The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-03-31
sunk Three SHIPS
TURKISH TGRPEDOES EXORT TOLL
ON ALLIED FLEET
Two Others DAMAGED
Gunners Of DardanelIes Defences Put
British Battle Cruiser and French
Battleship Out of Action-ight
Cruiser Hit-Three Batueships Go
Down Upon Floating Mines.
Down Upon Floating Mines.

London dispatches not only con-
firm the Constantinople report of the
sinking of the French battleship
Bouvet, but disclose the sinking OF
the British battleships Irresistible
and Ocean and severe damage to the
British battle cruiser Infexible and
the French battieship Gaulois.
Practically all the $50 men max
ing up the complement of the Bou7et
went down with the vessel, which
sank within three minutes after she
fouled the mine, an internal explo-
sion taking place aboard the ship.
CT the 1900 men on board the TWO
British battleships that were sunk
few were lost, the crews being trans
ferred to other Warships under a hot
fire.
The Inflexible, one Of Great Brit
aims famous battle cruisers, was put
out of action by shell fire, and drop
ped out of line with heavy list. The
Gaulois, one of the oldest of the
French battleships, and carrying the
heaviest armor of any of the ships
engaged, also withdrew, damaged by
gunfre.
The Amethyst, fast light cruiser
of the British service, was sent in to
cut the cables, and in doing so ran
the gauntlet of forts guarding the
narrows. But although she encoun-
tered hail of fire from the forts and
had 23 Of her crew killed and 81
wounded, she succeeded in her peril
Gus work.
The admiralty asserts that t he
Turks and the Germans set floating
containers of explosives and these
were carried down by the current on
to the allied ships gathered inside the
entrance Of the straits.
The British admiralty gave out the
following statement regarding opera.
tions at the Dardanelles: IAN &C.
count of the operations at the Darda'
nelles on the 18th Of March:
"Mine-sweeping having been gir
progress during the last ten days in
side the straits, general attacks was
delivered by the British and French
fleets yesterday Thursday morning
on the fortress at the narrows. Al
lO:45 a. In the Queen Elizabeth, In
flexible, Agamemnon and Lord bonn
barded Forts j., L., T., .. and v.
while the Triumph and Prince George
fred at Batteries F., E. and H. A
heavy fire was opened on the ship:
from howitZers and field guns.
cat 1922 o'clock the French
squadron, consisting of the Suffren
Gaulois, Charlemagne and Bouvet
advanced up the Dardanelles and en-
gagged the forts at closer range. Forts
j., u. F. and W. replied strongly
fire was silenced by the ten battle
ships inside the straits, all the ships
being hit several times during thi:
part of the action.
"By 1925 p. N. all the forts hac
ceased firing. The Vengeance, lire
sistible, Albion, Ocean, Cwiftsure and
Majestic then advanced to relieve the
other battleships within the straits
AS the French squadron, which hac
engaged the forts in most brilliant
fashion, while passing out, the Bou'
vet was blown up by drifting mine
She sank in thirty-six fathoms, north
Of Erenkeiu village, in less thar
three minutes.
eat 2:36 p. m. the relief battle
ships renewed the attack on the forts
which again opened fire. The attack
on the forts was maintained while
the operations Of the mine-sweepers
continued.
cat 400 p. m. the Irresistible quit
the line, listing heavily, and at $3.50
o'clock sank, probably having struck
a drifting mine. At 6:05 tho Ocean
also having struck mine, sank. Both
the vessels sank in deep water, vir.
tually the whole of their crews hav.
ing been removed safely under hot
fire.
"The Gaulois was damaged by gun
fire. The Infexible had her forward
control position hit by a heavy shell
and requires repair.
"The bombardment Of the forts
and the mine-sweeping operations
terminated when darkness fell. The
damage to the forts, effected by the
prolonged direct fire Of the powerful
forces employed, can not be estimated
yet and further report will follow.
The losses of the ships was caused
by mines drifting with the current.
which were encountered in areas
hitherto swept clear, and this danger
will require special treatment.
Casualties reported on the Brit
ish cruiser Amethyst were the re-