The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-06-03
GERMAN FLEET
WINS BIG VICTORY
Sinks IA British Warsbips in
the North Sea.
FEW SURVIVORS PICKED VI
Conflict Between Grand Sea Fleets
Ragged for Hours-The Official State
ments Conflicting.

London, June 3.-The grand fleets
of Germany and Great Britain at las'
have met in battle, and the sea war
riors of the kaiser have won great
victory.
alter months Of sea and scout duty
the two vast naval fighting forces mel
IN combat in the North sea In the
waters off Jutland on May 81, and
after an engagement lasting man!
hours more than a score OF fighting
craft had been sent to the bottom.
Reports from London and Berlin
conflict as to the number OF ships de
stroyed on each side, but there Is nc
denying that the British were the
heaviest losers in the battle.
London refutes the claim of light
losses by the Germans and says one
| German battle cruiser was destroyed
and one seriously damaged; one bat
tleship sunk and two light cruisers DO
| stroyed and a number of destroyers
sent to the bottom.
There were comparatively few sur
| viz ors and reports say only small mum
bers of German and British officers
and men had been picked up and were
! being taken into port.
The British craft sunk and admitted
| by the British admiralty follows: Bat.
tie cruisers Queen Mary, Invincible
| and lndefatigable. Cruisers Warrior
Defense and Black Prince. Destroy
ers Tipperary, Turbulent, Fortune
Sparrowhawk and Ardent
The British admiralty later announc
ed that eight British destroyers were
lost.
The announcement adds that of the
three German battle cruisers, either
the Derfflinger or LutZow was blown
up, another was seen to have been
disabled and a third to be seriously
| DANA aged.
The German losses as announced in
Berlin are: Battleship Pommern, cruis
ers Weisbaden and Frauenlob. Sew
eral destroyers
The British Statement.
The text of the British admiralty
announcement follows:
con the afternoon of Wednesday,
the 3Ist of May. a naval engagement
took place off the coast of Jutland. The
British ships on which the brunt OF
the lighting fell were the battle cruis
er feet, and some cruisers and light
cruisers, supported by four fast bat
tlesnips. Among these the losses were
heavy. The German battle feet, aided
by low visibility, avoided a prolonged
action without main forces. AS soon
as they appeared on the scene the enc
my returned to port, though not be-
fore receiving severe DAMAGE from
our battlesnipS.
'"The battle cruisers Q eel Mary
Indefatigable and Invincible and the
cruisers Defense and Black Prince
were sunk The Warrior was disabled
and after being towed for some time
had to be abandoned b. her crew. L
is also known that the destroyers Tip
perary, Turbulant, Fortune, Sparrow
hawk and Ardent were lost and six
others are not yet accounted for. No
British battleships or light cruisers
were sunk.
1.-THE enemy's losses were serious
At least one battle cruiser was de
stroyed and one was severely damag
ed. One battleship is reported to have
been sunk by our destroyers. During
the night attack two light cruisers
were disabled and probably sunk. The
exact number of enemy destroyers dis
posed of during the action cannot be
ascertained with any certainty, but
must have been large"
A despatch from Rotterdam to the
Reuters Telegram company reported
the tugboat Schelde entering the New
Waterway with dead and wounded
men from the naval battle. A steam
trawler also was reported on the way
to Ymuiden with fifteen rescued Ger
mans, including three officers.
The German admiralty statement al
so declares that the British battleship
Marlborough was hit by torpedo, this
being confirmed by the prisoners res
cued Several of the German ships
rescued parts of the crews of the Brit
ish ships which were sunk, they in
Guiding, it is said, two men from the
Indefatigable, the only survivors from
that ship.
On rhe German side the small cruis
er Wlesbaden was sunk by gunfira, and
the Pommern was sent to the bottom
by a torpedo. The fate of the Frau
enlob is not known and several rpe
do boats did not return. The German
high sea fleet, the statement adds, re-
turned to port June 1.
Admiral Hebbingliaus, director OF
the admiralty, told the Reichstag that
the British torpedo boat losses were
greater than had first been reported.
At least three of the destroyer flotilla
fagships, said Admiral Hebbinghaus,
and nine or ten other destroyers had
been sunk. Of these the batueship
Westfallen alone sank six.
| The German battleship Pommern
was sunk by a torpedo, the admiral
continued, and the Wiesbaden by ar
| tillery. The Frauenlob was last seen
by a German destroyer in a nigh. en-
counter, with a heavy list, and the
| admiral said it was assumed she had
been sunk.
/ mo complete statement of our dam
/ ages or losses yet has been received"
! he said in conclusion. "Of course,
some Of our ships were severely dam
aged. The main portion of our fleet
returned to harbor with the men in
splendid spirits. Our men, ships and
guns stood the test of battle we'll"
The German Statement.
The text of the German admiralty
report, which is dated June l, says:
During an enterprise directed to
the northward our high sea fleet on