NORTH SEA FIGHT

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15182, 29 March 1917, Page 7

NORTH SEA FIGHT

ADMIRALTY’S MODEST CLAIMS. BERLIN ADMITS SLIGHT LOSSES. • LONDON, January 26. We are all very keen at present to learn something more about the two North Sea naval fights reported in an Admiralty bulletin as having taken place on Monday night or early on Tuesday morning. The claims made by our Admiralty we feel quite sure err on the side of modesty, and the official German communique—well, we are quite convinced that Germany is not being told the truth concerning the results of these scraps. We view the'reports received from Dutch sources as being far more likely to be an approximation to the truth than the German official communique, which practically claims a victory for-stheir navy, seeing that it suggests that two British destroyers were accounted for, and, whilst admitting that the V 69 was so badly battered that she had to take refuge in the Dutch, port of Ymuiden, claims that “all our other boats returned with slight losses.” The Dutch reports, on the other hand, suggest that it was a very ragged remnant of the enemy craft that escaped from the fights, and some of the correspondents of British papers in Holland put the German losses as high as ten or twelve destroyers and torpedo-boats. Our Admiralty at present only claimthat one destroyer was sunk and that “the rest scattered after having received considerable punishment.”, Our own loss of a destroyer with three offlcres and 44 men of the crew is freely admitted, but. it is claimed that no other casualties were suffered by our ships, so none of them can have been very roughly handled. We are entirely in the dark as to how the German squadron came to be taken by surprise, as undoubtedly it was, or what errand brought it out of' Zeebrugge harbour. Some accounts suggest that the squadron was in danger of being frozen in that refuge, and came out to try to make a run for a .homfe port. Another suggestion is that the Zeebrugge light craft were on their way to some appointed rendezvous to join up with a German cruiser squadron preparatory to a raid on the East Coast-dr upon the Channel. It does not matter much whether stern necessity or a desire to indulge, in raids caused‘the Zeebrugge flotilla to put .to, sea. The point is that the move, was antici-: pated by our paval authorities, and British forces so! disposed as to be in the right place at the/'right time to\ thwart the German move, whatever' 1 its. object. v ' In Germany it is believed that the German fleet controls the Channel and a part at least of i the North Sea. It is true that the-main German fleet lying in Wilbelmshaven and the Kiel Canal exercises a covering influence over a certain area; in other words, such expeditions of torpedo-craft as that of Monday may he reinforced by more powerful ships. In default of that support Zeebrugge would be more dr less useless as a naval base for Germany. _ Bu r . the British forces evidently caught the enemy unawares, for there is no evidence that any German reinforcements werp present at, or anywhere nehr, J,he scene of action. Oncq again the, Germans have been surprised, outmanoeuvred and d efedted in waters which they claim to control* The action most, have been fought: under the most' difficult conditions of .darkness, extreme cold, and probably a rough sea. - These actions our Navy conducts with such skill and tenacity are not/decisive; but they help towards the decision, because ' the fighting forces of the enemy are thereby; weakened. The Germans have now lost as near os. may be reckoned between SOvaud 40 torpedo-boats. The British losses are aboot. halt that number.