The Spectator. (Ozark, Ark.) 1911-1916, 1914-09-25
GERMANS SINK
THREE CRUISERS
IN NORTH SEA
More Than 500 British Sailors
Met Their Fate in Sub
marine Attack.
DARING RAID BY THE
ENEMY MOST Amazing
DISASTER OCCURRED AT SOME
UNNAMED POINT WHERE NORTH
SEA FLEET is STATIONED.
THREATENS SEA SUPREMACY
II Is Estimated That About 700 Sailors
Were Saved-Cruisers Were
Considered Obsolete.
DISASTER OCCURRED AT SOME
UNNAMED POINT WHERE NORTH
SEA FLEET is STATIONED.
THREATENS SEA SUPREMACY
1t Is Estimated That About 700 Sailors
Were Saved-Cruisers Were
Considered Obsolete.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
l,ondon.-It is believed that more
than 1000 British sailors went down
Tuesday morning with the British
armored cruisers Aboukir, Gressy and
Hogue, torpedoed and sunk by five
German submarines in the Mort Sea
Two of the submarines were de-
stroyed by the British guns.
The normal personnel of the three
cruisers is 2,265 men. OF these it is
computed that only 700 were saved
Thirty uninjured officers reached Har-
which Tuesday and so other survivors
are at Parkstom Quay, three miles
west of Harwich. A number of sur
vivors, picked up on Dutch vessels.
were taken to Ymuiden, on the Hook
OF Holland.
ed that the Aboukir was torpedoed
first. The Hogue and the Cressy drew
close in to her and were standing by
TO save her crew, when they, too. were
that considerable number Of the
crews were saved by II. NJ S. Lowe
stoft and by a division of torpedo
boat destroyers. Trawlers and their
boats also picked up number of sur
vivors and dead and wounded.
The officials have made no public
estimate of the British losses.
Neither the time nor the scene of the
disaster was given in the official re-
port.
1t is reported at Lowestaf that a
vessel of 10000 tons has been sunk by
a mine in the North sea. Another large
vessel is standing by.
No official confirmation OF the re-
port can be obtained
The three cruisers sunk were sist er
ships, built IA years ago, and were
regarded as practically obsolete. Their
tonnage, armament, etc. are identical.
The vessels were 440 feet long. 695
feet wide, and had a displacement Of
1900 tons each and drew 26 feet of
water. Each had normal compile
ment of 755 men, including officers and
crew.
Their armament consisted OF two %
guns, twelve 6-inch guns, twelve L.
Founders and five 3-pounders. The
Aboukir and the Cressy were built at
Govan in 1900 and the Hogue was
tuilt at Barrow in the same year.
Capt. Robert w. Johnson command
ed the Cressy; Capt. Wilmot S. Nichol-
son, the Hogue, and Capt. John f.
Drummond, the Aboukir.
The story that two of the five at
lacking submarines were sent to the
bottom was brought to Ymuiden, Hol-
land, by survivors picked up by the
Dutch steamer Titon, which rescued
ia men, many of whom later were
transferred to British torpedo boats
Officers OF the Titon reported that the
triple disaster occurred at 1870 o'clock
Tuesday morning The steamer Flores
brought 2S7 survivors to Ymuiden.
One dead and several wounded also
were on board this shin
The daring raid of German submar-
Ines across the North sea had diverted
attention momentarily from the bat
tleffelds of the continent.
This was one of the things the
British navy had been led to expect,
for the Germans frankly had avowed
that their plan was to reduce British
naval superiority by submarine raids
and the sowing of mines. and they
have been training their young officers
for sallies of this kind.
Nevertheless it came as shock to
Fngiishmen that big ships such as
those sunk could so easily be attacked
and destroyed, while the German fleet
has remained in safety in its mine and
fortress protected harhors. However.
the British fleet must keep the seas
To insure Great Britain's food supply.
and In doing so must run great risk.