The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-10
HUN WARSH|PS ARE l.
 VOWED INTO PORT
Value Is Negligible, Merely CuriOsities and Soon to
 Be Sunk
By Associated Press

New York, August 9.-Five warshlps,
 once units of the proud German navy
 but now humble and battered relics Of
 a defeated nation, came into New York
 harbor today. Their arrival marked the
 beginning of their last twelve months or
 existence for as soor. as they nave
 served their purpose as exhibits they are
 to be sunk.
 They were the dreadnaught Ostfries-
 land, the cruiser i"rangfurt, and three
 destroyers, the N-f5. G-l02, and e-l1z,
 With exception of the Ostfriesland they
 are part of the great fleet that steamed
 out of it's home port ana surrendered to
 the allied nations at Scapa Flow, and af- rewards were sunk by their German
 crews. The Ostfriesland is replace ment ship turned over by Germany to
 replace one of those that was sent ID
 the bottom They were allocated 10 the
 United States in the division of cap tured vessels.
 Led by dreadnaught. the only one
 that could move under her own power,
 they came up the Hudson just as the sun was sinking behind the New Jersey hills It was not an inspiring sish'. Passing tugboats and river craft gave them but little heed.
 Due to the fact that it was necessary to tow the Frankfurt and the destroyers, the voyage of $500 miles rom nri'isn ports occupied more than month. A stop of a week was made at the Azores. where mysterious leak Tn the Ostfriesland was repaired. For the re maiuder of the trip, with weather iaV- bring them, they averaged a speed of ID miles an hour. l In the command of the Ostfriesianc, which acted as flagship, was Captain . lR. Hellweg. On the battleship, he had a crew of 400 men, from 5o to iu nier being assigned to each of the other craft
 For more than three months Captain Hellweg and his crew worked to make the big warship navigable. The Germans 1 had stripped her of all electric equlp- ment and furniture. Her engines, how eyer. were found to be in fairly gooo condition, and could have been turned over for IS to % knots an hour. Duc to their submersion at Scapa Flow the Frankfurt and destroyers are little better than rusted hulks. The battle ship. however. still is a powerful fight ing unit according to her crew. While officers would not talk prior to making their report to Washington, some or the men said the guns are damaged beyond repajr. It also was said that in going over the vessel many new and clever devices for stowage of coal and oil Tue were found.
 As a fighter the American Jackies as serted she should be whale Sne has six heavily armored turrets Witf guns ranging from 12 to 14 inches. Shs carried twenty-three five-inch rifles ant a swarm of three-inch rapid-fire pieces Forward and aft are single torpedf tubes, with twin tubes on all four guar ters. Her arruor is exceptionally heavy including armored deck protection. The Ostfriesand was in the battle Q Jutland and she yet shows two scars one forward and one aft, where Britisi \projectiles found marks. She was SC riously damaged, however. by 4 min' placed befole her as she withdrew Iron the battle All damage was repaired D. the Germans before the war ended l The ships will be kept in New Yori | for week or ten days and be open TO inspection. From here they will go f' ] other ports Preceding their destructiol 1 they will be taken to navy yards ant there carefully studied by United State naval experts.
 | On the decks of the Ostfriesland wa l returned to this country two F and l l rich guns. which had been shipped abroad during the war and stored an American naval base as replacement 1 for American battleships.