The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-27
BOTHER OF U-BOATS
AT ZEEBRUGGE HERE
Capt. Carpenter, V. G., Says
Planning Was More Diff
cult Than Execution.
COMMANDED vINDICTIvE
''Barring Her Being One Min
ute Late Everything Went
OFF Like Clock"

"Of course, the. part WneTe VIC louBhN
and some Of US died win interest you
most. but the part one accomplished
sitting at an ossice drawing board is the
part really worth while from profess
sional mans standpoint"
Thus, telling OF the exploit Of the
British sesmen who sank their ships
at Zeebrugge and bottled the German
u-boats, did Capt Carpenter, their
commander, justify the tribe OF sea
dogs who never smell the sea
Capt. Carpenter-Capt. Alfred F. B.'
CARPENTER, v. c., r. N.-arTived In this
city yesterday on a mission connected
with the British sea service and after
four years continuous duty. It took
time. patience and a measure or energy
to draw his story from him. He told
II slowly and carefully and. as though
It was mostly about somebody else.
Planning Great Enterprise.
| ct was eighteen months with the
grand fleet under Admiral Jellicoe FOR
nv frst taste OF the war: then for two
years navigs ting officer OF the EN-
| peror OF india, a battleship. Then l
was fetched ashore and put at really
hard work in the Office OF Admiral Sir
Roger Keyes. It was a very wonder
full experience and infinitely more difh-
cult than being at sea- OF course l
only did part Of the planning. /
wouldn't. dream of claiming to have
done oil Of It.
There we're three attempts on Zee
brugge made in accordance with the
plans, but 1 imagine telling OF the
Anal one will be enough. The other
two had to be abandoned on account
Of unit weather.
The final plan then was carried
through by the navy solo-working
alone that is-since. as II fell out, we
could receive no help from the avia-
ton people on account OF heavy
rain. 1t had been arranged that the
Vindictive-yes, I commanded her II
II matters-was 10 arrive at the end or
the Zeebrugge mole or breakwater,
engage and put out OF action the Ger
man batteries known to be there. and
that the three blocking ships-the
Intrepid. Iphiginia and Thetis-were
to come up inside of twenty minutes
And, except that finally the Nindic-
tive was one minute late, I might say
that everything went of quite like q
Clock
Batteries Confronting Them.
There was battery OF seven guns
at the end OF the mole, which coult
open on ships approaching. There
was another OF three at the further
end to engage vessels attempting t
run within the channel. Then there
was a viaduct at the end Of the mole
which OF course we had to blow up e
let our boats enter the passageway
The mole, you know, Is mile and {
half long.
80 we ran the Vindictive slongsid,
the mole, where bit Of climbing haC
, been cut out for us. We had to clint
eighteen feet on scaling ladders t.
the top OF a sort OF parapet mar
defence OF the mole. then drop fou1
feet to a shelf on the moles inside
then climb again sixteen feet to reacl
the base or main floor OF 1t.
I'VE had a thousand men on tn,
Vindictive. They rushed the batterie.
I have described and put them out O.
action. The thing was done though
precisely within. the time prescribed
hut with loss, dead and wounded to
\ gether. of 400"
AT exactly the minute planned
. hack home in the office the thre,
blocking ships appeared-have I sail
. at the end of a 800 mile trip?-witl
:, skeleton crews OF about fifty mel
= each. theoretically that is. At tn