Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-24
Men Picked From Grand
Fleet Made Zebrugge
and OStend Attack

Fleet Made Zebrugge
and 0stend Attack
LONDON. April 23.-sir Eric Geddes
first lord Of the admiralty. in supple
menting the admiralty report on last
nights raid against Zeehrugge and
ostend, said, in giving the house Of
to hand Of this extremely gallant and
hazardous raid:
II ask the members to appreciate
that most of the officers and men from
whom We have got to get the informa-
ton have been fighting the greater
part Of the night and that some of
them are not yet in.
The raid was undertaken under
command of Vice Admiral Roger Reyes,
commanding at Dover French de-
stroyers co-operated with the British
forces. Six obsolete cruisers, all from
twenty to thirty years old. took part
in the attack.
They were the Brilliant. Sirius.
Iphfgenia, Intrepid. Thetis and Vim
dictfve.
The first i've of these were filled
with concrete and were to be sunk in
the channel and entrances to the two
ports. ii this could possibly be man
aged.
The vindictive. working with two
ferryboats, carried storming and de-
molition parties to 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
with flame throwers. Stokes mortars
and that sort of thing.
Men Picked From Grand Fleet.
The men employed on the block
ships and in the storming and demoii-
ton parties on the vindictive were
q large number OF volunteers from the
grand feet and naval and marine de-
pots. There was great competition for
the undertaking. and we could only
use a very small proportion OF those
There were light covering forces
belonging to the Dover command and
Harwfeh forces under Admiral Tyrwhitt
covering the operation in the north.
"a force of monitors, together with
a large number of very small motor
boats. took part In the operation, which
was particularly intricate and had to
be worked to a time table and involved
delicate navigation on a hostile coast
without lights and largely under un-
known navigattonal conditions de-
veloped since the war, with tho added
danger Of mine fields.
Officer Who Planned Is Killed.
IT should like to mention that the
ohlcer who developed the operation was
killed
The high development Of scientific
use of fog or smoke was one of the
essentials to success. It was more fog
than smoke. which. combined with Ger
tain wind conditions. was essential to
the success of the operation. 30 as to
/ protect the operation from batteries
which might have danked it
The plan was. after an intense bonn
bardment Of Zeebrugge by the mont
tors. the Vindictive, with auxiliaries.
was to run alongside the mole and at
ed. Storming and demolition parties
were to be landed. Meantime, three
| block ships. assisted by motor boats,
| were to make for the entrance to the
Two old and valueless submarines, I'LL
ed with explosives. were to run against
the pile work connecting the masonry
with the shore. in order to cut OF the
mole from the shore.
Action at ostend.
AT Ostend the operation was more
siderably increased by mist. rain and
| low visibility and the consequent alb.
| sence OF aerial cooperation.
The results thus tar are known to be
and blown up at ostend- 1t is too early
to say definitely whether they accom-.
plished their object. but 30 far as the
officers could see in the darkness they
were slightly off the course.
AT Zeebrugge two or three blockshipe
attained their objective. being sunk OF
blown up at the entrance Of the canal
The third grounded while passing in.
tent at present unknown, was done BY
gunfire and torpedo attack on an enemy
destroyer and other craft lying at the
mole. Coastal motor boats report hay.
ing torpedoed an enemy destroyer which
was trying to escape seaward. One Of the
two old submarines gained its objective
and destroyed the piling approach to the
mole.
Fought With Gallantry.
| "Storning parties from the yindictiye
| and the ferryboats attacked under ex.
tremely heavy fire and fought with the
greatest galla1try. maintaining their 20
sition alongside the mole for an houI
and causing, 1t is believed, much damage
to the enemy and inf1icting considerable
losses The detectives for the stormins
and demolition parties on the mole were
| the enemy forces holding it and the bat
terry upon it, as well as the destroyer and
! base upon it.
| HaecI Ie-enDdfkinS their landing
parties. the aforesaid three vessels
withdrew This attack primarily was
intended to engage the attention Of the
garrison on the mole, thereby allowing
the block ships to enter the harbor,
The casualties to this personnel. al
we had expected in a hazardous ad-
venture Of the kind. were heavy In
proportion to the number Of men en-
gagged. Up to today the British losses
reported are one destroyer sunk by
gunnre and two coastal motor boats
ana TWO launches missing.
| we have sufIicien. Information to
show that the entrance to the Bruees
canal probably was effectively blocked
that material damage was done, and
that the greatest credit is due to All
ranks for their galiantry"
| LONDON. April 24-Some of the
newspapers say that the officer refer
red to by Admiral Sir Eric Geddes. the
first lord of the admiralty, as having
developed the fog and smoke screen for
the British raiders on the Belgian coast
| submarine bases and as having been
killed In the attack was Acting wina
Commander Frank A. Brock. He was
the son of Q widely known fireworks
manufacturer. Young Brook entered
the naval air service in January. Ioio.
a. . flight lieutenant, become q di9ht
leomnandsr In 1915. and received the