Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-25
RAID ON zEEBRUCCE
HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL
Mole Guns Destroyed and Canal
Blocked-MunitiOn Stores
Were Blown Up

London. April 2-Not only was the
mouth Of the canal at zeebrugge blocked,
nut British sailors and marines who
participated In the raid on the German
submarine bases believe that they des-
troyed every gun on the mole, demolished
tne sheds throughout its entire length and
pew up large stores of munitions in the
sheos' according to stories given by the
SURVIVORS to the correspondent OF the
Daily Chronicle ut Kentish port.
until they were within half mile of
the harbor Of zeebrugge, no ships in the
attacking force had picked up the light
on the mole. The attacking ship, which
started for the mole, followed by NUT
tered calls OF good luck" from the ships
companies of the escorting feet outside
'ne harDor, had scarcely got within sight
OF the light when It was discovered nv
the Germans. Star shells instantly pierced
the thick haze. showing up the cruiser as
clearly as though it had been daylight
In one second 1t seemed as ~ everv
battery in the neghborhood had con-
centrated its fire on the cruiser. How she
was able to get ahead none of those
watching her understood. Great seventeen.
men shells and others of smaller calibre
IeIi around --er like hail. She was an
parehtiy NIT by some of the smaller ones
out she plugged ahead and was seen to
turn the corner Of the mole and gain the
inside OF the harbor. The German fire
apparently was DETECTED from her vital
parts by the intervening structure of the
mole and most of the damage done was
| above the water line.
Disregarding all that had happened, the
cruiser went up to the mole and landed n
large party Of buejackets and marines.
The German defenders conceived the itlea
that their assailants were Americans and
according to some Of the survivors. this
cry was heard:
| ITS the American! It's the Yankees.''
Some of the Germans bolted en- masse
from the nearest batteries. leaving their
guns TO the British. The guns were
destroyed one by one. while other in the
landing party dealt with the sheds and
munition stores with ame-throwers.
apparently under cover of this opera :
ton the concrete laden cruisers, with
winch 1t was intended to block the
channels. made their way through the
harbor. accompanied. as far as 1t can
be ascertained, by only one submarine.
AS they approached the entrance they
anchored. swung around on the cables
and. according to the testimony of one
| OF the observers were sunk within
20 minutes.
| One of the destroyers or submarines
exploded a charge at the gates to the
locks of the Bruges canal and they are
believed to have been destroyed. Mean
while four destroyers entered. Mean
Dor and cruised around making obser-
lvations, but were unable to take part
in the battle
| When the attacking ship and its land
Ing party had completed their work,
the sailors and marines were taken
aboard again despite the damaged con-
dillon of the cruiser. which than began
to make it's way out of the harbor.
l. One of the seventeen-inch shells out
Of the hundreds of various calibres fired
at the cruiser got we'll home in her
upper works. Her steering gear was
injured and she signalled an escort
ship to show her the way out, but be.
fore help arrived she had found her
way out and taken her place under her
own steam behind the lines Of protect
ing cruisers.
One man who watched the operation
from an escorting ship said to the CORE.
spondent:
when we saw the damage she had
suffered, 1t seemed scarcely possible thai
she was able to keep afioat. The men be-
low must have worked like Trojans, 70,
she was throwing flames ten feet high
from her tunnels and she made the fast
est time she probably ever accomplished.
The narrator described the combined
noise of the German gunfire and the ex
plosions on the mole as a "ten-fold hell.
He added: 1--WE were only four or fv,
hundred yards away from the point O.
the mole, but were afraid to fire shot les
we reveal our exact whereabouts to tn,
enemy. Apparently he nearly judged it
for he threw any number of shells arount
us. At a moderate estimate between 400
and 1000 shells were fired at the attacking
squadron"
The German destroyer which was SUM
was rammed amidships and torpedoed
: Those who returned to the Kentish por
also say that boarders rushed on tn
German destroyers anchored In the har
Dor, taking them completely by surprise
Some of the Germans hurried up tn
hatchways In their night clothes but be
fore they could reach the decks. the Brit
ish sailors knocked them on the head wit
I clubs and rifles and sent them tumblin
down the hatchways.
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