The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-03-25
THREE WARSH|PS
ARE DESTROYED
IN DARDANELLES
$50 Perish When French Battle
ship Is Destroyed.
BRITAIN LOSES TWO SHIPS
Dreadnaueht Irresistible and the
Cruiser Ocean Sent to Bottom
British Admiralty Makes An
nouncement Of Heavy Loss.

LOnuQn, MaTCn ZU.-lne 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-
nelles blew up and sank three of the
largest battleships in the Franco
Turkish fleet 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 12,950-ton British battle.
ship Ocean and the 12,205-ton French
battleship Bouvet. In addition, the
British dreadnaught cruiser lnfiexible
and the French battleship Gaulois
were damaged by the gunf1re 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
from Constantiople via Berlin, besides
telling of the sinking of the Bouvet
and saying the Irresistible was put
out of action" also claim that Brit
ish torpedo boat was sunk. but the
English admiralty has not confirmed
this fact.
Sixteen Ships Shell Forts.
The admiralty's statement is as fol-
lows:
Mine sweeping has been in prog
ress for ten days inside the straits.
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 superintendent
Queen Elizabeth and the battleships In
flexible, Agamemnon and Lord Nelson
bombarded forts j., L., T., U. and V.
and the battleships Triumph and
Prince George bombarded batteries F.
E. and II. A heavy fire was opened
on the ships by the enemy howitzers
and field guns.
Ships Fire at Close Range.
AT 1929 D. m. the French squad
ron, consisting of the battleships Suf
freu, 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 ter
battleships inside the straits. All
the ships were hit several times dur
ing this part of the action.
At 1875 p. m. all the forts ceased
firing. The battleships Vengeance, Ir
resistible, Albion, Ocean, Swiftsurt
and Majestic then advanced to relieve
the six old battleships, which we're in
side the straits.
AS the French squadron, which hat
engaged the forts In most brillian
fashion. was passing out, the Bouve
was blown up by a drifting mine ant
sank in Sc fathoms of water north o
+ the village of Aren Kios in less thar
three minutes.
At 1886 p. m. the relief battleship'
: renewed the attack on the forts, which
again opened fire. The attack on tn,
: forts was maintained while the opera
|
At 400 p. m. the battleship Irresist
ible quit the line, listing heavily, an,
e at $50 p. m. sank, having proba bl.
e struck drifting mine. At sos p. m
l. the battleship Ocean also was strucl
u by a mine. Both vessels sank in dec
water and practically the whole o
their crews was removed to safet.
e under a hot fire.
The bombardment of the forts ant
the mine sweeping operations termir
c ated as darkness fell.
Il Two Ships Damaged.
The French battleship Gaulois wa
damaged by gunfire. The British bal
! tleship Inhex!ble was hit by a heav
she'll, damaging her forward contro
position. which requires repair.
e The damage to the forts effecte
= by the prolonged direct fire of tn
y very powerful forces employed car
not yet be estimated. The losses Il
ships was caused by mines driftin
i with the current, which was encour
n te led in areas hitherto swept clear.
IS The British casualties in personne
e were not heavy considering the seal
OF the operation, but practically tn
whole of the crew of the Bouvet wa
lost with the ship, an internal explc
S sion having apparently supervene
the explosion of the mine.
The battleships Queen and Impla,
able, which were dispatched from Ems
land to replace ships damaged an
casualties suffered in anticipation G
b this operation. are due to arrive in
8 mediately, bringing the British flee
a again to it's original strength.
r The operations are continuing a
!. ample naval forces are available o
e the spot.
( On the 18th Vice-Admiral Cardel
a who had been incapacitated by illness
'. was succeeded as chief in comman
q by Rear Admiral John Michael Der,
8 beck. acting 18th the rank OF vice-a.
miral