The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-03-23
Three Batt1es11jps
Sent to the Bottom
British Irresistible and Ocean and French Bouvet Sunk
by Floating Mines While in Terrific Attack Upon
Darda1aelles Forts-Cre1O of Last Named Los7

THREE BATTLE SHIPS-handset-
London, March 19-4The British bat
tleships Irrisistible and Ocean and the
French battleslip Bouvet were blown
I'D by floating mines w1ile engaged
with the remainder of the allied fleet
in attacking the forts in the mar
rows of the Dardanelles Thursday.
Virtually all the crews Of the two
British ships were saved, having been
transferred 10 otter ships, under a
hot fire, but an internal explosion
took place on board the Bauvet after
she had fouled the mine and most OF
her crew was lost The Bouvet sank
three minutes after she hit the mine.
The waters in w.ich the ships were
lost had been swept of mines but the
British admiralty asserts that the
Turks and Germans set floating con-
tainers of explosives adrift, and these
were carried down by the current on
to the allied ships gathered inside the
entrance of the straits.
All Old Ships.
All the ships sunk were old ones.
The Bouvet was built nearly 20 years
ago and the Ocean and Irresistible
in 1898. They were useful, however,
for the work in which they were en-
gagged in the Dardanelles. TIE sunken
British ships are being replaced by
the battle ships Queen and Implaca
BILE, vessels of similar type. They
are said to have started some time ago
in anticipation of just such losses as
have now occurred. Two other ships,
the British battle cruiser Tnfexible
and the French battlcsthip Gaulois,
were hit by shells and damaged. Brit
ish casualties, according to the British
Official report, were not heavy con-
sidering the scale of operations
The damage done to tie Turkish
forts by the heavy bombardment has
not been ascertained. 1t is said thai
operations against them are continu-
ing. The forts attacked are those on
each side of Kephez bay and on
Kephez point outside the narrows and
ti.ose on Kalidbahr and Chanak in
the narrows.
Answer Strongly.
The Kephez forts. replied strongly
when the battle ships advanced up the
Dardanelles and all the ships were hit.
1t is asserted that these forts finally
were silenced and bombardment OF
t3ose in the narrows was under way
when the three battle ships hit the
mines. TIE blowing up of the ships
did not cause cessation of the fight
ing, which continued until darkness
interviewed. 1t is understood the en-
gagement was resumed today.
The admiralty tonight gave out the
following statement:
can account of the operations at
the Dardanelles on the 18th of Marca :.
Mine sweeping having been in
progress during the last ten days in
side the straits, general attack was
delivered by the British and French
fleet yesterday (Thursday) morning
upon the fortresses at the narrows.
At 1O:45 a. m. tie Queen Elizabeth,
Infexible, Agamemnon and ord Nell
son bombarded Forts J. L. T. U and
", while the Triumph and Prince
George fired at batteries F, E and H.
A heavy fire was opened On the ships
from howitzers and field guns. AT
1922 o'clock the French squadron,
consisting of the Suffern, Gaulois,
Charlemagne and Bouvet, advanced
up the Dardanelles and engaged tie
forts at closer range. Forts ], U, F
and E replied strongly. Their fire was
silence by the ten battleships inside
the straits, all the ships being hit
several times during this part of the
action.
Forts SiIenced.
."By 1:25 p. m. all the forts lad