The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-08-06
EXPLOITS OF FLEET OF BRITISH
SUBMARINES IN THE BALTIC SEA
Little Squadron Long the Terror Of German Washps and Trans
ports-Snk Nine in One Day-Thee British Craft, Since
SelDestroyed, Attack Whole Hostile Armada Entered
and Charted Every Harbor on Baltic

Describing the work of British sub
marines in the Baltic and their de
struction to avoid capture by the Ger
mans, the Petrograd correspondent
of the London Morning Post says:
"Under all the circumstances it Il
perhaps rather marvel that the Ger
mans did not make a glorious cap
ture of nearly every submarine we
had in the Baltic. They captured
none, and they destroyed none. There
is not German harbor in the Bal.
tic that our submarines have not en-.
tered and charted for their own con.
venience, creeping under mine fields
and through channels so shallow as
hardly to admit of this hazardous ma
newer. 4.
1--WE never had more than nine
submarines in the Baltic; and we still
had seven when the end came. One
of our boats put down nine enemy
transports in single day. Russia
knew and openly admitted last sum-
mer that it was the British subma-
rines which held Petrograd intact.
"When Reval went 1t was obvious
that the end was near. The British
submarines, still seven in number and
all in fighting trim, had by this time
moved over to Finland, and ultimately
concentrated, with their stores and
workshops ashore, and huge barge
for floating mechanics in the harbor
Of Helsingfors.
Sunk to Check Foe.
with three or four warning par
ties jealousy cycling the British ships
and stores and the Toovaristchi
(comrades) airing their new gospel
to the British crews Of the subma.
rines on every occasion, and with the
absence of law and order in Helsing-
fors, opportunities for every kind of
trouble were plentiful, and extreme
tact and firmness were needed to
bring things to a successful issue. AS
result, not single ounce of any
kind of metal-British property,
some of it priceless nowadays here
will ever fall into human hands,
either those of the Huns or the White
Guards or the Finnish Red Guards,
or Russian Toovaristch. All seven
submarines, the repair-shop barge,
and every scrap of stores lies safely
in infinitely disintegrated form at the
bottom Of the Baltic.
I'm charge at Helsingfors was
Lieut.. Commander Downie. The task
of destroying some 100000 worth |
of British Government property to
save it from the Germans, who had
already landed at Hango, was his last |
sad duty. Plans for the private sale |
Of enormously valuable stores Of all
kinds-metals and composites, cleo
trio fittings, etc.-were Cancelled when
it was discovered that arrangements
existed whereby all such matters of
priceless value to the enemy were to
be handed over to the Germans wher-
ever found. 1t was decided to put
British property to the bottom.
THAT fraction of the British navy
which was under Russian orders in
the Baltic consisted of submarines,
which ! will call because these were
neither their letters nor their num-
bers) Alpha 2, 10, II, 20, and 81 and
Beta 20, 80, 33, and 80. The Alpha
class was fairly large, carrying thir-
ty-odd men. The Beta was an older
:ype, with about half that number.
Attacks German Armada.
"The biggest thing the Germans
nave done in naval way in this war
vas the landing on the Islands Of
Messel and Dago. Certainly the only
Effective opposition they met at sea
'ame from British vessels, three in
lumber. Of the four Beta boats one
vas undergoing repairs at the time,
eaving three available-29, 30, and
3. These three went into the thick
# things and gave the Germans a
cry unwelcome surprise. Failing an
dequate intelligence service, the
British submarines took sight for
of the oncoming armada (
f dreadnoughts, cruisers, destroyers, I
nd transports, and plunged into their (
nidst. Everything was against our {
but they all came out Of t
alive, and the enemy did not. &
captain Sealey, in Beta 80, was of /
be true British type, the finished ar /
lcle of the British navy. Beta - 9
7as commanded by Commander t
)ownie, whose record proves him t
erfectly true to type; but it was his '
rst command.
"The Germans, Notwithstanding
Onvenient arrangements made for the
laximum of immunity, were mis- &
'ustful Of the British boats, and the
rmada moved inside a ring of de-
troyers and other smaller craft.
Galley, taking comprehensive glance =
t their dispositions, dived under five p
the destroyers nearest to him, the +
anne tactics being initiated by Com
lander Downie and by Beta 33. They g
anne up inside the protective ring, n
, be Immediately assailed from air. +
aft and ships with rain Of mis- n
To-