Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-24
ADMIRAL GEOOES
TELLS Of RAID
ON SUB BASES
INTRICATE PLANS FOR ATTACK
ON osTENp AND zEEeRUGGE
HARaORS.
MANY VOLUNTEER FOR
HAZARDOUS UNDERTAKING
Dangerous Expedition Eagerly partic.
ipated in by Blue ackets and Ma
rines-Ma tsriaI Damage Done and
Entrance to Bruses Canal Be-
ieveo to Have Been Effectively
Blocked.

GHkFdHS0 10 SiSSCS Sd'o' &c
, Iieved to Have Been Effectively
Blocked.
vsndon. April 24.-Sir Eric Geddes.
first lord of the admiralty, told The
house Of commons of the intrepid 81
in the early morn against ZeeOrugge
and ostend, German U-boat bases on
the Belgian coast, and said in giving
the house such information as had
come to hand Of this extremely gal
liant and hazardous raid:
Il ask the members TO appreciate
that most OF the officers and men
from whom We have got 10 get the
information have been lighting the
greater part Of the night and that
some OF them are not yet IN.
Reyes in Command.
The raid was undertaken under
command OF Vice Admiral Roger
Keyes, commanding al Dover. French
destroyers co-operated With the Brit
ism forces.
Six obsolete cruisers, all from %
to 80 years old. took part IN the at
tack. They were the Brilliant, Sirius
Iphigenia, Intrepid. Thetis and Nlnd.c-
tive.
The first Ave Of these were filled
with concrete and were to be sunk in
the channel and entrances TO the TWO
ports if this could possibly De man
aged.
Carries Storm Party.
."Tne vindictive. working with TWO
ferry boats. carried stormtng and dem
,,ii::tssoa parties t. Storm the head OF
the mole which runs out from Zee
brugge.
The vindictive was specially fitted
for landing storming parties and was
armed specially for the purpose Win
flame throrers, Stokes nortars and
that sort Of thing.
Many Volunteer.
The men employed on the block
ships and in the storming and demoli-
ton parties on the Vindictive We're
pluejackets and marines picked from
large number Of volunteers from the
grand feet and naval and marine
depots.
There was great competition for
the undertaking, and we could only
use g very small proportion Of those
who volunteered.
There were light covering forces
belongin to the Dover command ano
Harwch forces under Admiral Tyr
whit, covering the operation in the
north. A force of monitors, together
with large number OF small motor
boats, took part in the operation,
which was particularly intricate and
had 70 pc worked to a timetable ano
involved delicate navigation on a
hostile coast without lights and large
~ under unknown navigational cond!-
tons developed since the war with
the added danger of mine fields.
Designer Of Raid Slain.
-IshouId Like to mention that the
officer who developed the operation
was killed.
1.-THE high development Of scientific
use of fog or smoke was one Of the
essentials to success. II was fog more
than smoke which, combined with Ger
tain wind conditions. was essential 10
the success OF the operation so as 70
protect the operation from batteries
which might have han}zed It.
"The plan was, after an intense
bomhardment OF Zeebrugge by the
monitors the Vindictive, with
auxiliaries, was to run alongside the
mole and attack It with gunire as
they approached. Storning and de-
uroiition parties were TO be landed.
Blow Up Old Submarines.
Meantime three block ships, assisted
by motor boats, were TO make for the
= p
be blown up. Two old and vaiueless
submarines, filed with explosive!
were 10 be run against the pile worF
connecting the masonry with the shore
in order TO cut off the mole from The
shore.
AT ostend the operation was more
simple, but the difficulties we're con.
siderably increased by mist, rain anc
low visibility and the consequent al.
sence of aerial cooperation.
The results thus far ars know u
De that two block ships we're ruT
ashore and blown up al Ostend. II J:
TOO early 70 say definitely whether rhe1
accomplished their object, but so "a
as the officers could see in the dark
ness they were slightly off the course
At Zeebrugge two OF three block snip:
attained their detectives. being sunk d
blown up at the entrance OF the CANA
The third grounded while passing in.
Torpedo Enemy Destroyer.
"A certain amount Of damage, th'
extent at present unknown, was donf
by gunfire and torpedo attacks on az
enemy destroyer and other craft lyins
at the mole. Coastal motor boats re
port having torpedoed an enemy de
stroyer which was trying 70 escapf
seward. One OF the two old subma
rines gained its objective and destroyed
the piling approach to the mole.
"Storrning parties from the vind:c'
tive and the ferryboats attacked Under
an extremely heavy fire and Tough
with the greatest gallantry. maintain
7 ing their position alonside the mol'
for an hour and causing, It is believed
much damage to the enemy and IN
fiicting considerable losses. The objec,
tives for the storming and demolition
parties on the mole were the enemt
forces holding it and the battery upoI
it. as well as the destroyer and subma
rine depots and the large seaplane bas'
upon it.
AFTER re-embarking their landins