OCR Text |
Show OSTEIN) HARBOR NEARLY CLOSED 01 VINDICTIVE Silt Sure to Accumulate Around Cruiser Sunk at 40 Degree Angle in Channel Neck. PARTIAL BLOCKADE SERIOUS, HOWEVER Weather Conditions Favor Raiders and Casualty List Is Small; Deed Told by Sailors. LONDON, May 11. It is declared, on unquestionable authority, that the sunken cruiser Vindictive lies in the neck of the channel at the entrance to Ostend harbor at an angle of about forty degrees. It is obvious that, a vessel 300 feet long, lying at this angle, does not effectively block a channel some 320 feet wide, but a very useful purpose has been served. A partial and serious blockade has been achieved, and under the conditions condi-tions of tide and rapid silt prevailing on the Belgian coast, the obstruction will certainly tend to increase. It is not claimed that the sunken cruiser will prevent the egress of submarines, or even entirely stop that of destroyers. However, it will materially hamper both, and that is important. German light craft will not be able, when pursued pur-sued by British forces, to rash full speed into th6harbr, as they have done heretofore. here-tofore. Conditions were fairly favorable for the venture. That part of the Belgian coast is heavily armed, and the small number of British casualties indicates the enemy was surprised and emphasizes empha-sizes the success of the attempt. Zeebrugge Hindered. With regard to Zeebrugge, the British Brit-ish government is satisfied that German Ger-man stories of unrestricted ingress and egress are inaccurate. Air photographs taken within the last fortnight are said to demonstrate clearly the falsity of the enemy statement. In the case of Ostend, it is computed that at least three or four days must elapse before the channel can be cleared and buoys placed between the stern of the sunken cruiser and the land. In the meantime, the tide and silt will be at work. In the Zeebrugge case the silt is collecting very fast, despite the work of enemy dredges. The position of the blocking cruisers at Zeebrugge is such that any attempt to blow up the obstruction would be fraught with considerable danger to neighboring permanent per-manent structures. The smallness of the casualties sustained sus-tained at Ostend Friday does not indicate indi-cate bad shooting by the Germans. The weather conditions were favorable to the raiders, and the Vindictive carried only - sufficient men to work her properly. A large number of the officers and men who took part in the operation against the Zeebrugge mole on April 23 claimed the right to participate in the Ostend operations, says the Central News story of the raid, and their wish was gratified. All the men on the Vindictive Vin-dictive were volunteers from the Dover pjtrol. First Raiders Chosen. At 3:15 o'clock the Warwick, flagship flag-ship of Admiral Keyes, sighted a motor launch, which had on board two officers and thirty-eight men of the A'indictive. An officer, who was on a destroyer, describing the operations, said: "Up to 1:45 o clock we heard nothing of the enemy. Then he sent up star shells and flashed his searchlights. A heavy bombardment followed, beginning when we were about two and one-half miles from the shore. "By the light of star shells and searchlights our smoke screen was located. Then a fog came on and the firemen were prevented from doing their work. For an hour this state of affairs continued, but then the weather cleared sufficiently to permit our airmen to resume their operations. Zeebrugge Obstructed. "The heavv fire was turned on the Vindictive. Vhen at last she found the entrance to the harbor she ran her stem into the pier and was abandoned. "The crews of the motor launches behaved in the most gallant manner, rushing in to shore utterly regardless of their safety, to see that no one was left behind. One launch brought off two officers and the thirty-eight men from the Vindictive. Another, which subsequently went alongside, took off a lieutenant and two ratings, who were. wounded, while two other motor launches, also detailed for rescue work, kept close to the shore, their crews displaying the greatest pluck and determination. deter-mination. "Our vessels effectively bombarded shore batteries. The work of the monitors moni-tors in this respect was particularly fine. Altogether, 200 shells foil within a few yards or two of the monitors, but neither was a hit made nor was a casualty caused. During the whole operation oper-ation not one enemy craft was seen. At 2:30 o'clock, according to the programme, pro-gramme, the retirement was begun. Commander Tells Story. Commander Lynes, who conducted the blocking operation ai Zeebrugge, was in command on the present occasion. occa-sion. He tells the following story: "Weather conditions at the start were in every way suitable. There was a light northwest wind. The sea was favorable to small craft. There was a clear sky and the visibility was good. "The outward passage was made without interference on the part of the enemy. The small craft were all dispatched dis-patched to their stations, with destrov-ers destrov-ers in support. Before the arrival of the Vindictive, until 1:45 o'clock the enemy was remarkably qui?t, but just at this time the Germans began to open fire. Star shells showed that the smoke screens were progressing excellently. "At about this time, tho sky, which hitherto had been almost unclouded, began be-gan to be partly obscured by low, drifting drift-ing clouds. In about ten minutes before the Vindictive was due at her destination destina-tion a sea fog set in. This stopped our air attack. Indeed, for a time even the searchlights could not be seen. This state of things continued almost for an hour, when it cleared sufficiently for the air attacks to be recommenced. Scene Is Lurid. "It was a lurid scene when the Vindictive Vin-dictive arrived at 2 o'clock, practically programme time. There was a thundering thun-dering of guns on sea and ' land. The exploding of bombs from airplanes added to the din, and there was an occasional cry of agony from someone mortally wounded. Searchlights crisscrossed criss-crossed above, and the whole scene was illuminated with flashes and star shells. This was the picture for fully an hour.'' "The Vindictive cruised about for twenty minutes in the fog. looking for the entrance to the harbor, which she eventully found. She sank herself about 200 yards inside the eastern entrance. en-trance. The Vindictive 's crew was rescued res-cued by a motor launch, which brought off two officers and thirty-eight men, 'and another, which went alongside and took off a lieutenant and two men. Two other boats, detailed for rescue work, searched the shores carefully under very heavy fire, but found no one." According to the press association, the Vindictive had a complement of fifty-two officers and men. |