The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-20
French Battleship Bouvet Goes
Down With Almost Entire
Ships Company
English Lose Two
of Its Great Fleet
Loss of Life Among British
Small - French Ship eau
lois Also Out of Commits
sion-No Stop to Operations

ntralty announced tonight that
the british battlcshins Ocean and
Irresistible and the French hat
tlc~hip B0uyet struck floating
mines in the Dartianellcs ycster-
day and were sunk. Most OF the
men on the Bouyet were lost but
practically all the crews OF Tie
British warshi.,s were saved.
This h lac mos. serious loss
sustained by the Angle. French
fleet under Vice. ADMIRAL Garden.
which has been bombartiing the
straits forts tntcrmittentls Tor
more than .wo months. and has
been increased until il is now the
e. n.o~t powerful aggregation OF
nahains ships ever assembled for
war purposes. The three ships
aeat down during u furious can
~ nading, i'm which the French
battIcship Gauiis,S was .'ut out of
commission temporarily by the
Turkish guns.
The disaster announced tonight Will
not. 1t Is stated by admiralty officials,
interfere with the pardaneiles oper-
ations In he slightest The lost ships
VIII he replaced and the attack ON the
forts will be carried on until the Strait
IL passed. Naval experts say that both
france ana ASEEAA S&FG&s ~
pay big price for the possession of
Constantlnople and that the general
achesn. discounts even greater loss -
than that OF yesterday.
win Not Interrupt Attack.
The French ministry Of marine. III
u statement telling OF the sinking OF
the Bouvet ana the two British ships
ana teIegraphed here tonight, states
that the attack on the Turkish de-
lenses viii not be Interrupted Tae
French minister OF marine has AL
ready sent orders to the battieshlD
Henry ~, now or the coast OF syria,
TO proceed to the Dardanelfes and TAX.
the place of the Bouvet. The French
statement follows:
I'm tho course of the operations in
the pardaneiies during the day OF
March Is. the naval forces Of the allies
were subjected to very heavy fire and
some Of the ships struck noating mines
In the strait. The French and British
aattteships bombarded violently the
forts OF Killed Bahr. Chanak kalesst.
suau pere Dardancs and the kephex
eosnt+
"The results obtained during this
day of great activity cost us heavy
losses The Bouxet was sunk. follow
ing the explosion OF "a mine The
rnission as the result OF damage caused
hy the enemy's Are. The British feet
also suffered. two of Its battleships
having been sunk by mines. These
Losses however painful, will not check
the operations
nmediately upon receipt OF the
news of the accident which caused the
sinking OF the Bouvet the minister Of
marine tefegraphed to commander OF
frk t.
the coast OF Syria. instructing him to
take tho place OF the Bouvet
Information regarding the fate OF
Roaxa&lS-xtill- Jack
ing II In known. however. accord
ting to reports already received. that
part Of the crew was saved, but the
number of men lost is still uncer
tain
Turks send First News.
The frst word of IA disaster TO the
fleet at the strait came in statement
from Constantinople, by way of Ber-
.in The Turkish minister of marine
declared that the French hattleship
Bouyet had been sunk. Other advices
from Berlin said that the Bouvet struck
mine shortly after O'Clock yes
terday afternoon and went down with
In three minutes. and that two British
battleships had been seriously dam
aged and British torpedo vesseI had
been sunk The Turkish official state
ment said:
'.Our tieet, early today. bombarded
che chip yards and the maneuvering
place OF torpedo boats west OF Theo-
dosta, on the Black Sea, In the Crimea.
and set the building on fire. An allied
feet heavily shelled the forts OF the
Dardaneiles. which replied effectively.
sinking the French battieship Bouvet."
Prev~ Great Menace.
The mines In the Dardanelles have
proved a much greater menace to the
allied fleet than the numerous forts.
and naval authorities have predicted
that az soon as the strait was cleared
OF that danger. the passage would
soon be forced. Grimsby Trawlers and
French hshtrg boats have been sent
TO the scene In large numbers and have
been engaged night and day in sweep
inr the channel clear At one time
the task was almost completed, hut
recently the Germans and Turks have
adopted the plnn OF launching floating
mines which come down against the
ships with tremendous force. swept
Il the rate Of nearly ten miles an hour
srortinusA an Third rage.)