BEATTY'S SMASHING BLOW.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1916, Page 10

BEATTY'S SMASHING BLOW.

HOW THE "CAT" CLASS HKLI) THE KAISER'S SQUADRONS. THE ADMIRAL'S SIGNAL: "TAKE UP YOUR BATTLE STATIONS." London, June 5. have listened spellbound to a story which will make an Empire ring; to an account of deeds by our Navy which will be echoed and re-echoed, with pride, by the 400 millions over whom the King Emperor rules, which will stir our soldiers on the battlefield, strengthen our Allies, and give neutrals and the enemy some idea of wdiat the power of the British Fleet really means," writes a Westminster Gazette correspondent from Kdinburgh. The following narrative is from a naval officer who was in the great fight: The British squadron comprised five capital ships, the Lion, the Tiger, the Princess Royal, the New Zealand, and the Queen Mary. The sea was dead calm, like a sheet of glass, and steering south-east and with the sun almost at the solstice, the British vessels were in the worst possible position for visibility, the direct sunlight silhouetting their hulls on the skyline to the huge enemy squadron coining north. The British Admiral would have been justified in adopting the traditional strategy of the German Navy "'About ship' and run for port." But there are traditions of the British. Navy, the strategy we have stood by for generations, the strategy of which we had so glorious an illustration in the battle of f'oroni'l. It, is the order of the British Navy, "Engage your enemy, and fight to victory or death."

NEVER A DOUBT. There never was ;i. moment of doubt. Tlie youngest midshipman knew tlie signal that would run up. "Take up your battle .stations.'' Tlie battle began. A terrible start for ibc British. The Germans were sighted at :!.:») p.m., but it was 3.50 before the engagement started. We, hauled off, manoeuvring for a better position, but the Germans, knowing their enormous superiority in numbers, and having the advantage of light, cut no time to waste. We were running at our highest speed. The distances between tlie first lines closed, and at 10,000 yards the big ships began pounding each other over their screen of destroyers. Tlie British JTavy has never sought to under-estimatc the enemy's naval power, and we have always conceded that he is equipped with an exceptionally good and scientific range-finder; but in our service we have something more—we have men who have devoted their lives to studying one thing, and one thing only, and that is to judge the speed at which ships are going. They can tell the speed absolutely to a knot. THE ILL-LUCK OP THE QUEEN MARY. The shells were soon passing like a hurricane, and the roar was deafening. Not more than five minutes had gone—indeed, some reckoned it at only ■two minutes from the first shots—when a misfortune occurred sufficient to strike iron into the most iron heart. A full salvo from a (ierman Dreadnought struck the Queen Mary. There are several vulnerable points 011 all battleships, and the salvo was an jmlucky one for us. In a cloud of steam and a roar which rose above the thunders of shell fire the splendid ship blew up, and was engulfed by the waves. It was a serious loss—a fifth of his first line—for the British Admiral to contemplate, while a secondline ship, tlii! Indefatigable, was sunk fifteen minutes after the battle opened. IVo were, of course, replying effectively, and clouds of steam and flying masses of metal told how we were punishing the Germans. The odds were seemingly overwhelming against us. The German commander sought to press his advantage, and ordered his destroyers to close with our flotilla. He paid dearly for his venture, our flotilla completely outpointing the enemy, and wiped out several without sustaining loss. FIGHTING AT 25 KNOTS. At twenty-five knots we raced along, and the sight was awesome. Some percussion shells striking the water exploded, and pieces of the metal were hurling over us. Naval shells striking the sea explode- just as though they had hit a solid wall. Thousands of dead fish were spread over the surface of the. sea. The concussion and the gases destroyed them. We saw a destroyer buckle and disappear. W'e passed tlie bodies of mangled men from the ships ahead and wreckage which had been blown out. There can lie no waiting for a cruiser in a running fight. The work of rescue is for others. Tlie hours went by. Four British bat-tle-cruisers, backed by some third-line ships, were now fighting the whole power lof the German High Sea Fleet, taking their toll ship for ship, and more than their measure in destroyers, and manoeuvring for fa time until the Grand Fleet could come up. Firing astern, the Germans tried to envelop us, but we avoided their trap. Nearly four hours after the fighting began. or just 8.15 meridian time, the Grand Fleet came over the horizon. .Then began the familiar German tactics. Tlie hard-pressed and gallant cruisers Which hail contained the great Armada drew oil', and the Germans, at the sight of Jellicoe, began their scamper for home.

Till-; FLIGHT OF THE ENEMY. '['lie Grand Elect pursued them. To tli« night fog tlie Germans added vast curtains of smoke, and scattered in different directions. They had 110 stomach left for a fight which promised the slightest equality. Their Id-inch guns jiotv fired, not broadside, but over their stern. Through the night destroyers kept up the chase, and did great execution. Mines were scattered in profusion from those ships of the fleeing foe, which ran towards Heligoland, and also from the lialtie section. * The Lion, the Tiger, the New Zealand, and the I'rincess Royal all engaged in tho second day's search, and they were lit and eager for a continuation of the light. It onlv remains to record that, although tiie Germans scored so sensational a success with one of their iirst salvoes, directly we replied their marksmanship deteriorated, and as the. engagement proceeded their gnu-laying was greatly inferior to that of the British. The closer lighting-range demonstrated the concrete fact that our Jack Tars were unalt'ected by the two early disasters or the hurricane of shell. The British Navy requires twelve years to train a man; the German Navy three years. The light taught us the imineaMirable superiority of all our ratings.