The sun., 1918-05-15
BLOCKING OF
0STEND TOLD
British Admiralty Issues Full
Story Of Vindictive's
Exploit.
4 COMPLETE SURPRISE
Smoke Screen Effectively Hid
Operations That Had
No Hitch.
COMPLETE SURPRISE

LoNpoN. May 1.-THE Admiralty has
issued the following graphic story Of the
ostend operation:
"DuNKnx. May 1.-The Sirius lies
In the surf some 1000 yards east Of the
entrance to 0stend harbor. which she
failed 90 calamity to block. and when
in the early hours Of yesterday morning
the vindictive groped her way through
the smoke screen and headed for the
entrance It was as though the old nght-
ing ship awoke and looked on.
"A coastal motor boat had visited her
and hung a fare in her slack and rusty
rigging. and that eye OF unsteady hre.
paling in the blaze OF star shells or red
deninE through the drift Of smoke.
watched the whole great enterprise from
the moment when It hung In doubt to
its ultimate triumphant success.
THE planning and execution Of that
success had been entrusted by Vice-Ad
miral Sir Robert Keyes to Commodore
Hubert Lynes. who directed the previous
attempt to block tho harbor, with the
Sirius and Brilliant. Upon that occa-
sion a combination Of unforeseen and
against him.
Upon this the main problem was to
secure the effect OF a surprise attack
upon an enemy who was clearly. from
his ascertained dispositions. expecting
him. The Sirius and Brilliant had been
baffied by the displacement Of the
Stroom Bank buoy. which marks the
channel to the harbor entrance.
No Guiding Marks.
Since then aerial reconnaissance had
established that the Germans had re-
moved tho buoy altogether and that
there were now no guiding marks OF
any kind. They had also cut gaps in the
piers as a precaution against land
ing. and further. when toward midnigh,
on Thursday the ships moved from their
anchorage 1t was known that some nine
German destroyers were out and were
at large upon the coast.
"The solution Of the problem Is best
indicated by the chronicle of events. II
was q night that promised we'll for the
enterprise-nearly wtndless--and wha,
little breeze stirred came a point or SC
! west OF north. The sky was lead blue
family star dotted. with no moon. and
a still sea for small craft. motor
launches and coastal motor boats. whose
work was done close inshore.
FROM the destroyer which served thu
Commodore for flagship the remainder
OF the force were visible only as silhou
cites Of blackness-the destroyers loom
ing like cruisers In the darkness. th'
motor boats like destroyers and thu
coastal motor boats showing themselves
as racing hillocks Of foam.
German Airplanes About.
| From Dunkirk a sudden brief hurr.
| Of Euniire announced that German air
PLATES were about. They were actuall,
on the way to visit Calais and over thu
invisible coast Of Flanders the sunnnel
lightning Of restless artillery rose ant
fell monotonously.
| ""There's the Vindictive!' TIL,
mufied seamen and marines standing b.
the torpedo tubes and guns turned a
that name to gaze at the great blacl
ship seen mistily through tho screening
smoke from the destroyer's tunnels
p.odding silently to her goal and end
photographs HAD made familiar tha
high sided profile. her tall tunnels will
Zeebrugge scars. always with tn
background Of the pier at Dover
against which she lay to be fitted TO
her last task. Now was added to he
the environment Of night and sea an,
|