New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21
German Destroyers
Slip Past North Sea
Patrol and Destroy
Neutral Mer.
chantmen
1873 Officers and
Men Are Lost
Enemy Craft FleeWith-
out Trying to Save
Survivors-Eng.
lish Rescue
Them

LONDON, Oct. 2o.-Two swift. heav-
lily armed German comerce destroyers
came upon conveyed feet Of dozen
merchantmen in the North Sea or
Wednesday and sent two British de-
stroyers and nine OF the merchant yes
sells 20 the bottom. After this exploit
the raiders took % their heels. leaving
the crews Of the sinking vessels to
shift for themselves. Announcement
of the raid was made to-day b. the
British War Office.
Thirty Norwegian sailors we're among
those picked up b. the patrol boats
which FASTENED to the spot. All the
eighty-eight officers and men OF the
Mary Rose, one of the two destroycrs
sunk, went down with their vessel. ac-
cording to the official statement. but
later dispatches tell OF ten survivors
landed at Bergen.
With the Strongbow. the second de-
s;royer, forty-seven officers and men
were lost. Five Norwegian, one Dan
ish and three Swedish ships were sunk
before their crews realized that danger
was near.
..e-x-z,-Passsd- Patrol in Dark -
According to the War Office state
ment. the marauders took advantage Of
the lengthening holrssof darkness TO
slip past the patrol Aotillas. and were
equally fortuHsting in effecting their
return.
They were beyond doubt extremely
welfarmed, for. though the Mary Rose
and the Strongbow rallied immediatcl,
to the defence of thel. fock, the. were
sunk after wnat the Var Office terms
"a short and unequal engagement,
In come quarters .it-is believed thai
the sally into the North Sea was made
by way OF a diversion 20 concentrate
British efforts on guarding those waters
and forestsll any interference WIN
Germany's naval plans in the Baltic.
The apparent extension OF the subma
rine zone which trapped the United
States Army transport Antilles on the
same day that the convoy was attacked
might have been bade with the same
object in view, II l5 thought.
lne German account OF the affair
SAYS that the attacS was made IN the
territorial waters OF the shetland 81
ands. This is denied BY the War Of-
ice statement.
The Reuter- dispatch from Christi
..n .,tf- 81 no lie ~IfrU n
survivors Of the MARI Rose al Bergen
SAYS. also, tha, the men will not be in
termed, as they we're picked up By
Norwegian lfeboat while they were
clinging 20 two buoys.
British Official Deport
The text Of the Admiralty statemen,
giving the details of the North Sea
incden: reads:
Two very Fast and heavily armed
German raiders attacked a convoy IN
.he North Sea about midway between
+ thc Shetland Islands ard the Norwe-
gian coast on Wednesday. Two Brit
ish destfoyers, His Majesty's ships
Mary Rose. Lieutenant Commander
Charles Fox. aud Strongbow. Lieuten-
ant Commander Edward Brooke. which
/ once engaged the enemy vessels and
fought until they were sunk, after a
short and unequal engagement
Their gallant action held the Ger
man raiders sufficiently long 20 enable
three merchant vessels 10 effect their
escape"
Absndons Crews of Ships
Anxious 10 make good their escapo
before the British forces could inter
cept them. no effort wss made 10 rescue
the crews of the sunken British de-
stroyers. and the Germans left the
doomed merchant ships while these
we're still sinking. thus enabling the
British patrol craft. which arrived
shortly sfterward. TO rescue some
thirty Norwegisns and others, regard
ing whom the details are not yet
known. The German navy by this act
once more and further degraded itself
6y this disregard Of the historic chiv-
airy OF the sea.
The German official communiaue or
this subject states that the attack took
place within territorial waters IN the
ueighborhood Of the Shetland Islands
and that all the escort vessels. inelud
ing the destroyers. were sunk. with the
exception of one escort fishing steamer
The statement as 20 the locality OF the
attack is untrue. as is also the state
ment regarding the destruction OF the
escort vessels
"The enemy raiders succeeded IL
evading the British watching squad
rons on long. dark night. both on then
hurried outward dash and their home
ward flight.
at is regretted that all the eighty
eight officers and men of II. VI. 5. Mar.
Rose and forty-soven officers ard mel
OF n. NJ. s. Strongoow were LOST
CHRISTIANIA, Oct. 90 The admirs
in command reports the rescue o
thirty-seven men from the steamer
sunk BY the German raiders. The FOL
lowing details are given:
Rescued from Norwegian steamers