Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-23
ENGLISH DENY
Loss OF SHIP
DOVER FIGHT
Germans Claim to Have
Captured Vessel in Naval
Engagement
Two Teutonic Torpedo boat
Destroyers Fail to
Return.

"A local newspaper learns that
both the German desxoyers sunk
in the baltic OF Dover were of tho
apiece. Two other dcstroyers were
heavily damaged and numerous
wounded sailors vert brought to
Bruges on Saturday,.
said to have left Zeebrugge about
Z O'Clock on Friday night The
greatest activity was apparent about
the Belgian base yesterday and to-
day. Searchlights yer being
worked vigorously and rockets wcrc
going up at frequent intervals.
Berlin, April 20, (via London)-
AFTER a naval. engagement Friday
| night to the east of Dover" says an
official statement issued yesterday by
the German admiralty 1.-TWO German
torpedo boat destroycrs the G-S5 and
GAP are reported to have been lost"
The German destroyer GAP was one
of eleven vessel of this type built at
the Krupp-Germania yard in 1914.
The vessel displaced $40 IONS and
and men. She was an oil burner and
had a normal speed of 80 IL knots.
The G-S5 was a destroyer of a still
later type.
Many Dead.
London. April 23.-Reynolds'
weekly newspaper says that at Dover
% German and 20 British dead lie in
the marke hall. The crowds hooted
the German survivors from the sunk
en- destroyers when they landed on &C
count of the sinking of hospital ships
by German submarines.
A German official statement de-
scribing the recent naval raids in the
English channel says that a British
ed, that a British scouting vessel was
sunk by a torpedo n that several
others were heavily damaged and one
probably sunk. The German state
ment also say that no enemy war
ships were encountered south Of the
Thames and that the German Destroy
ers a to be content with bringing
in some prisoners from merchant
men. The Germans admit the loss of
two of their d~estroyers.
With respect to this statement, the
British admiralty a y that no Brit
ish vessels of any sort were sunk or
even seriously damaged and hat the
Germans captured only three men of
an abandoned barge.
The German statement reads:
German light forces on Friday
night advanced in the eastern chan
mel and toward the mouth Of the
Thames. The fortresses of Dover and
Calais were effectively taken under
fire at short range, with altogether
$50 shots. An outpost vessel met off
Dover was destroyed.
When, on the return, no other enc
es and Captain Gautier turned back
and cruised again toward the outlet
of the channel. They encountered
east OF Dover a greater number of
British destroyers and scouting yes
sells. Sharp engagements at the clos
est range occurred. One enemy scout
ing ship was sunk by a torpedo and
several others were heavily damaged
by artillery hits, and one probably
was sunk.
"Of our torpedo boats, the G-85
and GAP have not returned and must
be considered lost. All the other YES
sells returned unchanged without loss
es.
Portions Of our forces which push.
ed forward south of the Thames
mouth met no enemy war vessels and
could only bring in some prisoners OF
merchantmen"
The British admiralty appends tc
this communication the following:
The statement contained in the fore.
going are not in accordance with the
facts. No British vessels of any sor,
were sunk or even seriously damaged
The only British force that came Into
contact with the five German destroy.
ers was composed of two d~estroyers
Leaders, with the results already pub,
lished (two German destroyers ant
possibly three sunk; 10 German Off
GERS and 108 men saved.)
Calais is the western terminal o,
the main railroad artery that supple.
the British armies on the Lens-Arra!
battlefield in northwestern France
The town lies directly opposite tn,
British channel port of Dover nea,
which place five German destroyer
attempted a raid on British shipping
Friday night with the result that tw,
German ships and possibly three wer,
sunk by British patrol vessels.
1t has been suggested hat the OBJ
ject Of the Teuton naval raid was t,
interrupt h voyage of Premier Lloy,
George across the channel from tn
continent, where he had been in con
ference with the French and italian
prime ministers.
ssss
SPORT GOSSIP. 4