New-York tribune., 1918-04-24
Fog and Smoke
Screen Hid Advance
OF Raiding Ships

LONDON, April 23.-The British
navy struck to-day at the German
submarine bases in Belgium and sue
ceeded, partially at least, in blocking
up the U-boats' gates to the sea.
Under cover Of a heavy smoke and
fog screen destroyers and light aux
iliary craft drove in at Ostend and
Zeebrugge towing obsolete cruisers
filled with concrete, and attempted to
sink these at the mouths of the
canals leading from these ports to
the heart of Germany's undersea
operations at Bruges.
At Zeebrugge they fought whirl-
wind action, aaoat and ashore, and
were able to blow up and sink two
out of three of the concrete laden
ships at the entrance to the canal.
Results of the attack on Ostend
have not been definitely determined.
1t is believed that this was not as
successful as the other.
In reporting to the House of Com
mons on the action Sir Eric Geddes,
First Lord of the Admiralty, de-
clared:
"We have sufficient informa-
ton to show that the entrance to
the Bruges Canal probably was eff
fectively blocked, that material
damage was done and that the
greatest credit is due to all ranks
for their galantry."
Admiralty Statement
The Admiralty issued this state
ment:
early this morning a naval raid
was made on Ostend and Zeebrugge,
which are being used by the enemy
as destroyer and submarine bases.
Our forces are returning. and the
scanty information SO far received
is to the effect that the raid met
with a reasonable measure Of sue
cess.
with the exception of covering
ships, the force employed consisted
Of auxiliary vessels and six obsolete
cruisers. Five of these cruisers,
filled with concrete, were used as
block ships, and. after being run
aground, were, in accordance with
orders, blown up and abandoned by
the crews A further communicate
will be issued when reports have
been received from the ships which
are now returning to their bases.
"No report of casualties has yet
becn received"
Geddes Praises Gallantry
Sir Eric Geddcs, in supplementing
the Admiralty report, said in giving
the House of Commons such inforn1a-
ton as had come to hand Of "this ex-
tremely 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 information have
been lighting the greater part of the
night, and that some of them are not
yet ir.
"The raid was undertaken under COM
mand of Vice-Admiral Roger Keyes,
commanding at Dover French destroy
ers co6perated with the British forces.
Six obsolete cruisers, all from twenty
to thirty years old, took part in the
attack.
"They were the Brilliant, the Sirius,
the Iphigenia, the Intrepid, the Thetis
and the Vindictive.
"The first five of these were filled
with concrete and we're to be sunk in
the channel and entrances to the two
ports, If this could possibly be man
aged.
Volunteers Called For
"The Vindictive, working with two
ferryboats, carried storming and dem.
olition parties to storm the head of
the mole which runs out from Zee
hrugge. 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.
"The men employed on the block
ships and in the storming and demoli-
tion parties on the Vindictive were
blucjackets and marines picked from
a large number of volunteers from the
Grand Fleet and naval and marine