Evening star., 1939-10-17
Former ButtIeship
Second Craft Hit
In 24 Hours
By the Associated Press.

announced, and also disclosed that
the battleship Royal Oak was sunk
In the same harbor by a German
submarine last Saturday.
Lord Chatfield, minister for de-
fense coordination, told the House
of Lords that about four enemy
planes participated in the raid today
at Scapa Flow, Orkney Island naval
base, where German crews scuttled
the German fleet after the World
War.
Two bombs fell near the Iron Duke,
an old battleship which had been
converted into training vessel, Lord
Chatf1eld said. She was damaged,
but there were no casualties.
Prime Minister Chamberlain made
a statement in the House Of Com
mons identical with Lord Chatheld's S
and Winston Churchill, first lord
of the admiralty, also told Of de-
veloping warfare at sea.
One Plane Shot Down.
Today's raid, the government
spokesmen said, occurred at 10:30
am. A:30 am, E. S. T0, with four
German planes taking part. One
German plane was shot down in
flames and another probably dam
aged, Lord Chatfield said.
The 81 ,250-ton Iron Duke, built in
1912, was one of the battleships de-
militarized under the 1880 London
naval freely. She was the flagship
of the British commander, Admiral
Jellicoe, in the World War.
(Jane's Fighting Ships reports
that the Iron Dukes belt armor
was removed and her boiler pow
er reduced when the vessel was
converted into a training ship.
Six 135-inch guns and twelve
6-inch guns were retained, how
ever.)
Lord Chatfeld said it was still
matter of conjecture how the sub
marine penetrated the defenseS OF
Scapa Flow Harbor to attack the
Royal Oak. He said the entry must
be considered a remarkable exploit
OF professional skill and daring.
A board of inquiry is now sitting
Mt Scapa Flow.
Hit by Several Torpedoes.
Lord Chatfield said it appeared
that the submarine fired two star
board torpedoes at the Royal Oak,
of which only one hit, striking the
bow. The mufled explosion was
first attributed to internal causes
and the ships store of inflammables
was flooded on the basis of the first
conjecture.
He added that about 20 minutes
later the submarine fired three or
four torpedoes and these, striking in
quick succession, caused the warship
to capsize and sink.
The Royal Oak, he said, was lying
at the extreme end of the habror
and therefore many officers and men
drowned before rescue could be
organized.
"As it is, it does not OBJECT the
margin of security in heavy vessels
which remains ample" he added.
"An intensive search of the An
chorage has yielded no results yet.
All necessary measures are being
taken to increase the protection
which in the last war proved ef-
fectual."
The German air raid today was
the second in two days of British
naval centers. In yesterdays raid
at the Firth of Forth near Edin-
burgh, Scotland, Is lives were lost,
As men were injured and from four
to seven German warplanes were re-
ported unof6cially to have been
brought down.
Raid Alarms Sounded.
Shortly after the Scapa Flow raid
today, air raid alarms were sound
ed at numerous points along the
English and Scottish coasts, the
nearest to London being about 20
miles.
Both Mr.. Churchill and Lord
Chatfield followed their accounts of
German victories against British
seapower with assertions that Brit
ain also had gained striking sue
cesses against the German subma-
rine fleet.
They estimated that from one
fourth to one-third of that fleet had
been destroyed since the beginning
Of the war.
Mr.. Churchill added that nothing
like this rate of destruction was OBJ
tanned at any moment in the last
war"
In the first six weeks of the war,
MIR. Churchill said, I'VE may esti-
mate 13 sunk, S seriously damaged
and possibly sunk and several others
damaged"
He said "these figures are prob
ably an understatement."
Mr.. Churchill announced that four
submarines, including two of the
large ocean-going type were de-
stroyed last Friday, the day before
the Royal Oak was sunk.
French Navy Active.
Before today only the bare fact
that the Royal Oak had been sunk,
'believed by U-boat action" had
been disclosed, with the casualty
lists showing only 416 saved out OF
approximately 1000 men aboard.
Dealing with the campaign against
submarines, Mr.. Churchill said that
in addition to those mentioned
''two-thirds of the German U-boats
which were operating have suffered
attack from depth charges"
He said the French Navy also had
been active, but he was not giving
any figures on its results.
Mr.. Churchill said about so Ger
man submarines were ready for &C
ton at the outbreak of the war
Lord Chatfield officially recapitu-
lated the following casualties in the
Firth Of Forth raid:
Three naval officers and 13 men
killed or died of wounds, two naval
officers slightly wounded, IL naval
ratings (enlisted mem seriously in
(see LONDON, Page A-3)