Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-11-22
Turning Over> Of German
Navy Has No Precedent
i'm History.
GUNNERS
READY TO FIGHT
Frat Sign AZ rreaehery Would Have
Brought Disaster Upon Germans
Event Skaters all Naval Tradition
Ind IdsaIs-"Evsn the Poor Old
Spanish, Without . Chance, Came
Out Of Santiago Exelaims Officer.
(By the Associated Press. ]

GByS the Associated Pressi
>Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 21JtDe-
lay acdl-Germany as q naval power
ceased to exist today.
The heart of her mighty fleet-four-
teen ships of line, several light cruisers
and fifty destroyers-surrender to
an armada of British, American and
French vessels, the greatest fleet that
ever stood out at sea.
The minutely detailed program Of
submission was carried out strictly ac-
cording to plan. The German war;
ships, strung out in q single column
almost twenty miles long, appeared at
the rendezvous at the appointed time
and were led into the, Firth of Forth
between twin coluhQns Of allied ships,
which overlapped the>Germans at each
end. Tonight the enemy craft are
anchored in the Firth as prisoners
admiral Beatty's historic signal after
the German fleet had been moored at
the appointed place, was:
The German flag is to be haulcd
down at 1857 and is not TO be hoisted
a. ain without permission" =
No Precedent in History.
A surrender on such gigatnic scale
has no precendent in naval history.
A:tho the wonderful naval spectacle
was the same as peace time review.
the haze blotting out the horizon. Am
erican and British officers could
scarcely credit the evidence Of their
eyes.
II was an event which shattered all
naval traditions and ideals. Men an
imated by the: spirit Of LAwrsncess
"Don't give NJ the ship and Nelson's
England expects every man to do his
duty could not conceive Of such an
inglorious fate as that TO which the
enemy sea forces was submitting.
The Associated Press correspondent.
on an American dreadnought heard
an American officer exclaim:
Even the poor old Spanish, knowing
they had not chance, came out of
Santiago"
Climax Of Gernany's Downfall.
But for the most part both officers
aand men were silent. They realized
they were witnessing the climatic act
of Germans downfall. They knew
that the surrender raised the United
States to second position among worlds
naval powers, but they showed no
elation but seemed to feel con-
ternptuous pity for the fallen giant OF
rthe sea who had refused to fight. Their
imagination dwelt on the foes shame.
The German ships were sighted at
e:20, following the British pilot, the
licht cruiser Cardiff. which. with de-
stroyers and other small craft, had
ranged ahead Of the allied feet. The
enemy studiously complied with Ad-
r,siral Beatty's orders and 1t was wen
for their own sakes that they did.
Every vessel speeding out to meet
them was ready for instant action, with
it's men at battle stations and guns in
position for the prompt annihilation 81
the enemy forces if their mission
proved other than peaceful.
Took No Chances.
Five American battieships. the New
York. Texas, Arkansas, Wyoming and
Florida, were prepared to fire every
gun in forty seconds when the order
was given by Admiral Hugh Rodman,
who said, There is not the slightest
possibility of any trouble but we are
not overlooking the chances of making
this windup of the show big sue
cess
The main allied fleet, extending over
4 line fourteen miles long, began to
weigh anchor at / o'clock this morn
ing. The mist was swept away by a
stiff breeze and the moon shone brill
liantly.
The British battle cruisers led the
way, followed by dreadnaughts. Ad-
miral Beatty's flagship, the Queen Eliz-
abeth, led the battleships. The AM
er:can warships followed. balancing a
British squadron similar in power in
the opposite hle.
The rendezvous was approximately
fifty miles distant and the ships gagged
their speed to arrive at the appointed
place at o'clock AT O'clock sig
nal summoned the men into battle po-
sitions. the ships companies being
hidden behind bulwarks of steel.
German Fleet Sighted.
When dawn broke the sea again was
covered with mist. which reduced the
visibility to less than 5000 yards.
Eyes straining thru the murky haze
finally were rewarded. on the star
board bow the Cardiff, trailing an OH
servation kite balloon. came steaming
in. Close behind her came the hrst
OF the German ships. the great battle
cruiser Seydlitz, which was flying the
flag Of Commodore Toggordt. After
Iler came four others offthe same type,
Der Finger, Won der Tam, Hinden-
ba,rg and Moltke. They moved along
three cable lengths apart
Immediately following them were
nine dreadnaughts. the Friedrich der
Crosse, flagship of Rear Admiral vop
Reuter-; the Koenig Albert, Kaiser,
Kronprinz Wilhelm, Kaiserin. Bayern.
Markgraf Prinz Regent, Luitpold and
the Grosser kuerfurst. 4s
49, Y I s Smaller Ships Trail Behind.
Three miles astern Of the battle-
tAiDs came seven light cruisers, the