The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-03-23

dHo tUC nCSbUuS0s
London, March 20.--The admiralty
announced that the British battle
ships Ocean and Irresistible and the
French battleship Bouvet struck float.
ing mines in the Dardanelles March
is and were sunk. Most of the men
On the Bouvet were lost, but it is said
that practically all the crews of the
British warships were saved.
This is the most serious loss sus-
tanned by the Anglo-French feet un-
der Vice Admiral Garden, which has
been bombarding the straits forts in.
termittently for more than two
months, and has been increased until
IL is now the most powerful aggrega.
tion of fighting ships ever assembled
for war purposes. The three ships
went down during furious cannon
siding, in which the French battleship
Gaulois was put out of commission
by the Turkish guns.
The disaster, it is announced, will
not interfere with the Dardanelles op.
erations. The lost ships will be re-
placed and the attack on the forls
will be carried on.
The French ministry of marine, in
a statement telling of the sinking of
the Bouvet and the two British ships,
telgraphed here stating that the at
tack on the Turkish defenses will not
be interrupted. The French minister
of marine has already sent orders to
the battleship Henry w., now of the
coast of Syria, to proceed to the Dar-
danelles and take the place Of the
Bouvet The French statement fol.
lows:
The Official Report.
In the course of the operations In
the Dardanelles during the day Of
March Is, the naval forces of the al
lies were subjected to very heavy
fire and some or the ships struck
floating mines in the strait. The
French and British battleships bonn
barded violently the forts of Kllid
Bahr. Cnanak Kalessi, Suan Dere,
Dardanos and the Kephez Point. The
results obtained during this day of
great activity cost us heavy losses.
The Bouvet was sunk. following the
explosion of mine. The Gaulois Is
cut of commission as the result Of
damage caused by the enemy's fire.
The British fleet also suffered, two of
it's battleships having been sunk by
mines. These losses, however pain
full, will not check the operations. In
formation regarding the fate Of the
crew Of the Bouvet is still lacking.
II is known that part of the crew was
saved"
The mines in the Dardanelles have
proved a much greater menace to the
allied feet than the numerous forts,
end naval authorities have predicted
that as soon as the strait was cleared
of that danger the passage would soon
he forced, Grimsby trawlers and
French fishing boats have been sent
to the scene In large numbers and
have been engaged night and day in
sweeping the channel clear. At one
time the task was almost completed,
but recently the Germans and Turks
have adopted the plan of launching
floating mines which come down
against the ships with tremendous
force. swept at the rate of nearly ten
miles an nour by the strong current
from the Sea of Marmora.
The Irresistible was a battleship OF
1903 tons, commanded by Captain
Stanhope Hawk, who had crew of
$50 men. She was built in 1897, had
a speed OF 1872 knots, had main
battery of four Pinch guns and
twelve 6,inch guns, and also sixteen
3-inch guns, six 3-pounders, two ma
chine guns and four torpedo tubes.