The sun., 1918-05-11
CRUISER ISSUNK
BETWEEN PIERS
Obsolete Vindictive, Concrete
Laden, Sent Down Under
Heavy Fire.
SUCCESS IS DISPUTED
Germans Assert Fairway Is
Still Open for Passage of
Submarines.

Copyright. 1915 oil -iohn reserved.
LONDON, May 1o.-The sinking OF the
old warship vindictive. filled with
cement. by a British naval expedition In
the harbor Of Ostend, officially an
nounced to-day, has been received here
with great rejoicing and is regarded as
serious blow to the German submarine
campaign. although the latest dispatches
leave in some doubt the question whether
the channel Itself was actually blocked.
The British Admiralty report asserts
that the operation. which was under
Vice Admiral Keye.. who commanded the
previous ex petition, was successfully conf
pleted. Press reports. however say the
cruiser lies at all angle not effectively
blockading the channel. but 1t is hoped
that sitting will increase the obstruc-
! ton. Berlin asserts that the attempt was
a complete failure. the old cruiser. en-
tirely battered to pieces. lying aground
before the harbor and outside the navi-
| CATION channel.
The British Admiralty report follow. ::
Operations designed to close the
ports Of Ostend and ZeebruEge were
successfully completed last night
| when the obsolete cruiser Vindictive
was sunk between the piers and across
! the entrance to Oetend harbor.
| Since the attack on Zeebrugge on
April 23 the vindictive had been filled
with concrete and fitted as block
shin for this purpose.
| Our light forces have returned to
their base with tho loss Of one motor
launch. which had been damaged and
was sunk BY orders OF the Nice-Ad-
riral TO prevent II from falling into
the hands Of the enemy.
Our casualties were light.
German Report Of Attack.
The official German statement issued
In Berlin says:
At 8 O'Clock Friday morning British
naval forces. after a violent lombard
ment. again made b'orkading attack
on O4tCnd Several enemy ships.
which under tho protect'on OF artificial
fog tried to fore their way into the
harbor. were driven off by the excel
lentlv directed fire OF our coastal bat
teries
An old cruiser. entirely battered TO
pieces lies aground before the harbor
outside the navigation channel. The
entrance to tho harbor Is quite free.
. Only dead men were found on board
the crow had leaped overheard and
were captured, according to .nforna-
: ton 30 far received.
| At least two enemy motorboats were
shot away and one monitor was badly
: damaged The blockading attempt.
therefore. had been completely foiled.
Once again the enemy has sacrificed
: human lives and vessels In vain.
) From BruEes there are two canal
IT,,
portant OF which is the ship canal. capa
bic OF accommodatinS large craft. whic
emerges at Ieetrugge, \ British aeria
reconnaissance a few days ago reveale
that the ZeehruRge entrance is sti
blocked by the two cement ships sun
there last month. and the Germans hav
been using the Ostend passage. wher
the ship sunk by the British in the pre-
vious raid on April % did not block tn
channel.
l While this is Il narrower and less cor
4 venicnt passage than that at Ieebrugg
II afforded the German submarines a
= operating base. The loss Of both port
e , would compel the Germans to opers'
o from German bases only and woul
,, greatly handicap them.
The Vindictive was the flagship in I'll
d previous raid against Zeebruege an
t Ostend on April %, when ZeebrugG
= was partly closed, but the attemI
= against Ostcnd failed She was badi
@ damaged then. but was taken back
n England and the task OF filling her wit
= concrete began Immediately. She wa
built in 1897. displaced $3.50 tons ar
o when in active naval service carried Il
y men.
o Announcement was made recently thu
e a huge mine field had been estabNshe
n by the British In the North Sea cove
II ing an area Of more than 10000 squa
n miles this was to be completed May
and apparently will form an effectu
= bar to submarine operations in the Nor
i Sea and may prevent the undersea boa
y OF Germany from going to and fro
!. their cruising grounds.