The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-10-17
Hawke Goes Down With Four
Hundred Members of Her
Grew
Consort Forced to
Flee From Scene
Cruiser Theseus Narrowly Es-
capes Similar, F ate-England
Dumbfounded by Success
of Daring Germans

---
London. Oct. is.-The British
cruiser Hawke was torpedoed By
German Submarine In the North
sea yesterday and sent to the
bottom with all Of her command
ing officers and most Of her crew.
Three nOn-coinmissioned officers
and forty nine sailors were
rescued by trawlers, after the
cruiser Theseus, narrowly escap-
ing destructive bolt, fed In
obedience 20 the admiralty's Or
der that ships must not be risked
by attempts to save life.
The announcement by the admt-
rally that the Hawke was the latest
victim OF the stealshy naval strategy
o. the Germans. and that the The
sous had barely escaped the fate Of
her scout companion. further alarm
ed and angered the British public
which was already disturbed and in
csnsed over the failure Of the navy
&c strike an effective blow. Five Brit
ish cruisers have SO far been oe-
stroyed by the German submarines
while a cruiser and a torpedo gun
boat have been sunk by mines.
The admirafty's announcement was
as follows:
His Maiesty's ship Theseus. Cap
tain Hugh Edwards. was attacked by
submarine in the northern waters
If the North Sea yesterday afternoon.
hut was missed. His MaJesty's ship
Hawke. Captain N p F. r. VIII
time and was sunk. The following
officers. with forty-nine men of the
crew, have been landed at Aberdeen
from trawler: Boatswain Sidney
Austin. Gunner James Dennis. Acting
Gunner Harry Evitf. The rernainina
officers and men are missing. Further
particulars will be published as soon
as available. The Hawke was a
cruiser built in 1889"
The Hawke, which was a useful
armored cruiser, although of an OBJ
seiete type. was being used. together
with vessels Of a similar period and
model. for reconnaissance in the
North Sea. She carried ordinarily
about $50 officers and men. but the
unofficial report Is that her compile
men, numbered about $50 at the time
she was destroyed, and that the loss
Of life was about 400. There Is hardly
a doubt that every one of her COM
manding officers went. down with the
ship. The success OF the German sub
marine, coming go quickly after the
Of the U-9 in destroying
the Greasy, Hogue and Ahoukir on
%, Ia particularly note
worthy because the blow appears to
have been delivered Tar from the Ger
n,an naval base and in spite OF the
increased vigilence of the British
1t is probable that the
German submarine ventured fully 2oo
miles from the mouth OF the river
Erbe and sank the Hawke in the re-
cicn of the .Dogger Bank. The The
seus was first attacked A glimpse OF
the periscope OF the German suhna-
rine was caught and the gunners Of
the Theseus opened fire, but failed 20
land \ shot. The submarine launch
Ell a torpedo at the Theseua. but II
missed its mark. Almost immediately
the submarine turned her attention
to the Hawke and one torpedo, APP
parently was sufficient to shatter that
ship. .-,s..,, ain forced
upon the commanders OF Theseus and
the other patrol ships In the vicinity.
They must have been near enough 70
sec the Hawke list and sink: TO see
her company struggling In an icy
sea: to be moved by every considera-
ton OF humanity and comradeship 10
save life. But the stern orders OF the
admiralty that the navy must NOT
weaken By efforts TO rescue. compelled
them to nee from their drowning
countrymen. The advent OF tho sub
marine has introduced q new horror
into warfare--the necessity OF aban-
doning tho helpless. One OF the res
cued noncommissioned oficers. Boat
swain Sidney Austin. OF tho Hawke.
bears a charmed life. Twice ne mas
shoulders with death. He was
q boatswain OF the Hogue's crew when
that cruiser was torpedoed on Sep
tember ~. He jumped into the sea
that day and kept afoat until his good
luck took him into = trawier. Yester.
day his grim experience was repeated
as nearly ~ could be possible. So
that, within three weeks virtually. he
has escaped with remnants OF crews
destroyed by tho Germans. In the first
ten weeks Of the war the British navy
has suffered Z loss OF seven important
warshipa. none OF which was Of the
f,rst -ciasa, but all Of which were use
full.
Every blow struck by the German
u hsn arinss Supra the public demand or
decisive action by the British navy,
Great crowds gathered around the
bulletin boards today displayed ~
much anger A. horror over tho latest
reverse. There n general comment
that the admiralty must accomplish
uomathing to balance the naval sue
eeagee ef the QNeMeAA