The Sentinel=record., 1915-03-20
Two Other Ships, the British Battle Cruiser InfleXible, and the French Battleship Gaulois Were Badly
 Injured by Shell Fire and
 Forced to Retreat.

london, March 19.-ll.l0 p m.- The British battleshirl Irresistible and Ocean and the French battleshtp Bouvet were blown I'D bv floating mines while engaged with the re- mander of the allied fleet in attack ing the forts in the Narrows of the Dardaneiles Thursday
 The crews of the two British ships were virtually all saved having been transferred 10 other ships under a hot fire, but an internal explosion took place on board the Bouvet after she had been touled by the mine and most of her crew was To L. The BOuyet sank within three minutes of the time that she hit the mine
 The waters In which the saips were lost had been swept of mines but the British admiralty asserts tha. the Turks and the Germans set float ing containers of explosives adrift and these were carried down by the eur rent onto the allied ships gathered in side the entrance of the straits.
 All the ships that were sunk were old ones, the Bouvet having been com pleted nearly twenty years ago and the Ocean and Irresistible in 1898. They were useful. however, for the work in which they were engaged in the Dardanelles. The sunken British ships are being replaced by the battle. ships queen and Implicable. vessels of similar type. They are said to have started some time ago for near eastern waters in anticipation of just such losses as have now occurred
 Two other ships engaged in the fighting, the British battle cruiser Iu- flexible and the French batteslip Gaulois, were hit by shells and dam aged The British casualties, accord ing to the British official report, were not heavy considering the scale of the operations
 The damage done to the Turkish forts by the heavy bombardmeut has not yet been ascertaned It is stated that the operations against them are continuing The forts attacked were those on either side of Kephez bay and on KepheZ point outside the nat- rows and those on Kilid Bahr and Chanak in the narrows.
 The Kephez forts replied strongly when the battleships advanced, firifg, up the Dardanelles, and all the ships were hit It is asserted that these forts finally were sflenced and a bonn. bardment of those in the narrows was under way when the three battleships struck the mines, The blowing up of the ships did not cause a cessation of the fighting, which continued until darkness intervened. It is understood that the engagement was resumed to- day
 The admiralty tonight gave out the following statement regarding opera tions in the Dardanelles:
 An account of the operations at the Dardanelles on the 18th of March
 Mine sweeping having been in progress during the fast ten days in. side the straits general attack was delivered by the British and French fleets yesterday (Thursday) morning upon the fortresses at the narrOWs. At 1045 a. m the Queen Elizabeth, lMleXible. Agamemnon and Lord Nel- son bombarded forts J, L. T, [ and V, While the Triumph and Prince George fired at batteries F. E and II. A heavy fire was opened on the ships from howitzers and field guns
 At 1922 o'clock the French squad. ron consisting of the Suffren, Gaulois, Charlemagne and Bouyet advanced up the Dardanelles and engaged the forts at closer range. Forts j. U. F and E replied strongly. Their fire was soon silenced by the ten battleshlps inside the straits, all the ships being hit several times during this action.
 By 1;25 D m. all the forts had