Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-27
THE CAMPAIGN ON THE SEAS TO DATE.

The destruction of the great British hattI"
shin BuIwark as she lay at Sh"rn">s dock yes
terdav morning adds another to the now rather
formidable list of British war~hips lost during
the war.
It is stated by the admiralty that the "NpIos-
ion was due not to a German torpedo or mine
but to an accident in the transferring OF am
munition. While Germany gains no victory in
the destruction of this l5,0OO-ton fighting
machine. the loss to England comes at a critical
time
Great Britain has now lost ~ warships since
the war started. OF these the Bulwark was
considerably the most effective as well as the
largest. The next in size was the armOred
cruiser Good Hope, with a displacement OF
14.lO0 tons. smashed in the naval engagement
off Coronel, Chile In this same engagement
the British lost the armored cruiser Monmouth
$500 tons, and the protected cruiser Glasgow
1900 tons, fed to avoid certain destruction at
the hands of the greatly superior German
squadron There have been conflicting reports
as to the fate of the Glasgow, the last limiting
that she made her escape to some unknown
destination.
While the naval engagement off the Chilean
coast marked the gravest defeat OF Britain on
the sea since the war started, her greatest
actual loss in naval strength occurred IN the
torpedoing of the armored cruisers Abouklr
Hogue and Cressy in the North Sea. Each OF
these vessels was of 1920 tons displacement
The loss of the armored cruiser Warrior
1900 tons, built in 1905, was a serious blow.
The list of losses during the war includes the
Hermes, $500 tons; the Arethusa, $500; the
Hawke, 1900; the Gloucester, 1900; the Fear
less, $500; the Pathfinder, 5000; the Amphion,
$500; the Druid, no; the Laertes, $50; the
Speedy, 800; the Phoenix, no; the schoolship
Fishguard and the submarine D-5.
With all these naval losses, Britain is not
seriously damaged on the water. Her splendid
navy rules the sea. With the exception OF the
German, squadron operating somewhere on the
Pacifc-pres in the eastern part OF this
vast ocean-nowhere is there a known active
menace to British commerce. German ocean
commerce has been wiped out, the German
Merchantmen either captured or bottled up. In
comparison with the advantage gained, British
naval losses have been slight.
On the other hand, for the number OF her
Warships engaged in marrying the seas, Ger
many has done a tremendous amount Of dam
are. The loss to England of her war-vessels
is only part of the total toll taken by the Ger
man raiders. The Karlsruhe and the Emden
destroyed merchantmen and cargoes worth
more than $20,O000OO, according to a recent
estimate.
None of the naval battles to date have been
more than minor. Not even the fight off the
Chilean coast was major engagement. Much
has been, done by the torpedo and the subma-
rine. While German barriers have been dash
ING in and out of widely distant ports destroy
ing, fleeing, destroying again. and while British
sQuadrons and single vessels have been steam
ing on their ocean trail, the great British
North Sea feet has been blockading the Ger
man ports steadily and effectively.
OF late there have been rumors that the
Germans were getting ready to- come out and
do battle with the battlefield on which England
relies. That fight may mark the conclusive
turning point of the war.