Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-24
Exmouth Carries
British Navy Loss
Past $1,000 Tons
Nearly 200 Lose Lives
In Sinking Of 23d
Naval Vessel
(Picture on Page A-3.)
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
LONDON. Jan. 24.-Sinking of
the British destroyer Exmouth by a
torpedo or mine in the North Sea
with the loss of all hands-nearly
200 men-was reported by the adj
miralty today on the 25th anniver-
sary of the World War battle of
Dogger Bank.
1t was the fifth destroyer and
23rd British naval vessel acknowl-
edged as sunk since the present war
with Germany began September g.
The sinking was the first in which
not a man was reported saved.
In many homes of the Exmouth's
crew, the news came as the mems
arrival on leave was expected. The
families had received letters only
Monday.
One woman stayed up all last
night. awaiting her husbands re-
turn early today. Instead. she re-
ceiWed the admiralty's notice that
ne was DelleVeQ dedQ.
Normally Carried lis.
The Exmouth normally carried
ITS men, but wartime crews usually
are increased about 10 per cent. A
1,475-ton vessel, built in 1884, the
Exmouth was a flotilla leader, car
rying five 4.7-inch guns, seven
smaller guns, and eight 2l-inch
torpedo tubes.
She was the same class as the
Grenville, destroyer which sank
Saturday with a loss of 81 lives.
Other destroyer losses were the
Blanche and Gypsy, which struck
mines November %, and the Ouch
ess, which sank in a collision with
another warship December 13
The Exmouth's commander. Capt
R. S. Benson, received the Distin'
guished Service Order only last
month for successful action against
enemy submarines.
Naval Loss Now $1,000 Tons.
The sinking pushed Britain's &C.
knowledged naval losses past 49, 00(
tons. Biggest individual sinkings
to date have been the 22,500-tor
aircraft carrier Courageous, torpe-
doed September 10 in the English
Channel; the 29.l50-ton battleshir
Royal Oak, torpedoed November "A
at Scapa Flow, and the 16,697-tor
armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi
sunk by a German pocket battleshir
November IS near Iceland.
Germany has acknowledged the
loss only of the 10000 ton pocket
battleship Admiral Graf Spec De.
cember IT, two 400-ton patrol boats
and a few submarines, although
Winston Churchill first lord of the
British admiralty. declares the Ger
man losses have been much greater
1t was a different story Is year
ago when the smoke cleared from
the battle of Dogger Bank. a Nortl
Sea shoal off the English coast. Thu
British wrote that encounter down
as a victory. The German battl'
cruiser Bluecher was sunk and thre'
regular German cruisers we're dam
aged. the Bluecher going down will
a loss of TOO lives or more.
British Cruisers Damaged.
-Four British cruisers were dam
aged, the Lion, flagship of Vice Ad
miral Sir David Beatty being pu
out of action before the German
squadron fed.
Besides the Exmouth, losses o
British and neutral merchant ship
reported yesterday and today in
cluded the Norwegian steamer sgd
fold, 2,433 tons, sunk by a mine of
the Scottish coast, with five of he
crew missing; the 1,523-ton British
freighter Baltangloa and the 1893
ton Norwegian ship Pluto, boil
mined of the English northeas
coast. and the Swedish steame
Foxen, 1904 tons, sunk In undis