The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-02
British Officer Who Helped
Bottle Up German
U-BOats
SANK SIX WARSHIPS
IN CANALS MOUTH
British Nays Dash at the German
Base in Belgium Recounted by Com
mander Of vindictive-Credit Given
20 Ualrptaarc

|
mander of vindictive-Credit Given
to Volunteers.
NEW YORK. Dec. Capt Alfred F.
b. Carpenter of the British navy. who
was the commander OF the expedition led
by the warship Nindictive TO Zeebrugge,
recently came to this country from Eng
land to tell the American public some
things about the fighting on the sea dur
ing the great war.
Captain Carpenter is only 81 years old |
which is at least four years under the |
average for officers Of his rank. OF slight |
build just above average height, clean
shaven. with fair hair and clear, dark |
blue ewes. the captain resembles an Epis |
copal minister rather than a dashing !
sailor and is modcsty personified when
asked to speak about himself. 1t was
through the efforts of Commander Arthur
T. Blackwood, the British assistant naval
attache. that Captain Carpenter gave
some details of what the men i'll the ex
petition had gone through during the Is
minutes they were in Zeebrugge harbor.
The first thing wish to say" the cap
tain remarked is that this was not what
YOU call stunt, done on the spur of the
moment to draw a little free advertising
for the British navy. On the contrary, il
was the result Of a carefully laid plan
to block the canal at Zeebrugge and stop
the German submarines coming down 10
| the sea from Bruges.
! Five months were spent in working
out the details, fitting out the various
ships that We're to take part in the at
tack. and intensive training Of the men.
who volunteered from the grand fleet
chiefly. They were all picked men, and
well aware that the chances of returning
alive from Zeebruggc Were slim indeed.
When everything was ready and the
plan worked out to the minutest detail
the expedition started, and had to put
back Is miles out because the wind had
changed and il was impossible to use the
smoke boats. Then we tried second
time and the wind blew so hard that II
| kicked up rough sea, which was bit
too much for the small craft, and 80 We
put back "A second time.
AT last chance offered on the after
noon Of April -, and the expedition put
To s"a headed for Zeehruggc. II was not
ideal weather for the job a. the horizon
WAS perfectly tieiT. Dut Every tHt Hd'l
got 80 fed up with the two previous at
tcmpts that we decided TO 90 ahead and
risk il. Three hours OF the 100 mile pas
sage across the North Sea were made in
daylight. and then came mooncss.
1 pitch dark night. which was intensified
4 BY the black clouds sent forth from the
j smoke boats
4 1--WE were due to reach tho Mole at
1 Zeabrugge at midnight. ard arrived one
4 minute late The other boats were bare
] " two minute, behind the schedule time.
Success of the enterprise did not depend
upon any one unit. but on the initiative
and resource of very large number of
3 craft. The Zeebrugge Mole was protect
4 cd with heavy gun battery which MIGHT
4 stop block ships getting into the harbor
so we decided to knock them out before
/ our ships arrived
This was accomplished by storm snC
4 the Mole with the marines and blueiack
cts and actually capturing the guns. ii
vorting them from the block ships az they
came in When the Mole was still 30(
wards away. the enemy sighted US ano
n opened fire immediately at point blank
range. Most Of his guns were fourinch
Il think. We passed the last gun 30 yard,
otf, and the shooting was pretty hot JUS
~
= then.
: The Eindictive was hit 1000 times il
4 he first four minutes, out OF which {
few were heavy shells which explode,
inside. and the remainder mostly shrap
mel and small shells. As soon as We GO
1 close alongside the wall sheltered tn,
I ship, and the German gunners could only
hit the upper works of the Vindictive
1 and did no serious harm TO her.
'In the meantime tho marines wpr
1 firing from the TOP at the Huns on tn
\ Mole and using their Lewis guns witt
/ deadly effect. The landing on the Mol
I was made from the Vindictive by mean
I Of bridges called 'brows' let down b,
/ pulleys which was a bit difficult on &C
! count of the strong current.
The Thetis then came right into til
\ harbor and sunk herself in the entranc
l 30 the Bruges Canal. effectively bottlin
/ M the submarines. She was followed h
\ the Intrepid and the lphgenia, whic
l were sunk in the canal itself and blocke
1 it absolutely. The small craft then cam
4 up and took the crews off the three sunk
en- vessels under heavy fire. PRACTICAL
none of them was left behind.
:. BY this time the wind had shifted an
II blown the smoke away 40 that the Hun
could see us clearly aud blazed ava
with every gun they could muster afloa
and ashore.
II Just then there was terrific explosio
II nearby and the shore end of the Mo-
II was blown clean away with number {
Ii Huns, who were coming to reinforce the
II mates lighting our men at the furtht
II end.
II I'VE knew at once that the old BIRTHS
submarine filled with high explosive
II under command of Lieut.. Sandford, ha
II succeeded in getting under the viadu,
and blowing herself up. Her crew G
II caped in small dingy
II SIN the meantime the two old Live
II pool ferryboats Iris and Daifodil ha
n come in and joined in the attack. I'll
H Iris had made fast 10 the Mole and u
Daffodil had to push the Nindictive
keep her in to the wall so that the on
chance for her fighting men to get in
III IL was over our decks which they did