The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-26

Harbor, April GA correspondent
visited the cruiser Vindictive as the
guest of Capt. Alfred f. B. Carpenter,
who commanded her in the expedition
against the German submarine base ut
Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast.
Captain Carpenter received the cor
respondent with his arm in sling
from shell splinter wound.
Aim to Distract Guns.
In the course of an account of the
part taken by the Vindictive in the
raid Captain Carpenter said:
"Our chief purpose in the expedition
was To distract the attention of the
battery while the block ships ran in,
especially the battery of 11-inch guns
which occupied commanding posi-
tiOn at the tip of the mole.
Had Buffer Ready.
Exactly according to the plan, we
run alongside the mole, approaching
it on the port side.
''As there was nothing for us to tie
up to we merely dropped anchor there,
while the Daffodil kept us against the
mole with her nose against the Oppo-
site side of our ship.
I'm the fairly heavy sea two of our
three gangwayS were smashed, but
the third held, and 500 men swarmed
up this on to the mole.
They swarmed up the steel gang
way, carrying hand grenades and
Lewis guns. No Germans succeeded
in approaching the gangway, but a
hard hand-to-hand fight took place
about 200 yards up the mole toward
the shore.
Bridge Under Heavy Fire.
'The Vindictive's bow was pointed
toward the shore so the bridge got the
full effect Of enemy fire from the shore
batteries. One shell exploded against
the pilOt-hOuse, killing nearly all of
it's ten occupants.
Another burst in the fighting top,
killing a lieutenant and eight men
who were doing excellent work with
two pompoms and four machine guns
'The battery of eleven-inch guns
at the end of the mole was only 2OC
yards away and it kept trying to reach
us. The shore batteries also were dill.
gent.
Ships Are Sunk in Canal.
Meanwhile the Daffodil continued
to push us against the wall as if no
battle was on, and if the Daffodil had
failed to do this none of the members
of the landing party would have been
able to return to the ship.
Zone of the block ships stranded
outside Of the canal, but the two 9th
ers got 200 or 800 yards inside, where
they were successfully sunk across the
the entrance.
Dives, Blows Up Viaduct.
Fifteen minutes after the Vindic.
tive arrived alongside the mole our
submarine exploded under the viaduct
connecting the mole with the main.
land.
''The Germans had sent a consider
able force to this viaduct as soon as
the submarine arrived, and these men
were gathered on the viaduct attack.
ing our submersible with machine
"When the explosion occurred the
yiaduct and Germans were blown ur
together. The crew of the submarine
consisting of six men, escaped OF
board a dinghy to motor launch.
Siren Calls Men Back.
"The German fire was very hot all
the time we lay alongside the mole
At times the German guns reached as
high as 40 shots minute.
"Half an hour after the block ships
went in we received the signal tc
withdraw. The Vindictive's siren was
blown, and the men returned from al.
parts of the mole and thronged dowr
the gangway. We put off after havine
laid alongside just about an hour.
'The Germans made no effort tc
interfere with our getaway other thar
TO continue their heavy firing"