Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-25
ALLIES STRIKE
At U.BOAT BASES
Sink 5 Concrete.Laden Ships
Across Zeebrugge and Ostend
Harbor Exits
WARSHIPS GIVE AID
Nat Ia Described as "I1xtremely Gail
liant and Hazardous Raid"-Men
Taking Part Were Volunteers
ASSOCIATED Press War ReviewJ

The British have not permitted the halt
IN the fighting along the western battle
front to keep them inactive. With their
landsmen on the alert In France and Bel
GUM, British naval forces reinforced to
some extent by French war craft. have
carried out n daring nanoeuvre which.
II 1t should prove to have been successful.
may play q marked part in the future of
the war.
No less objective was sought than the
plotting out by one sweeping blow of
Germany's submarine menace from the
bases at Zeebrugge and Ostend by the
sinking across the exits from the harbors
Of large old-time cruisers. laden with car
goes Of concrete to make them more i'm
pervious to removal
While full details Of the attack have
not yet been received, the information
at hand is to the effect that two of
the cruisers were blown UP at the en-
trance to the Bruges canal at Zee
brugge and another was sunk while
passing in the canal. At Ostend two
additional warships were run ashore
and destroyed by bombs, but it is be-
lieved they failed fully to choke the
channel.
In addition considerable damage was
done by the guns of the warships to
works on shore at both places.
Volunteers were chosen by the Brit
fish admiral in command for the danger
Gus task. and a far greater number of
men than could be used in the enter
prise willingly came forward and Of
fered their services.
One British torpedo boat destroyer
was sunk by the German guns and four
smaller crafts are missing, while
considerable number of casualties on
board the attacking vessels were
suffered.
London. April 23--Sir Eric Geddes. first
lord of the admiralty, in experimenting
the admiralty report on last nights raid
against Zeebrugge and Ostend. said he
gave the House of Commons such in
formation as had come to hand Of this
extremely gallant and hazardous raid"
1.-The raid was undertaken under COM
mand OF Vice-Admiral Roger Keyes. COM
manding at Dover. French destroyers CO.
operated with the British forces. Six
obsolete cruisers all from twenty to thirty
years old. took part in the attack.
"They were the Brilliant. Sirius, Iphi-
genia, Intrepid, Thetis and Vindictive.
The first Ave 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 managed.
1.-The Vindictive, working with two ferry
boats, carried storming and demolition
parties to storm the head Of the Mole
which run out from Zeebrugge. The
Vindictive was specially fitted for landing
storming parties and was armed specially
for the purpose with flame throwers,
stokes. mortars and that sort of thing.
THE men employed on the block ships
and in the storming and demolition par
ties on the Vindictive were bluejackets
and marines picked from a large number
of volunteers from the grand fleet and
naval and marine depots There was
great competition for the undertaking.
and we could only use very small pro-
portion of those who volunteered.
There were light covering forces be-
longing to the Dover command and Har-
witch forces under Admiral Tyrwhitt
covering the operation in the north. A
force OF monitors. together with large
number OF very small motor boats. took
part In the operation. which was par
ticularly intricate and had to be worked
to a time table and involved delicate
navigation on a hostile coast without
lights and largely under unknown navi-
gational conditions developed since the
war. with the added danger of mine
fields
II should like to mention that the off,
Ger who developed the operation was
killed"
Washington. April 23.--American
naval officers await eagerly the full
story of the successful Franch- British
naval blow against the German des-
troyer U-boat bases on the Belgian
coast. The impression prevails here,
supported by certain facts regarding
American naval preparations that a
carefully planned naval offensive
against the U-boats has begun which
is to be pressed vigorously until the
under water raiders are bottled up or
checked to such an extent that their
operations will no longer be serious
factor.
1t is suggested to-day that the recent
raid against trawlers by British ships
was part of the general plan for ag-
gresive action.
Since the raid shows the German
coast defenses are not invulnerable. to
some officers this action is looked upon
as forecasting the possibility of an
attempt to force a landing in the rear
of the German line thus turning the
flank OF the whole German position in