The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-06-06


I indicate to ha.e been the greatest
naval battle of history, heavy losses
have been inflicted by the Germans
upon the high sea feet of the British
navy.
The engagement took place in the
North Sea Wednesday afternoon and
night. The British admit the losses
of three battle cruisers, three cruis-
Ners and eight destroyers. The Ger
mans admit the loss Of one small
cruiser and one pre-dreadnaught,
while another cruiser and number
of torpedo boats are missing.
AS yet details are meagre as to the
conditions under which the fleets met,
but it appears that the battle was not
fought out to a point to determine
the mastery of the seas, for the
losses, serious as they are reported
to have been, will not vitality impair
the strength of either fleet.
1t is probable that the German heet
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.
Skagerak 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.
From there the distance to the coast
of Holland and the main German
naval base in the North Sea is about
100 miles.
= News of the gagement was held
back by the British authorities, pos
sibly pending the return home OF the
feet. and the first word received OF
the battle came by wireless from Ber-
lin.
The loss of life in the engagement
must have been extremely heavy. The
battle cruiser Indefatigable, for in
stance from which the German admir-
alty reports only two men were say
ed, probably had more than me!i
on board, and others of the vessels
sunk carried compliments of men
equally or nearly as large.
Previous to this battle Great Brit
ain had lost during the war ten bat
tleships, eleven cruisers and various
smaller craft. Germany has lost
eighteen cruisers, nineteen auxiliary
cruisers, chiefly converted passenger
liners, and numerous smaller vessels.
Since the beginning of the war
British cruisers and destroyers have
patrolled during day and night the
approa ches to the German fleets base,
in the bay formed by the mouths OF
the Elbe and the Weser, protected by
the mighty Notifications Of Wins
haven on the south, on the north by
the supposedly impregnable defences
of the Kiel Canal, and guarded by
the outlying island Of He!lsoland
Until the engagement, however, no
German feet has put forth in force
to necessitate the giving of the alarm
to the British main feet that its foe
was coming out to give battle. Tne
. rendezvous. of the British battle fleet
has been a secret, but is generally
believed to have been in the Orkney
Islands, north of Scotland. The long
months of watchful waiting by the
British. however, were broken into
nv two naval engagements in which
comparatively small sQuadrons OF
German warships were involved, and
in both of which the British were VIC
torious. On August %, 1914, Admiral
Sir David Beatty, on his flagship, the
battle cruiser, Lion, led his squadron
in daring dash into the Blight OF
Helgoland. In this engagement, un-
der the guns of this great fortress,
three German armed cruisers and
two destroyers were sunk with loss
of $500 men.
On January "a, 1915, a German
squadron, attempting raid on the
British coast, encountered admiral
Beatty of the Doggerbanks, and in g
running fight the German cruiser
Bluecher was sunk and. two of her
varships set on fire. Several raids
have been made by detachments on
British coast in which Yarmouth,