The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
BRITISH BOTTLE
UP SUBMARINES
IN TWO HARB0RS
Sink Old Cruisers Filled With
Concrete at Zeebrugge and
0stend.
DOCK GATE BLOWN UP, REPORT
Two Destroyers Reach Inside Of Mole
nj xeebruooe and Cause Great De-
Notwithstanding Raid IL Like
That OF hobson's at
Santiago.

Santiago.
London, April 24.-Two destroyers
got inside the mole at zeebrugge and
blew up the dock gate, the correspond
emit at Dover Of the Daily Mail reports.
The feat, he says, seems incredible.
but there appears to be no doubt about
1t. Some OF the men who took part in
1t say they saw the waters Of the
Bruges canal running out after the
cate was destroyed and the vessels in
the dock straining at their hawsers.
London, April 24.-Sir Eric Geddes.
FIRST lord Of the admiralty, told the
house Of commons Of the intrepid raid
In the early morn against Zeebrugge
and Ostend, German U-boat bases on
the Belgian coast, and said In giving
the house such Information as had
come to hand Of "this extremely gal
liant 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.
Reyes In Command.
1.-The raid was undertaken under
command of Vice Admiral Roger
Keyes, commanding at Dover. French
destroyers co-operated with the Brit
ish forces.
six obsolete cruisers, all from TWEEN
to to thirty years old, took part in the
attack. They were the Brilliant. Sir
ius, Iphigenia, Intrepid, Thetis and
Vindictive.
"The first five of these were filled
with concrete and were to be sunk In
the channel and entrances to the two
ports IL this could possibly be man.
aged.
Carries Storm Party.
"Ths Vindictive, working with two
ferry boats, 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
fame throwers, Stokes mortars and
that sort of thing.
Many Men Volunteer.
1.-THE men employed on the block
ships and In the storming and demolf-
hon parties on the Vtndictive were
bluejackets and marines picked from
q large number Of volunteers from the
grand fleet and naval and marine de-
pots.
There was great competition for
the undertaking, and we could only
use a very small proportion of those
who volunteered.
Action Intricate One.
There were light covering forces
belonging to the Dover command and
Harwich forces under Admiral Tyr
whit, 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 timetable and involved
delicate navigation on a hostile coast
without lights and largely under I'M
known navigational conditions, devel-
Opsd since the war, with the added
danger of mine fields.
Hero Loses Life.
II should like to mention that the
officer who developed the operation
was killed.
'The high development of scientific
use of fog or smoke was one Of the es-
sentials Of success. 1t was more fog
than smoke, which, combined with GER
tain wind conditions, was essential to
the success of the operation. SO as to
protect the operation from batteries
which might have f1anked 1t.
"The plan was, after an intense
bombardment Of Zeebrugge by the
monitors, the Vindictive, with auxili.
aries, was to run alongside the mole
and attack 1t with gunfire as they ap-
preached. 6torming and demolition
parties were to be landed.
Meantime three block ships, assist
ed by motorboats, were to make for
the entrance to the Bruges canal, run
aground and be blown up.
Two Submarines Used.
a9Tuo old and uaIuolocS s,,hr,na noa