, 1916-06-07
SUPPLEMENT TO ST. CRo1x AVIS, No. 4e. 7rH JUNE, 1916

siderable more battle cruisers than the Ger
mans. 1t is interesting to note that the sober
statements in the Reichstag do not confirm
the great victory so jubilantly announced in
the German Press. With our Battle Feet
intact we still hold the North Sea and
we have prevented the enemy from
accomplishing any definite object. Colo
mel Winston Spencer Churchill, one time
First Lord of the Admiralty, has been
keenly interested in the reports of the bat
tie. After closely examining ali the reports
he issued this statement 81 have had an
opportunity of examining the reports of the
dmiral and of considering the
in the possession of the Admiralty. The
following facts seem TO me to be established:
The naval supremacy of the British feet in
capital ships depends upon the super-drend-
noughts armed with 1876 inch guns, and
these are sufficient by themselves to maia-
tain control If the seas. OF these vital units
OF the first rank we have lost one the Queen
Mary. There appears to be no doubt that
the Germans have lost at least one compare
BILE ship. If this should be the "Luizow"
or the "Derfflinger" the vessel is a heavier
loss to them actually than the Queen Mary"
is to us. Coming to vessels of the second
order we have lost the interchangeable and
the ~"Invincible'. These are of an entirely
different class from the super-dreadnoughts,
and valuable vessels rs they are they do not
rank as primary units at the present time.
A dreadnought battleship of the "West-
fallen" type would be u loss comparable to
either. The armoured cruisers "Black Prince,
"Defence' and Warrior belonged to the Bird
order of ships of which we possess a very large
superiority. The sinking of the two brand
new German light cruisers "Wiesbaden" and
"Elbing" isin fact a more glievonsloss to the
enemy. Tn all these vessels the most seri-
Gus feature is the lOes of their splendid and
irreplaceable crews. The destroyer casual
ties appear to be about equal, on these terms
we being the stronger, ore he gamers. Our
fotillas have long sought such opportunities.
Our margin of superiority is IN no way I'M
paired. The despatch of troops to the Con-
tinent should continue with the utmost free
dom, the battered condition of the German
Fleet beil4g an additional security to us. The
hazy weather, the fall of night and the res
treat of The enemy alone frustrated the per-
severing efforts of our brilliant commanders,
Sir John Jellicoe and Sir David Beatty, to
force a final decision. Although it was not
possible to compel the German Main Fleet to
accept battle, the conclusions reached are of
extreme importance. All glasses OF vessels
on both sides have now met and we know
that there are no surprises or unforeseen
features. An accurate measure eau be taken
of the strength of the enemy,and his detulte
iuferiority is free from any element of uncer-
tainty. The first divisions of Queen Eliza
beth's seem to have indicated all the hopes
reposed in them. I cannot record these facts
without expressing my profound sympathy
with those who have lost their dearest ones,
many of our most gallant sailors our island
has ever nurtured, and some of our most
splendid officers have gone, but they have
died as they would have wished to die IN
a blue water action, which, as IT is studied,
will more and more be found to be a definite
step toward the attainment of complete VIC
tory'. The low visibility on the day of the
action, which means that the weather was
thick and the range of vision was perhaps
no more than six miles, compelled fighting
at short range in which both main and
secondary ornaments We're brought to
bear. The German battleships mount very
powerful secondary armaments so that the
British battle cruisers were exposed at short
range to a tremendous fire. TO this is at
tributed the loss of the "Queen Mary" the
"Indefatigable" and the "Invincible". These
vessels are not designed for close fighting
in the line of battle, says the Naval expert
of the Post, but for fighting at high speed
=. - lo,o rooro ia which thnv Cr0vad Ay.