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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 252, 27 November 1914, Page 6

Yesterday morning the armoured ship Bulwark was shattered by an explosion in Sheerness Harbour, and disappeared with practically all hands. Only twelve were saved out of a crew numbering 7SO-—a sad loss of life to be incurred in one's own harbour. The First Lord of the Admiralty, in announcing the disaster, stated that the Admiralty was convinced that the ship was rent asunder by the explosion of the internal magazine. It may be so. On the other hand, if the Bulwark had been torpedoed by a daring -German submarine the authorities would be inclined, for obvious reasons, to ascribe the accident to another and ' less alarming cause. It is just ; possible that in this case the Admiralty was mistaken. Sheerness is hear the mouth of the .Thames, which, in its turn, is directly opposite the free -water that lies between the German minefield in the North Sea and the British minefield, which reaches as far out as in front of Ostend. Recent events have shown that the free channels were known to the enemy,' and it is not im-

probable that a German submarine, well posted as to the passages; slipped into Sheerness Harbour under cover of the morning mist, and sank the Bulwark. A torpedo striking the magazine would cause just such a terrible explosion as destroyed the cruiser. The recent raid of a German flotilla off Harwich demonstrates that the enemy knew more of the new Admiralty North Sea charts than he should have known.