Show FLEET BOTTLES Upu UP U BOA IS N E S T IS U v f GERMANS 1 Sink 5 Cruisers Loaded i With Concrete to Stop Egress of bf Divers Di ers From Fr m Belgian Coast Ports Port B a By Ass Associated Press J JL O ONDON DON April 23 British British L LONDON naval forces today raided the G German submarine bases of Q Ostend tend Zeebrugge the a nh lt announces Five 0 old s cruisers which had been filled with concrete for us use use- usein in blocking U tb s I channels ere yo were vere run aground blown up and abandoned by t their crews By Associated Press LONDON April 23 The The a admiralty reports that according according- to incomplete information thus far received the theraid raid met with a reasonable measure of success I IThe The statement follows I Early Eady this morning a naval ral raid was made on Ostend and Zeebrugge which are being Used by y the enemy as destroyer and submarine b ba es Our forces are returning and the scanty information so far received ed is isto isto I to the effect that the raid met with witha t. t a reasonable measure of success The ports of ot Ostend and Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast are the principal prin cipal bases for the operations of the submarines submarines' In their campaign against shipping shipping- in ill the North sea and the English channel They are of great importance to the Germans for tor this purpose and it has been recognized by the allies that to deprive the enemy of them would be one of the most effective means of ot dealing dealing- with wilh the submarine An attack on these ports by the British fleet has been urged but the British naval authorities apparently regard the land defenses as too strong to to make this practicable Various measures have been adopted to destroy German submarines rines on entering entering- or leaving these ports Field Marshal Haigs Haig's offensive in Flanders last summer was generally g believed to have as one of its Us main objectives th the the bending back bick of the German flank so as to deprive the enemy enem- of th these se two points With the exception of covering ships the force employed consisted of ef auxiliary vessels and six obsolete cruisers Five of at these cruisers filled with concrete were used as and after run aground were In I accordance with orders blown up an and abandoned by tI tl e crews A further will be issued when r reports re reports re- re ports have been en received from th tM ships which are now returning to the their theli bases No report of casualties has yet been received Raid Is Step in Prepared Camp Campaign ign By Associated Press V WASHINGTON April 23 News News of ot the British r raid ld upon the he German submarine submarine sub sub- marine bases at Ostend and Ze Zeebrugge J. J J S Jand Sand an and of the attempt to bottle u up those harbors was received with great Interest Interest interest inter- inter est at the navy department The move e ewas was taken as another definite step Inthe in inthe the carefully planned campaign against the which it has been repeatedly repeatedly repeat repeat- edly predicted would begin to show material material material ma ma- results about this time The recent raid of the British gran grand fleet Into the when ten German German German Ger Ger- man trawlers were sunk was said to have been another of the steps to pr pro pro- vent the egress of the submarines fIt f r rIt It has long been established that t th x e principal bases o of submarines which operate in those waters around the British Isles are In the captured BelI Belgian Bel Del gian ports The wharves workshops and basins of at those harbors have been I frequently bombed by allied airmen In several Instances with good results British Repeat Hobsons Hobson's Trick By International News New Service Serice NEW YORK April 23 The Thc The sinking bf of concrete filled ships In the harbors harbor of Ostend and Zeebrugge German subI sub sub- I Continued on page pace 6 6 r- r 11 SUBMARINE NESTS i F r Continued from page 1 m marine bases presents a striking parallel parallel par par- to the feat of Commander Richmond Rich Rich- mend mond Pearson Hobson who sank the ther Merrimac r in the mouth of the Santiago Cuba harbor during the tho Spanish Spanish- American war Hobson attempted to up the main Spanish fleet the tho British effort is aimed at bottling up ot op at least making very difficult the of the only active branch of tile the kaisers kaiser's navy In the channel dis- dis Sir Eric Geddes first lord of the tho ad admiralty ad- ad who recently reorganized that br branch Is credited with systematizing and developing the campaign against th c submarine If this latest method of fighting Is successful it should go gp far in answering the critics who have hav demanded offensive and aggressive ac action action action ac- ac tion by the navy navy- |