A SKIPPER'S INTERESTING STORY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 14581, 5 June 1916, Page 5

A SKIPPER'S INTERESTING STORY.

(Received Monday, at 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, Sunday

In a further interview, the skipper of the trawler John Brown states that he was at the fishing banks at 2 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. He saw south-eastward a huge German fleet steaming in line ahead in a west-north-west direction. Tire were at least fifty ships of all descriptions, including Dreadnoughts. An hour later he saw the British Fleet coming from the north-east. It altered its course to get eastward of the Germans. The first shot was fired at 4.15 o'clock. Great columns of smoke arose from two ships, probably Germans, who were now due east of the trawler.

The British Fleet, though greatly outnumbered, altered its course, evidently trying to cut off the Germans from Heligoland.

The Germans then came westward, apparently because they saw a fast British vessel dash out of the li"c, ana it was feared that the British reinforcements were coming.

These arrived in sight at 7 o'clock. The Germans began to withdraw towards Heligoland. The action was general, from 7 o'clock to 11 o'clock.

When a star shell was fired the British swept past southward at 2 o'clock in the morning.

The trawler saw more British destroyers and submarines tearing routh-east at 6 o'clock on Thursday morning, evidently to reinforce the British Fleet.