New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-26
,.,o English Destroyers
n.feat Six German Ships
Of Dover
u;dshipman Halls
Teuton Attack
u.lmsman Refuses to Re
port Wound Until
He Faints

,.-sor. April %. Two British de-
o., patrol duty in the English
80, Of Dover on the night o.
o. came upon a fotilla OF SIX
81 5es,rovcrs. There ensued an
&C. 60 which Will live long in the
- % naval engagements. German
'.... -. were torpcdoed and rammcd'
'-'' ,no aboard the combatants was
NS5 -. weeping tho decks and tear
- -. +. the sides Of the opposing
:. - A British and German destroyer
-. =. locked together while the men
~ turiously in hSnd-tO-hand
h,;ls. MOD de-
-, climbed aboard one Of the
- boats. and d midshipman fought
-. h,,k with an automatic revolver
Ger. killed or driven again INTO
~ ~, ., By British jackies who came to
a, ridshipmAn's aid.
=. British destrOyers were the
IN and the Broke. and, although
-..,ived many wounds, they re-
- :. 70 port. The story Of the en-
-.,,,,nt compiled from the accounts
= 1ne,rs and men, has been made
AZ, in the form Of an official report
e., exciting and graphic story OF
harding encounter with cutlasses
,,von,ts. recalling the days when
-, Wsrships came together ana
-. fought on the decks. ,s
n, two British destroyer leaoers :
=. ,;sht patrol. we're steam'ng on d
..,.stlv course. IL was intensely
- bst calm. The Swift sighted the
- a. 500 yards. and the Germans
'- -. opened fire. There were SIX
80 destroyers. according 10 Ger,
49, ~. r-isoners The Swift replied and
- ~ ram the leading enemy oe-
+.,v,r She missed rammlng' ou'
rtt through inc Gtl ii'@''
..,sed. and. IT. turning, neatly ior-
,.s,sd another boat IN the enemy me.
t,aip the Swift dashed at the lesder,
-.sb again eludcd her and fed win
-t Swift IN pursuit IL
!, the meantime the Broke had
.snebed torpedo az the second boat
-bs line. which hit the mark, and
.ss opeped fire with every possible
an. The remaining German boats
.rt stokiag furiously for full speed.
The Broke's commander swung
rocnd 10 port and rammed the tnlrd
.st fair and square abreast the after
-nel Locked together thus. the TWO
if, fought 2 desperate hand &c hand
.sict The Broke swept the enemy S
las a. poin, blank range with every
g. from main armament 20 pompon,
um, rife and pistol.
IEo other German destroyers at
l,ssi and poured a devastating fire
the Broke, whose foremost gun
-sgs were reduced from eighteen 10
n zen MidshIpman Donald Gyles,
slough wounded in the eye, kept all
'i foremost guns IN action, he him
III assisting the depleted crews 20
ca! While he was TINS employed a
.rbsr Of frenzied Germans swarmed
. uu the Broke's forecastle out Of the
1rnsd destroyer. and, finding them
slvss amid the binding flashes Of the
-tSstle guns, swept aft in 4 shouting
-tb.
Boy Met Onslaught
The nidshipman. amid the dead and
1lsn5ed Of his own gun crews, and
n.i blinded By blood, met the onset
liglt handed with an automatic re-
NlTer. He was grappled by a German,
10 tired 10 wrest the revolver away.
..illsses and bayonets being among
z British equipment in anticipation
such an event. the German WAS
rp1ply bEyoneted by Seaman lngle-
~. The remainder OF the invaders,
r,spt two who feigned death, were
'7Vsn over the side, the two beng
stsn prisoner.
Two minutes after ramming, the
rae vrenched herself free from her
'nng adversary and turned 10 ram
~ last Of the three remaining Ger
IA boats. She failed in this object,
:. IN swinging around succeeded IN
'tag the boats consort on the stem
~ a torpedo. Holly engaged with
,as two fleeing destroyers. the Broke
t9npted 20 follow the Swift in the
s't'uon she was last seen, but a