New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-20
SOME SAVED,
PARIS BELIEVES
Men of the Irresistible and
Ocean Taken Off Under
Hot Fire from Turks.
ADMIRAL REPLACED
Allies Rush Vessels TO Fill Gaps
Operations in DardanelleS
Will Continue.

tleship Bouvet and the British battle
ships Irresistible and Ocean were blown
up by floating mines while engaged with
the remainder Of the allied feet in at
tacking the forts in the narrows OF the
Dardanelles on Thursday
The crews of the two British ships
were virautlly all saved, having been
transferred TO other ships under a hot
fire, but an internal explosion took
place on board the Bouvet after she
had fouled the mine ar, most of her
men-621 officers and crew-were lost.
The Bouvet sank in thirty-six fathoms
within three minutes OF the time that
she hit the mine.
The waters in which The ships were
lost had been swept of mines, but the
British Admiralty asserts that the
Turks and the Gel.usns set floating
containers Of explosives adrift, and
these were carried down by the current
toward the allied ships gathered inside
the entrance of the Straits.
Official Statement Issued.
The Admiralty tonight gave on. the
following:
"An account of the operations at the
Dardanelles on March 1s:
"Mine sweering having beer in pre2
, ress during the last ten days inside tho
straits, general attack was delivered,
J the British and French fleets yes
terday Thursday morning upon the
fortresses at the narrows. At 10:45
q. m. the Queen Elizabeth, the InheXi
Bile, the Agamemnon and the Locd Mel
son b mbarded Forts J, L. T. u and V,
while the Triumph and the Prince
George fired at Batteries T, L and III.
A heavy fire was opened on tho ships
from howitzers and field guns.
AT 1922 o'clock the French squad
ron. consisting of the Suffren, tho
Gadlois, the Charlemagne and tho
Bouvet. advanced up tho Dardanelles
and engaged the forts at close range.
Forts J. L, + and + replied strongly.
Their fire was silenced by the ten bat
tleships inside the straits. all the ships
being hit several times during this part
of the action.
"By 1:25 p. m. all the forts had
ceased firing. The Vengeance, the IRE
sstible, the Albion, the Ocean, the
Swiftsure and the Majestic the ad-
vanced to elieye the six old battle
ships insi.e the straits. rs the French
so ladron, which had engaged the forts
in "A most brilliant fashion, was aSsinS
out the Bouvet was blown up by a
drifting mine. She sani. IN thlrty-slN
fathoms north OF Erenkeul village in
less than three minutes.
AT 1886 p. m. the relief battleships
renewed the attack on the forts, which
again opened fire. The attack on the
forts was again maintained, while the
operations Of the mine sweepcrs cor
tinued.
Irresistible Quits the Line.
AT 4:09 p. m. the Irresistible le quilted
the line, listing heavily, aud at 5;oO
o'clock sank. having probably struck a
drifting mine. At 6:05 o'clock the
Ocean, also having struck a m ne, sank.
Both vessels sank in deep wajerl prac-
tically the whole Of their crews having
been removed safely under a aot fire.
"The Gaulois was DAMAGE by gun
fire. The Inhexible had her fcrwar6
control position hit By a he"yy shel!
and requires repair.
"The bombardment Of the forts and
the mine-sweeping OPERATORS termi-
mated when darkness fell. The damage
to the forts effected by the prolonged
direct fire of the very powerful forces
employed, cannot yet be estIm. lted, and
"A further report will follow. The losses
of tn ships were caused 10y mines
drifting with the current. wf;ch were
encountered in areas hlther'o swept
clear, and this danger will REQUIRE spe-
cia. treatment.
"The British casualties In personnel
were not heavy considering the scale or
the operations, but practically the
whole Of the crew Of the Bouyet were
lost with the ship. an internal eXplo-
sion having apparently supeEened on
the explosion of the mine.
"The Queen and the Implacablc,
which have been dispatched from Eng
land TO replace the ships casualties m
anticipation of this operation. are due
TO arrive Immediately, thus bringing
the British fleet up TO Us original
strength. The operations are continu-
ing with the naval and military forces
available on the spot.
"On the 10th Nice-Admiral Garden,
who had been incapacitated by illness.
was succeeded i'm the chief command by
Rear Admiral John Michael de Robeck,
with the acting rank Of yice-admiral.
All the ships that were sunk were
old ones, the Bouvet having been com.
pleted nearly twenty years ago agd
the Ocean and the Irresistible in 1898.
They were very useful, however. for
the work in which they were engaged
in the Dardanelles.
Ships Being Replaced.
The sunken British ships are being
replaced by the battleships Queen and
Implacabe, vessels Of IA similar type.
They are said 10 have started some
time ago for Near Eastern waters IN
anticipation OF just such losses n
have now occurred.
Two other ships engaged in the iignt-
ing, the British battle cruiser InneXi-
Bile and the French battleship Gaulois
were hit by shells and damaged. The
British casualties according 20 the