Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-03-25
THREE WARSH|PS
ARE DESTROYED
$50 Perish When French Battle
ship Is Destroyed.
BRITAIN LOSES TWO SHIPS
Dreadnaught Irresistible and the
Cruiser Ocean Sent to Bottom
British Admiralty Makes An
nouncement of Heavy Loss.

London, March 22.-The greatest
blow suffered by the allies on the seas
since the war began was administered
by the Turks Thursday, when drifting
mines in the narrows of the Darda-
nelIes blew up and sank three of the
largest battleships in the Franco
British feet while the ships were
bombarding eight of the Turkish forts.
The ships destroyed are the $4,000
ton British second line battleship IRE
sistible, the 12,500-ton British battle
ship Ocean and the 12,2O5-ton French
battleship Bouvet. IN addition, the
british dreadnaught cruiser Inf1exible
and the French battleship Gaulois
we're damaged by the gunfre from the
forts.
Nearly every man Of the $50 in the
crew of the Bouvet was lost with the
ship, but almost the entire crews of
the Irresistible and the Ocean were
saved.
This tremendous loss was admitted
in an official statement given out by
the admiralty Official dispatches
telling of the sinking of the Bouvet
from COnstantinOple via Berlin, be-
sides telling of the sinking Of the Bou-
vet and saying the Irresistible was
put out of action" also claim that a
British torpedo boat was sunk, but
the English admiralty has not con-
frmed this fact
The admiraItys statement is as fol-
lows:
Mine sweeping has been in prog
ress for ten days inside the straits.
A general attack by the British and
French fleets was opened on the morn
ing of the 18th against the fortresses
in the narrOws.
At 10:45 a. m. the superdreadnaught
Queen Elizabeth and the battleships In
flexible, Agamemnon and Lord Nelson
bombarded forts J., L., T., u. and ",
and the battleships Triumph and
Prince George bombarded batteries F.,
z. and II. A heavy fire was opened
on the ships by the enemy howitzers
and field guns.
AT 1922 p. m. the French squad
AOAiB AOlA61DLAIIE Vi the bdtIlGoUlDS oul-
fren, Gaulois, Charlemagne and Bou-
vet, advanced into the Dardanelles
and engaged the forts at closer range.
Forts J., u, F. and E. replied strong
ly. Their fire was silenced by ten
battleships inside the straits. All
the ships were hit several times dur
ing this part of the action.
AT 1:25 p. m. all the forts ceased
firing. The battleships Vengeance,
Irresistible, Albion, Ocean, Swiftsure
and Majestic then advanced to relieve
the six old battleships, which were in
side the straits.
As the French squadron, which had
engaged the forts in most brilliant
fashion, was passing out, the Bouvet
was blown up by a drifting mine and
sank in SO fathoms of water north of
the village of Erenkeui in less than
three minutes.
AT 2:36 p. m. the relief battleships
renewed the attack on the forts, which
again opened fire.
AT 400 p. m the battleship IRE
sistible quit the line, listing heavily,
and at $50 p. m. sank, having prob
ably struck a drifting mine. At sos
p. m. the battleship Ocean also was
struck by a mine. Both vessels sank
in deep water and practically the
whole of their crews were removed to
safety under a hot fire
The French battleship Gaulois was
damaged by gunfire. The British bat
tleship Inflexible was hit by a heavy
shell, damaging her forward control
position, which requires repair.
The damage to the forts effected
by the prolonged direct fire of the
very powerful forces employed can
not yet be estimated. The losses in
ships was caused by mines drifting
with the current. which was encoun.
tered in areas hitherto swept clear
The British casualties in personnel
were not heavy considering the scale
of the operation
The battleships Queen and Implac.
able, which were dispatched from Eng.
land to replace ships damaged and
casualties suffered in anticipation of
this operation, are due to arrive i'm.
mediately, bringing the British feet
again to its original strength.
The operations are continuing as
ample naval forces are available.
On the 10th Vice-AdmiraI Garden
who had been incapacitated by illness
was succeeded as chief in command
by Rear Admiral John Michael Dero
beck, acting with the rank of vice.
admiral"