, 1916-06-07

destroyers and cruiser fotillas. The most
adequate story of the fight obtainable came
late Yesterday from the Admiralty when one
Of the high Officials authorized this version
of events: We can only say that we were
looking for q fight when our fleet went out.
Stories that it was decoyed by the Germans
are sheerest nonsense. In a word, with an
inferior feet we engaged the entire German
High Seas Fleet, interrupted their plan ana
drove them back into their harbours. In
carrying out the plan decided upon we sui
fered heavy losses which we expected, but
we also attained the expected result OF fore
ing the enemy to abandon his plan and seek
refuge after we had given battle to him in his
waters near his coast. With the exceptions
of two divisions part of which was only par
TALLY engaged. the brunt of the battle was
borne by the battle cruiser feet and, with one
exception, our Battle Fleet is ready for sea
service. [ must admit that we had excep-
tionally hard luck with our battle cruisers,
but the temporary disablement OF these three
great slips does not in any measure cripple
our control of the sea. The great battle had
four phases. The first opened at q quarter
past three O'Clock i'll the afternoon when our
battle cruisers at a range of six miles joined
action with the German battle cruisers.
Shortly afterward the second phase began
with the ARRIVAL on UOtu SIZES VI GA0 QuthC-
ships, the Germans arriving first. But before
their arrival our three battle cruisers had been
blown up, suppo eddy as the result OF gun-fire,
though. possibly they met their fate from
torpedoes. Such close range fighting with
battle cruisers might be criticized as bad tao
tics, but our fleet, following the traditions of
the Navy, went out to engage the enemy and
on account of weather conditions could do so
only at short range. The third phase was the
engagement of battleships which never was
the more than partial. This phase included q
running fight as the German dreadnoughts
fed toward their base. All the big ship
fighting was over by hfteeh minutes after
nine in the evening. Then came one OF the
most weird features Of the battle as German
destroyers made attack like infantry follow
ing artillery preparation on our big ships,
but these onslaughts were singularly futile
not a single torpedo launched by them get
ting home. With the morning these attacks
ended and the scene of the battle was swept
by Admiral Jellicoe's fleet. Not a single
enemy vessel remained in sights. Until we
get Admiral Jellicoe's complete report we
can give only fragmentary incidents of the
great bate. Amongst these is the torpedo
ing of the super-dreadnought "Marlborough'
which is now safely in barbour. She must
have struck a veritable hornets nest of SUD
marines as by skinful manouvrings she
avoided three of these before she was finally
hit. EARLY in the engagement according
to Admiral Beatty's report a German battle
cruiser after being holly engaged, blew up
and broke in. two. Officers of the feet also
reported passing q closely engaged German
battle cruiser which was left behind when the
British pursued the Germans. On their re-
turn this vessel was missing. Judging from
her previous plight she must now be at the
bottom of the sea. This accounts for two of
the enemy's battle cruisers, and we have their
admission that they have lost two battleships.
The Admiralty has a report of the sinking of
four German light cruisers and the Germans
have acknowledged the lost of six destroy
ers. There is every good hope that the Ger
man loss is even greater but we do not
intend to make any estimates until we
have complete Official reports from our
Commanders, who do not report the loss
of antagonists without definite evidence.
Weather conditions were such that it is
doubtful whether any aircraft would have
been of much service. The enemy sprang
no surprise. We saw nothing of any II
inch guns. No tricks were used which we're
not already known in naval warfare. The
weather conditions were the hardest bit of