The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-06-09
GERMANS CLAIM TRIUMPH
IN GREATEST SEA FIGHT
WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN

Germany apparently was the victor
in the greatest naval battle in the
worlds history, as far as details have
been made public of the meeting of
the German and British fleets off the
west coast of Denmark on Wednesday
afternoon. At least three British bat
tlescruisers, three cruisers and eight
destroyers and the German battleship
Pommern and two small German
cruisers and number of torpedo
boasts were sunk in the engagement
which lasted far into the night. Great
Britain admits the loss of battle
cruisers and cruisers with tonnage
Of 114,81O-represented by the battle
cruisers Queen Mary, Indefatigable
and Invincible, and the cruiser De-
fence, Black Prince and Warrior. Ger
mans losses, according to the Berlin
admiralty, in addition to the Pommern
were the Wiesbaden and Fraulenlob,
small cruisers and several torpedo
boats.
The Germans claim, in addition to
the admitted losses of Great Britain,
that the British battleship Warspite,
of the largest type in the British navy,
was sunk, that the battleship Marl-
borough was hit by torpedo and that
two cruisers of the Achilles type (the
Warrior is this class) and one sub
marine were sent to the bottom.
Another Big Claim.
The British admiralty adds to the
conceded loss by Germany two
dreadnoughts of the Kaiser class
vessels of 24,700 0tons-destroyed, the
blowing up of one battlecruiser, the
damaging of two other vessels of this
class and the ramming and sinking of
German submarine.
From advices thus far received it
would appear that the greatest naval
battle of history has been fought.
Never before have two naval forces of
such magnitude as the British and
German high sea fleets engaged in
combat. But apparently the battle
was not fought out to point to de-
termine mastery of the seas for the
losses, serious as they are reported
to have been, will not vitally impair
the strength of either fleet.
The scene of battle was in the east
.ern waters of the North sea- It is
probable that the German fleet was
on one Of the excursions into the
North sea which it has taken from
time to time during the war and met,
whether or not by design, with the
British fleet.
OF Coast of Denmark.
SkageracE is an arm Of the North
sea between Norway and Denmark.
The point referred to in the official
German statement as Horn Riff prob
ably is the reef off the Horn, on the
southwestern extremity of Denmark.
This would indicate that the battle
was fought off the coast of Denmark.
From the reef to Heligoland, the main
German naval base in the North sea,
is about 100 miles.
News of the engagement was held
back by the British authorities, pos
sibly pending the return home of the
fleet, and the first word received of
the battle came by wireless from
Berlin.
The loss of life in the engagement
must have been extremely heavy.
The battlecruiser Indefatigable, for
instance, from which the German ad-
-~SJ &SPok 70 why IWo Ulcn were
saved, probably had more than 900
men on board, and others of the ves-
sells sunk carried compliments of men
nearly as large.
Previous to this battle Great Brit
ain had lost during the war ten bat
tleships, II cruisers and various
smaller craft. Germany has lost 18
cruisers, 10 auxiliary cruisers, chiefly
converted passenger liners and num-
erous smaller vessels.
Since the beginning of the war
British cruisers and destroyers have
patroiled during day and night the
approaches to the German fleets base
in the bay formed by the mouths of
the Elbe and the Weser, protected by
the mighty fortification Of Wilhelms-
raven on the south, on the north by
the supposedly impregnable defenses
of the Kiel canal and guarded by the
outlying island of Heligoland.
A Secret Rendezvous.
Until this engagement, however, no
German fleet has put forth in force
to necessitate the giving of the alarm
to the British main fleet that it's foe
was coming out to give battle. The
rendezvous of the British battle
fleet has been secret, but is gen.
orally believed to have been in the
Orkney islands north of Scotland.
The long months of watchful waiting
by the British, however, were broken
into by two naval engagements in
which comparatively small squadrons
OF German warships were involved,
and in both of which the British were
victorious. On August 8, 1914, Ad-
miral Sir David Beatty on his flag
ship, the battlecruiser Lion, led his
squadron in daring dash into the
Blight of Heligoland. In an engage