The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-04-26
U-BOATS TRAPPED
At BASE BY THE
BRITISH FLEET
Five Old Cruisers Sunk in Mouth
of HarborS.
HoBsoN FEAT Is DUPLICATED
German Submarines Are Blocked Up
at Zeebrugge and Ostend-Hero Of
Action Is kilIed-EngIish De-
stroyer and Small Craft
Are Lost.

London, April 24-SiE Eric Geddes
first lord of the admiralty, told the
house of commons of the intrepid raid
in the early morn against Zeebrugge
and Ostend, German U-boat bases on
the Belgian coast, and said in giving
the house such information as had
come to hand of this extremely gal
liant and hazardous raid"
81 ask the members to appreciate
that most of the officers and men from
whom we have got to get the infOrma-
ton have been fighting the greater
part of the night and that some of
them are not yet in.
Reyes in Command.
"The raid was undertaken under
command of Vice Admiral Roger
destrOyers cO-Operated with the Brit
ish forces.
'SiX obsolete cruisers, all from TWEEN
ty to thirty years old, took part in the
attack. They were the Brilliant, Sir
ius, Iphigenin, Intrepid Thetis and
Vindictive
"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
Carries Storm Party.
"The Vindictive, working with two
ferrybOats, carried storming and de-
nOlifioO OortiaS RI ctorno tho bood Of
the mole which runs out from Zee
brugge
''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
Many Men Volunteer.
1.-THE men employed on the block
ships and in the stOrming and demOli-
ton parties on the Vindictive were
bluejacketS 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 very small proportion of those
who volunteered.
Action Intricate One.
There were light covering forces
belonging to the Dover command and
HarWich forces under Admiral TYR
whit, 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 particularly intricate and had to
be worked to a timetable and involved
delicate navigation on hostile coast
without lights and largely under I'M
known navigatiOnaI conditions, devel-
Oped since the war, with the added
danger of mine fields.
Hero Loses Life.
Il should like to mention that the
officer who developed the operation
was killed.
1.-THE high development of scientific
use of fog or smoke was one of the es-
sentials OF success. It was more fog
than smoke, which, combined with GER
tain wind conditions, was essential to
the success of the operation, so as to
protect the operation from batteries
which might have f1anked it.
1.-THE plan was, after an intense
bOmbardment of Zeebrugge by the
monitors, the Vindictive, with auxili-
aries, was to run alongside the mole
and attack 1t with gunfire as they ap-
preached. Storning and demolition
parties were to be landed.
Meantime three block ships, assist
ed by motorboats, were to make for
the entrance TO the Bruges canal, run
aground and be blown up.
Two Submarines Used.
1.-Two old and valueless submarines,
filed with explosives, were to run
against the pilewOrk connecting the
masonry with the shore, in order to
cut off the mole from the shore.
"At OStend the operation was more
simple, but the difficulties were consid-
erably increased by mist, rain and
low visibility and the CONSEQUENT alb
sence of aerial cooperation.
Expedition a Success.
1.-The results thus far are known TO
be that two block ships were run
ashore and blown up at Ostend. 1t is
too early to say definitely whether they
accomplished their object, but, so far
as the officers could see in the dark
ness, they were slightly off the course.
''At Zeebrugge two of three block
ships attained their objective, being
sunk or blown up at the entrance of
the canal. The third grounded while
passing in.
Hun Destroyer Torpedoed
ga certain amount of damage, the
extent at present unknown, was done
by gunfire and torpedo attack on an
enemy destroyer and other craft lying
at the mole.