The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-26
DRIIONS v|CTORS
IN MOSQUITO
flttI FIGHT
Two Destroyers Defeat Six German
Craft Off Dover
SEANER CLASH HIND TO HAND
Official Report Says Only Two of the
German Ships Escaped
destruction.

London, April 25-Two British de
stroyers on patrol duty in the English
channel Off Dover on the night oil
April 20 came on a flotilla of six Ger
man destroy ers and then ensued an en-
counter which will live long in the
history of naval engagements. Ger
man destroyers we're torpedoed end
rammed; every gun aboard the com,
batants was working. sweeping the
decks and tearing gaps in the sides
of the opposing craft. A British and
German destroyer were locked togeth'
er and the men fought furiously III a
hand-to-hand battle.
German seamen of rammed de-
stroyer climbed aboard one of the
British boats, and midshipman
fought them back with an automatic
pistol. They were killed or driven
again into the sea by British jackies
who came to the midshipman aid.
The British destroyers were the
Swift and the Broke. and, although
they had received much damage, they
returned to port. The story of the
engagement compiled from the ac-
counts OF officers and men, has been
made public in the form of an official
report
The British destroyer leaders, Swift
and Broke. on night patrol, were
steaming westward 1t was intensely
dark, but calm The Swift sighted the
enemy at 500 yards and the Germans
instantly opened fire, There were six
German destroyers, according to Ger
man prisoners. The Swift replied and
tried to ram the leading enemy des-
troyer. 1t missed ramming, but shot
through the German line unscathed
and in turning. neatly torpedoed an
other boat in the enemy line.
Again the Swift dashed at the lead
er, which again eluded II and fled, the
Swift in pursuit.
In the meantime the Broke had tor
pedoed the second boat in the line,
and then opened fire with every pos
sible gun. The remaining German
boats were stoking furiously for full
speed.
The Broke's commander swung to
port and rammed the third boat fair
and square abreast the after funnel.
Locked together thus, the two boats
fought a desperate hand dto-hand con-
flict The Broke swept the enemy's
decks at point blank range with every
gun from main armament to pompom,
Maxim, rifle and pistol.
Two other German destroyers at
tackled and poured devastating fire
in the Broke, whose foremost gun
crews were reduced from eighteen to
six men Midshipman Donald Gyles,
although wounded in the eye. kept all
the foremost guns in action, himself
assisting the depleted crews to load.
While he was thus employed, num-
Der of frenzied Germans swarmed up
over the Broke's forecastel out of the
rammed destroyer and, finding them
selves amid the blinging flashes OF
the forecastle guns, swept aft in a
shouting mob
The midshipman, amid the dead and
wounded of his own gun crews and
half blinded by blood, met the onset
single handed with an automatic pis-
toll A German grappled with him
and tried to wrest the weapon away.
Cutlasses and bayonets being among
the British equipment, the German
was pormptly bayonetted by Seasman
Ingleson. The remainder of the in
vaders, except two feigned death,
were driven over the side. the two be-
ing taken prisoner
Two minutes after ramming the
Broke wrenched herself free from its
adversary and turned to ram
the last of the three remaining Ger
man boats. 1t failed in this object,
but in swinging around, succeeded in
hitting the boats consort on the stem
with a torpedo. Hotly engaged with
these two fleeing destroyers, the
Broke attempted to follow the Swift in
the direction she was last seen, but a
she'll struck the Brokes boiler room,
disabling its main engines.
The enemy then disappeared in the
darkness. The Broke, altering its
course, headed toward destroyer,
which few minutes later was seen
to be heavily aflre and whose crew.
on sighting the British destroyer, sent
up shouts for mercy. The Broke
steered slowly toward the German,
regardless of the danger from a pos.
sible explosion of the magazines, and
the German seamen redoubled their
shouts of Save me! save! save!" and
then unexpectedly opened fire. The
Broke, being out of control. was I'M
able to manoeuyre or extricate itself. |
but silenced the treachery with four
rounds; then, to ensure its own safe |
", torpedoed the German amidships.
Meanwhile, the Swift continued the
but slight injuries received
EARLIER in the action prevented it from