The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-06-09
TWENTY-N|NE SHIPS
SUNK IN NORTH SEA
GERMANS ARE VicTORS IN
GREATEST NAVAL BATTLE
OF WORLDS HISTORY.
Teuton's High Sea Fleet Engages
Part of Englsnd's Fleet in North
Sea in Furious Battle Which
Cost Many Lives.

London.-In one of the worlds
greatest sea fights the German battle
feet was victorious over the English
battle cruiser squadron. The encoun-
ter took place in the North sea, We'd
| nesday afternoon In later engage
ment with the main part of the Brit
ish fleet, the mighty dreadnaught
feet, the Germans made for their
| home ports.
| The latest reports from the Brit
ish fleet, from neutral vessels which
Witnessed parts of the great naval
battle in the North sea and from sur
vivors cause the British public to be-
| lieye the engagement was not so near
defeat as at first reported. The
British losses with all the craft en-
gagged accounted for, were three bat
tie cruisers, three cruisers and eight
destroyers.
| The German losses are believed to
have been about the same number of
| ships, although of a much less aggre-
gate of tonnage.
If the revised British reports are
accepted, the losses in ships were ap-
proximately as follows:
British:
Three battle cruisers Queen Mary,
Indefatigable and Invincible); three
armored cruisers defence, Black
Prince and Warrior). about a dozen
destroyers and one submarine.
German:
Two battleships (Westfalen and
Pommern) two battle cruisers Gun
named four light cruisers (including
the Wiesbaden, Elbing and Frauen-
lob; six destroyers and a submarine,
The British admiralty, in addition.
has admitted that the battleship Mari.
; borough was struk by torpedo, but
declares she was towed safely to port
1t denies the German claim that the
dreadnaught Warspite was sunk, al
though conceding that she was dam
aged by gun fire.
, British naval experts maintain that
Great Britain continues to hold the
supreme command of the sea by
safe margin and that her enormous
navy could better afford the losses
, it suffered than could the smaller Ger
man establishment. The first reports
of the heavy loss of life unhappily
have not been revised. Great Britain
mourns for more than 1000 of her
best seamen and the whole nation is
! oppressed with sadness, which is re-
, fiected in the faces of all the people
? of London.
a There were some 5000 men on the
!. ships which sank, and only a few hun
q bred have been saved. The horrors
of modern naval warfare, far exceed
t ing those when wooden ships fought
] and continued to float even when
? they ceased to be fighting units, were
g realized to their utmost. From five
J. of the largest ships which went under
with complement of more than 1000
8 men, only seven junior officers and a
e few seamen were rescued.
8 The two squadrons, steaming at
! full speed, came within range of
i each other somewhere between the
Skagerak and Horn Riff Both fleets
= Immediately brought their big guns
: into action and a long-range battle
of extreme violence ensued. 1t is be-
lieved that most of the heavy ships
! lost were sunk Or fatally disabled
: during this daylight battle.
. At least two Zeppelins appeared
. over the battle area during the late
. afternoon and are reported to have
4 taken an important part in the action.
Q Whether they sank any Of the British
1 ships is not known.
o Darkness found the fleets still man
4 euvering and firing. Night brought a
q lull in the long-range duel and shift
s ed the brunt of the battle to the
l. Frauenlob was destroyed by a tor.
q pedo, probably fired under the cover
Of darkness.
Though no mention is made of the
= proximity of the great British high
d seas feet, it is conjectured that an
t other battle squadron raced to the
n scene of the combat at the first re
e port of fighting.
|. The arrival of this force is be
e lieved to have caused the Germans tx
dash back to their base.
What part submarines took in the
action is not known, further than the
Y British admiralty report that a Ger
d man submarine is believed to havt
: been rammed and sunk
d The British makes no mention o
/. probable loss of life. The German OF
n fetal report mentions two men res
q cued from the interchangeable and tht
picking up of members of the Mari
boroughs crew. A thousand mel
probably have been lost. The loss a:
l. a result of the sinking of the vessels
2 will total at least $4,000, 900.
v Germans Continue Attacks.