New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-19
p,;,;sh Warships Repel
Austrian Dash in Straits
of Otranto
II Minor Vessels
Are Reported Sunk
British, French and Italians
in Fight; Cruiser
Torpedoed

Ioncon, May ls.-An ar sea anu u"-
s,,.ssa running battle at dawn on
T..sS.v between Teuton and British,
r,sneb and Italian naval forces in the
s.-,;ts of Otrsnto. in which fourteen
u.;,;,b drifters and three Italian craft
.,.s sunk. the British cruiser Dart
rou,b was torpedoed and two OF the
,n,,,isn vessels were damaged, is re-
~.,,.d By the British Admiralty here
-. = official statements from Vienna
and Rome.
The Allies have recently been active
+, The lower Adriatic in clearing out
.u..rian submarines, submarine bases
,,s mines. snd the Admiralty report
,,v.sl, that British war craft and mine
.,..ns,rs. called drifters, had joined in
"a, snerstions. Austrian light cruisers
and destroyers. in a swift dash from
-, h.se At Cattaro, attempted to
sr,,k the line OF British guard craft,
and succeeded in sending fourteen OF
,,,u N the bottom before the main
Allied Aotilla reached the scene.
British Ships Come to Rescue
The British ships Bristol and Dart
rop,b steamed to the rescue and pur-
,O.d the attacking squadron TO its pro-
- Irss Withdrawing before ap-
,-o.ehinr Austrian battleships. Evil
s,,,Ir. however. a trap had been laid
,,s the Dartmouth received a torpedo
from German submarine. She failed
,.sipk and reached port safely. though
q, loss OF one British cruiser IS
s,ired bv the Austrisns, as well as
Il, destruction Of Italian dcstroyers'
..aw merchantmen and twenty armed
-sElers.
During the chase battle in the air
h,wcen Austrian and Italian ficrs de-
rslopcd over the speeding warships'
The Italian armen declare that their
bombs set ono Of the Austrian cruisers
sire
The British statement reads:
The Admiralty announces that from
,,ports received from the rear admiral
commanding the Adriatic SQUADRON
supplemented by the Italian ofhcial COM
munication. * appears that cruisers, SUD-
seouenily reinforced by destroyers. rslo.
ed the Allied drifter line and succeeded
IN sinking fourteen British drifters,
from which. according 10 the Austrian
communication, seventy-two prisoners
we're taken.
Airmen Bomb Warships
"His maiesty's ship Dartmouth. with
the Italian rear admiral aboard, ana
II. NJ. S. Bristol Immediately chased the
enemy of. assisted by French and ite,-
ian destroycrs. The chase continued,
with the enemy under heavy and con-
iinuous fire. until near Cattaro, when,
some enemy bat.leships coming out IN
support Of their cruisers, our vessels
drew Oft.
italian sirmen, after battle in the
air, attacked the Austrian wsrsnips
outside Csttsro and confidently aihrm
that one Of the cnemy's cruisers was
on FIRE and being taken in tow of Cat
'sro in q sinking condition. One other
Of the enemys cruisers was Ieporte
by the British admiral as badly dam
aged
During ncr passage back the Dart
mouth WAS struck by torpedo from
an enemy submarine. but returned into
port. with three men killed, one oficer
and four men missing and believed TO
be dead. and seven wounded. There
were no other casualties TO our ship'.'
Napsu Sends Gunboa''
In connection with the Alfred cam
psizn against German submarines II u.
reported from Paris that NUMBER OF
Japanese gunbosts have arrived at MAI
settles 20 aid in this work in the Med
i,srrancsn and convoy French mer'
ehsn,men. II the experiment has SAT
isfac,ory results. the japanese govern
men, has signifed its willingness 10 eN'
tend the operations and increase the
sotilla.