THE SEA "FIGHT."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11784, 23 August 1916, Page 1

THE SEA "FIGHT."

ANOTHER GERMAN VICTORY WHAT DUTCH SKIPPERS SAW. "HIGH CANAL" FLEET'S FRIGHT. • Australian ana N.2. Cable Association. (Received August 23, 8.50 a.m.) LONDON, August 22. The-"' Daily Telegraph's" Rotterdam correspondent states that the German High Sea Fleet won "another great victory," perhaps .even greater thaji that of Jutland, because it completely succeeded in avoiding an encounter with the British forces. But it cannofc claim another victory, because scores iff Dutch skippers saw what happened. These trained sailors witnessed all the movements of the German squadrons, and their reports prove conclusively that there was only one fact important, namely, that on the first news of the British fleet's appearance the Germans turned tail and went at full speed for home. The skippers say that they sighted the German grand fleet of at least sixty vessels of all descriptions at nino in the morning, guided' carefully by three Zeppelins. They <-aw the same fleet at six in the evening, with its attendant air•c'lps, -teaming furiously eastward. happened in rhe meantime is clear from the reports of other Dutch captains, who saw at least one British squadron at five in the afternoon much further MiUuh than t!uj Gormans were at *.!•■; i.VjfvL. 'Vn-t .Rririsii were then iicadi~g north inwards t':o tuc-my- The Dutnh s-kippers aUo saw thre* '^f-ccliui

coming from the north, which, after they sootted the British, immediately turned towards tbe, s G«:mitn£-,_Jgglf an hour later the High Canal Fleet tras madly retreating-towards its base. No more was seen of German warships in the North Sea, but the Dutch skip-p-ers saw British squadrons scouring the seas many Hours later.