ordinate shipping. A United (States controller has been appointed to co-ordinate 'with tho London, Paris, and Rome controllers and speed up loadings and embarkations.. It is also announced that shipyard activity is almost beyond belief, and 41 vessels, aggregating 327.152 tons, will be ready in January and February.

Jan. 6. Jan. 13. Arrivals for week ... 2035 2106 Departures for week ... 2144 2184 Vessels over 1600 tons sunk 18 Vessels under 1600 tons 6 sunk ... 3 2 Unsuccessfully attacked 11 5 Fishing’ boats sunk ... 4 2