THE WARSHIP DISASTER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 36, 27 September 1911, Page 5

THE WARSHIP DISASTER.

BLOWING UP OF THE LIBERTE

GRAPHIC DETAILS

(By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Press Association.) Paris, September 23.

The second squadron, consisting of the Patrie, Liberte, Democratic, Justice, Vorito and Republique, wore anchored at Toulon since the manoeuvres, in order to give the crews engaged in the manoeuvres leave. The Liborto’s full complement was 30 officers and 700 men, but 1-10 were on leave, waiting on the jetty to return aboard. They witnessed the catastrophe. Tlio Lihcrto signalled that fire had broken out forward. Efforts wore made toe extinguish it, but proved unavailing. At 5.30 o’clock there were five muffled explosions, followed at short intervals by three others, each louder than before. Other warships despatched boats to assist. Meanwhile scores jumped into tho sea. Many of these, hearing the bugles sound “To quarters,” returned. Just before (J o’clock smoko rose, and a pillar of lire burst forth mast high. There was a terrific detonation. The ship blew up, the bows rising out of tho water, and the keel being seen to twist like a piece of rag. The vessel sank amidst the waves she had thrown up all round, carrying clown the bulk of the crow with her. ’The mast was torn out and hurled into the air, and planted upright in the water.

- The Liberte is a shapeless, half-sun-ken mass, lying in forty feet of water. Only the upper works and tlio. aft bridge are visible. A number of boat crews, before the smoko cleared, hoarded tho glowing wreck to search for comrades. Several were rescued from under masses of twisted ironwork. Au officer was hauled from under an awning with a boathook. Ho had, however, succumbed. Many of the survivors were dazed.

Narratives are disjointed. A witness ashore states that he saw bodies momentarily quivering high in tlio air, and then drop into tho sea.

Houses were rocked and windows smashed throughout the town. Tho explosion sent fragments of armour plate, shells and gun mountings flying about, dealing death and destruction on all sides.

Many boats were swamped or drawn under by tho suction, and tho occupants drowned. Tho Republique’s aft turret was hit, and several plates ripped. She had a heavy list to starboard.

One of the Liberty’s armour plates alighted on the Republique’s port quarter, crushing tho cabin of an officer, who luckily was on leave at the time. The Lihcrto was a first-class battleship, and was one of the Republique typo of tlio French Naval Ministry’s ;1900 programme. She, together wit'll her sister ships, tho Republique, Patrie, Justice, Vente, and Democratic, was of 14,640 tons displacement, and was armed with four 12-iucli guns and as a secondary armament ten 7.6-inch guns. The horse-power and speed of the several vessels comprising this class of ship vary slightly, that of the vessel under mention being 20,565 h.p. (tho highest of the six), giving her an average speed of 19.31 knots per hour. The Liberte was laid down in May, 1902, launched in April, 1905, and placed in active commission in February, 1908; it will thus bo seen that she had been only a little over throe years in service. These ships were designed to form Franco’s first lino of defence till her t programme of supcr-Drcadnoughts was completed. Commenting in 1909 on tho class of vessel to which the Liberte belonged, i well-known naval writer states:— “They are very effectively protected, and form a magnificent homogeneous squadron. Unit for unit, Germany will not possess a battleship to touch them until her first ‘Dreadnought’ is complete.”

LA TEST PARTICULARS. (Rocived 27, 8.5 a.m.) Paris, September 26. According to some acounts the first explosion occurred in the magazine containing ammunition for small guns. The injured include Lieut. Besson, an.admiral’s son, who was found clinging to the Republique’s cable. M. Delcasse, in an interview, said lie believed the fire originated outsold the magazines. A fire occurred this evening in the forward casement of the battleship Fabric, but it was extinguished early, and only , slight damage was done. The dead or mising are officially estimated at 350 to 400. The admirals, who were returning from the funeral of the victims of the recent explosion on the Gloire, viewed the Libcrto’s victims, the majority of whom were so charred as to bo unrecognisable. Some were pierced through and through with fragments of shells. London, September 26. “The Times” says that Fiance’s loss is not solely a personal one; it is a material lass of great moment and gravity, inasmuc’ as the sudden extin tion of so considerable and effective unit as the Liborte is a trategic disaster not incapable, in certain contingencies, of appreciably affecting the balance of the naval power of Europe, especially in the Mediteranncan. 'The Liberte’s bugler was hurled aboard the Ropublique. He still hold Ids bugle. Splinters of shell struck the Foudro, gunnery school vessel, two miles distant, killing the comander. Mutilated bodies have boon picked uj) throughout the day. An officer declares that the fire spread so quickly that it. was impossible to flood the magazines. Rescuers have been all day boring

hobs in the plates of the Liberto, in the hope of rescuing any imprisoned. All the powder in the Liberte’s magazine was freshly shipped, and is likely to remain good, forty months. During the recent hot weather the temperature in the magazine was above 85 degrees, which was not considered dangerous. The ammunition storage was subjected to special tests, the results being entirely satisfactory. Jt was first thought the fire was due to a short, circuit, but it is now positively stated to be due to the decomposition of powder, similar to the Jena explosion. (Received 27, 10.45 a.m.) Paris, September 26.

When the outbreak on the Liberto was discovered men were ordered to flood the magazines, but they rushed on deck declaring that it was certain death to touch the sluices, owing to the poisonous fumes emanating from the magazine. Then the men were ordered to their stations, and the panic immediately ceased, and they went to their posts with the supremest courage.

When the other explosion occurred the command was given to leave the ship in good order, this operation being effected with perfect discipline until the anuihilatory explosion occurred. Many bodies and remains have been recovered, but a heap of fifty corpses is visible entangled in masses of wreckage. A man is a Jive in a turret, and food is' being passed to him. Ho states that he is surrounded by fifteen bodies. Strenuous efforts are being made to release him.

The newspapers generally accept the theory of spontaneous combustion, but several allege connection between the lircs on the Liborto. and the Pa trie and Sabotage at Brest dockyard.