Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-10-11
GERMAN NAVAL REVOLT
CAPTAIN oe Wes,falen Thrown Over
board and Drowned - kaisers
Severity Checked by Chancellor.

Wilhelmshaven about six weeks ago
is reported in Contra! News dis
patch from Copenhagen. This up
, rising is said to have had all the
elements of widespread and ur-
saniZed revolt. and To have been
suppressed only with the greatest
difficulty.
Several mutin6us outbreaks also
are reported to have occuled among
soldiers at the front. These were not
of so grave a character, the dis
patch says.
Amsterdam, Oct IA mutiny
among the crews Of four battleshipS
Of the German fleet has occurred al
Wilhelmshaven. One Of these bat
tieships was the Westfa!en, whose
CAPTAIN was thrown overheard and
drowned The crews landed. Marines
refused to fire on them. whereupon
soldiers surrounded the sailors, wno
surrendered.
4 mutiny is also reported To have
occurred on the German warsnip
Nurnbery, which was AT sea. The
men seized the officers and proceeded
in the direction of Norway, with the
intention of being intened. The
Nurnberg was overtaken. by des-
trovers and forced to surrender.
Emperor William went to VIII
helmshaven and ordered that one out
of every seven mutlneerS be shot.
Chancellor Michaelis protested. with
tie result that only three were shot.
Heavy sentences were imposed on
The others.
The Kaiser's visit to Wilhelms-
haven in company with Chancellor
ALichaelis was made after the mu-
tiny had teen suppressed. The Cham
cellor's objection to the f.mperor's
order was on the ground that ne
cuuld not assume such responsibility
before the keichstag.
one of the reasons Tor the mutihY
was bad and Inadequate food.
Washington. Oct ll.--Few dis
matches since the war began nave
created more interest at the Navy
Department than yesterdays report
from Amsterdam telling of revolt
in the GERMAN. Navy. Officers un'
hesitatingly declared that the story
was one Of the most encouraging
signs of the year for the Allies and
probably one Of the most omrnous
from the German view. They poIh1-
ed out that. while the Allied powers
have noted repeatedly recently IN
their official statements that the
morale of the German troops was
declining, and observers have DeIleV-
cd that the end would some IN 1000
and labor riots or perhaps IN poll
,;cal revolt. there has been nothing
to suggest that the iron discipline
,f The German military system ha'
I,st It's hold over the fighting NIL
lion; in the slightest degree
The declining morale on the west
erp front noted, it was sad mas
shaun itself in the feeble character
of counter-attacks as compared 10
the all but irresistible drive a year
o A..,ult after assault has dash
od ;t.elf to pieces before the treheh
and British trenches. The revolt N
the navy, these officers SAID was
r,or. serious matter for Germany.
rh. sailors generally have not been
subjected to the batter1ng OF l"e
r,,ns day after day. month a''sr
north They insisted that il there i
d;scontent among the SaiI"rs WIN
their condition it must be even great
ar in the army.
As one possible expiana''o" 'i '"e
navy revolt, they pointed out 'n"'
ovor since submarine warfare was
started by the Germans the hF'Ii>"
have adopted the consistent po'ies
IF suppressing information as to tne
fate of the submarines sent to the
ibottom by their patrols. The pol'cy
was adopted as deliberate metnoo
of breakin. down the morale OF '''e
submarine crews.
Crews of the U-Boats are under
stood 70 be drafted from the mgr
seas fleet as needed. The blgtShips
are practically idle. They have done
little since the North sea night bus
.team out to target practice benlnH
mine protected zones. For the men
of the ships there has been little nut