THE COLONIST. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1916. THE GREAT BATTLE.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14196, 7 June 1916, Page 4

THE COLONIST. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1916. THE GREAT BATTLE.

The additional light which has now been thrown upon the great naval battle of last week, though it by no means completes the story, enables a more definite estimate of the results, material and otherwise, to be reached. Until the full despatches of Sir John Jellicoe and Sir David Beatty are available we shall not have a comprehensive and coherent account of the greatest sea fight in history, which in some respects it was, and it may be some days yet before the full official reports are published. The tentative announcement made by the Admiralty on Monday tolls-us in broad, outline what occurred, and. confirms the earlier conclusion that the battle, forced with magnificent daring and gallantry by the Second Cruiser Squadron, resulted in a. substantial British -victory actually in point of comparative losses, and an incomparably greater one in its strategical consequences. The enemy at the outsejb had all the tactical advantages as well as greatly superior gun power in a very unequal encounter. When the Battle Fleet appeared on the scene the enemy adopt!ed the only prudent course, and promptly turned tail. Thenceforward it, was a running fight, the escape of the weakened find battered German fleet being aided by a thick mist characteristic of the North Sea, which thus has again stood between the British Fleet and the decisive victory which there is no doubt would otherwise have rewarded the strategy and daring of our commanders. Even the revised estimates of the enemy's losses may not be exhaustive, but they establish a considerable balance in our favour. Against the loss of fourteen British ships—the battle - cruisers Queens Mary, Indefatigable, and Invincible; the armoured cruisers Defence, Black Prince and Warrior; and eight destroyers—the Germans lost at least 18 vessels. These included two battleships, the Westfalen and one of the Kaiser class, the largest battleships built. Their battle-cruiser squadron has also been reduced by two of its strongest units, one of them being the Hindeflburg. This vessel was only recently placed in commission, having been launched at Wilhelmshaven on August Ist last, and no particulars concerning. her are available. She, however, was understood to be the ship of the 1913 programme, the dc4ay in her launching being attributed to the fact that she was to carry 17----inch guns in place of the 12-inch guns for which she was originally designed. The 17-inch guns, like other surprises the High Sea Fleet was announced to be preparing for the deferred Day, was not forthcoming in the emergency, which indeed produced nothing hitherto unknown in naval warfare. It seems probable that the Pommcrn, the loss of which the Germans admit, was really a larger vessel, the Pommern itself being believed to have been torpedoed in the Baltic on July 2nd last by a British submarine commanded by Commander Max K. Horton. In addition to these ships the Germans lost four light cruisers, at least nine destroyers, and a submarine, and reason has been adduced for questioning whether these complete the toll. The battle-cruisers Derfflinger and Seydlitz evidently received' such a, severe battering that if one or both of them were not actually destroyed, they will not for a considerable time form part of the High Sea Fleet. The damage sustained. by oilier vessels seems to have been serious. The language in which the position is described by Admiral Lord Beresford probably does not overstate the case: "The action has utterly smashed the German plan of campaign in the Baltic. They have been disabled for some time, resulting in enormous assistance to the Russians, and again proving that the success of ourselves and the Allies de[pends entirely upon the British Fleet."