The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-26
DESTR0YERS IN
HAND-T0- HAND
BATTLE At SEA
Speedy Warships Locked
Together, Crews Use Cut
lasses and Bayonets.

| ldSS0S d1IO DdyO1A0O0'
London, April 26-Two British de-
stroyers on patrol duty in the Eng
lish Channel off Dover on the night
of April 20 came upon a 1lotllla OF
six German destroyers and an en-
counter which will live long the
history of naval engagements follow
ed. German destroyers were torpe-
doed and rammed. Every gun aboard
the combatants was working, sweep
| ing the decks and tearing gaps in
British and German destroyer were
| locked together and the men Iougnt
furiously hand to hand.
German seamen of a rammed de-
stroyer climbed aboard one of the
| British boats and q midshipman
fought them back with an automatic
revolver. They were killed or driven
again into the sea by British blue
Jackets who came to the m1dship-
mans aid.
Official Story of Fight
The British destroyers were the
wifi and the Broke. Although bad
y damaged they returned to port. The
tory of the engagement, computed
ION the accounts of officers and
aen, has been made public in the
orm of an official report. 1t is an
xciting and graphic story OF a board
ng encounter with cutlasses and
,ayonets, recalling the days When
vooden warships came together and
he men fought on the decks.
The Swift and the Broke on might
or
course 1t was intensely dark but
calm The Swift sighted the enemy
at 500 yards and the Germans in
stantly opened fire. There were six
German destroyers according to Ger
man prisoners. The Swift replied
and tried to ram the leading enemy
destroyer She missed ramming, but
shot through the German line un-
scathed, and in turning torpedoed
another boat in the enemy line. Again
the Swift dashed at the leader, which
once more eluded her and fled, with
the Swift in pursuit.
! Rams German Boat
In the meantime the Broke had
! launched a torpedo at the second boat
in the 1ine, which hit the mark, and
then opened fire with every possible
gun. Tie remaining German boats
were stocking furiously for full speed.
The Broke's commander. swung round
to port and rammed the third boat
fair and square abreast the after fun
mel. Locked together thus, the crews
of the two boats fought desperate
hand to hand conflict
The Broke swept the enemy's decks
at point blank range with every gun
from main armament to pompom,
maxim, rifle and pistol.
Two other German destroyers at
tackled and poured a devastating fire
on the Broke. whose foremost gun
crews were reduced from eighteen to
six men. Midshipman Donald Gyles,
although wounded in the eye, kept all
the foremost guns in action, he him
self assisting the depleted crews to
load. While he was thus employed a
number of frenzied Germans swarm
ed up over the Brokes forecastle out
Of the rammed destroyer and, finding
themselves amid the binding flashes
Of the forecastle guns, swept aft in a
shouting mob.
With Cutlass and Bayonet
The midshipman, amid the dead
and wounded Of his own gun crews
and half blinded by blood, met the
onset single handed with an automat-
/ ic revolver. He was grappled by a
German who tried to wrest the re-
volver away. Cutlasses and bayents
being among the British equipment In
anticipation Of such an event, the
German was bayoneted by Seaman
Ingleson. The remainder OF the IN
vaders except two who feigned death
were driven over the side, the two
being made prisoners.
| Two minutes after ramning, the
Broke wrenched herself free from
her sinking adversary and turned to
ram the last of the three remaining
German boats. She failed in this OBJ
ject, but in swinging around, succeeded
in hitting the boats consort on the
stem with a torpedo. Holly, engaged
with these two fleeing destroyers. the
Broke attempted to follow the Swift
in the direction she was last seen, but
shell struck the Broke's boiler room,
disabling her main engines.
Germans Use Treachery
The enemy then disappeared in the
| darkness. The Broke altering her
course, headed in the direction OF a
destroyer, which q few minutes later
| was seen to be heavily afire. Her
crew, on sighting the British destroy
err, sent up shouts for mercy. The
Broke steered slowly toward the Ger
man regardless Of the danger from a
possible explosion Of the magazines.
and the German seamen redoubled
their shouts Of "Save! save!" and
then Unexpectedly opened fire.
The Broke, being out Of control.
was unable to maneuver or extricate
herself, but silenced the treachery
with four rounds; then, to insure her
own safety, torpedoed the German
amidships.
Meanwhile the Swift continued her
pursuit, but slight injuries which she
received earlier in the action prevent
ed her from maintaining full speed,
SO she abandoned the chase and
sought fresh quarry. Sighting the
outline Of a stationary destroyer,
from which shouts were heard, the
Swift approached warily with her
guns trained, to find that it was the
destroyer which had already been
rammed by the Broke. The Germans