The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-21
SINKS NINE CONvOyED SHIPS AND
TWO BRITISH DESTROyERs
IN ONE BATTLE
LOST FOUR zEPPELINS
French Shoot Down Huge Aerial YES
sells, and Belief Is That Five Were
Destroyed on Their Way Home From
Raids Over England.
Ry the Associated press,

Germany scored on the water in Sat
urday's news developments. which re.
corded the breaking up OF a merchant
convoy in the North Sea by raiding
cruisers that sank two British DESTROY
ors and nine of the twelve conveyed
ships.
Germany suffered disaster In the air,
however, when four and probably five
zeppelin airships. believed to be return
ing from the raid on England, were
brought down in French territory by
airplane and antiaircraft gunfire.
Cost l35 English Lives
The sea tragedy cost the British the
lives OF 1876 OF the officers and men
OF the destroyers, who were left to their
fate by the German raiders In their
haste to escape. as were the crews Of
the sinking merchantmen. About one
| hundred of the merchant sailors, how.
! ever, are known to have reached shore
| in boats or on British patrol craft.
All but three of the trading ships
were Of Scandinavian registry. most Of
them apparently being small vessels.
The character Of the raiding warships
Is not exactly apparent. The British
admiralty describes them as very fast
and heavily armed while Berlin, in its
report, refers 10 them as light sea
fighting forces' They escaped vigilance
OF British guard ships under cover of
darkness. both on their outward azd
homeward trips
All the officers and men of the Mary
Rose and the Strongbow were lost. The
statement declares untrue the German
story to the effect that the attack oc-
Cured in the territorial waters or the
Shetland island.
The hostile raiders, Il appears, sue
ceeded in evading the British watchers
on dark nights on both the outward and
the homeward dash.
The admiralty statement giving the
details of the North Sea incident reads:
Two fast and heavily armed German
raiders attacked a convoy in the North
sea about midway between the Shetland
islands and the Norwegian coast on
Two British destroyers,
his majesty's ships Mary Rose. Lieu
tenant Commander Charles Fox, and
Lieutenant Commander Ed
ward Brooke. which formed the anti.
enemy vessels and fought until they
were sunk after a short and unequal
engagement.
Three Vessels Escape.
Their gallant action held the Ger
man raiders sufficiently long to enable
three merchant vessels to effect their
escape
Anxious to make good their escape
before British forces could intercept
hem. no effort was made by the Ger
mans to rescue the crews Of the sunken
lestroyers and the Germans left the
doomed merchant ships while these
we're still sinking, thus enabling the
British patrol craft, which arrived
hortly afterward, to rescue some thirty
and others. regarding whom
he details are not known. The Ger
nan navy by this act, once more and
urther degraded itself by this disregard
# the historic chivalry of the sea.
Denies German Report.
The German official communique on
his subject states that the attack took
lace within territorial waters in the
of the Shetland islands.
nd that all the escort vessels, including
he destroyers, were sunk with the ex-
option of one escort fishing steamer.
'he statement as to the locality of the
ttack is untrue, as Is also the state
nent regarding destruction of the es-
ort vessels
''The enemy raiders succeeded in
vading the British watching squadrons
IN long dark nights. both on their hur-
led outward dash and their homeward
light.
1T is regretted that all OF the eighty
light officers and men of II. NJ. s. Mary
Rose and the forty-seven officers and
men of Fl. NJ. S. Strongbow were lost"
Official German Report.
Regarding the raid. the official Ger
nan statement reads:
"On Wednesday. our light sea fight
ng forces on the coast of the North
ca in territorial waters near the Shet-
and island, attacked a convoy bound
rom Norway to England. consisting
{ Is vessels. including by way OF pro-
ection two modern British destroyers.
i-29 and G-31.
IAN the ships of the convoy and the
vessels, including the destroy
RS. were destroyed with the exception
4 an escorting fishing steamer. Our
ighting forces returned without loss
II damage"
A message from Christiania. Norway.
ays:
"Of twelve ships sailing in convoy
rom Norway to England and sunk on
,ctober IL by German cruisers. five