The Sentinel=record., 1918-04-24

london April 23.-Sir Eric Geddes
first lord Of the admiralty, in supple
manting the admiralty report on last
nights raid against Zeebruege and
ostend said In giving the house OF
commons such information as had
come to hand Of this extremely gal
liant and hazardous raid.
Il ask the members to appreciate
that most OF the officers and men from
from we have got to get the Informal
tion have been fighting the greater
part of the night and that some Of
them are not Yet in,
The raid was undertaken under
command Of Vice Admiral Roger
Keyes. commanding at Dover. French
dosuoyers co-operated with the Brit
ish forces. Six obsolete cruisers, all
from twenty to thirty years Old. took
part in the attack.
They were the Brilliant. Sirius,
Iphigena. Intrepid, Theus and Vim
dictiye.
The first five of these were filled
with concrete and were to be sunk in
the channel and entrances to the two
ports if this could possibly be man
aged
The Vindictive. WORKING W.T. Il tw
ferry boats. carried storming and
demolition parties to storm the head
Of the mole which runs out from Zee
uugge The Vindictive was especially
fitted for landing storming parties and
WIS armed specially for the purpose
with flame throwers. stockes mortars
and that sort of thing
The men employed on the block
ships and in the storming and demoH-
ton parties on the Fmdietive We're
blue Jackets and marines picked from
a 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.
There were light covering forces
belonging to the Dover command and
whit covering the operation in the
north. A force OF monitors, together
with large number of very small mo-
Tor boats, took part in the operation
which was particularly intricate and
mad to be worked TO time table and
involved delicate navigation on hos
'lIe coast without lights and largely
under unknown navigatlonal condi-
lions developed since the war with
the adding of mine fields
4 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
essentials to success. II was more
log than smoke which combined with
certain wind conditions was essential
TO the success Of the operation so as
to protect the operation from batter
les which might have Thanked it,
The plan was after an intense
commandment Of Zeebrugec by the
monitors, the Vindctye, with aux.
mares, was 10 run alongside he mole
ana attack it with gunfire as they ap-
preached. Storming and demolition
partles were to be landed. Meantime
three block ships, assisted by motor
poats' were to make for the entrance
20 the canal, run aground and bC
piown up. Two old and valueless sub
marines filled with explosives We're I,
run against pile work connectinl
.he masonry with the shore in orde
~ cut Off the mole from the shore
AZ ostend the operation was NOR,
simple hut the difficulties were con
siuerabiy increased hy mist, rain an'
-" visibility and the Consequent alb
"ence OF trial co-o operation.
me results so far as know to b
'nat TWO block ships were run ashor
oiu piown up at Ostend. 1t is to-
early to say definitely whether the
accomplished their object but so ia
as the officers could see in the dark
MSS they were slightly off the course
al leeoruRge two or three block ship
a,'ained their objective, being sunk, o
p'o"h up at the entrance OF the cana