GLORIOUS END OF H.M.S. VINDICTIVE.
OSTEND BLOCKED. BRILLIANT NAVAL FEAT.
Yesterday morning the Secretary of the Admiralty issued the following announcement:
The operation designed to close the ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge was successfully completed last night, when the obsolete cruiser H.M.S. Vindictive was sunk between the piers and across the entrance of Ostend Harbour.
Since the attack on Zeebrugge on April 23 Vindictive had been filled with concrete and fitted as blockship for this purpose.
Our light forces have returned to their base with the loss of one motor launch, which had been damaged and was sunk by the orders of the Vice-admiral to prevent it failing into the hands of the enemy.
Our casualties were light.
STORY OF THE EXPLOIT.
From an authoritative source it has been ascertained that the blocking operation, as on the previous occasion, was carried out under the direction of Commodore Lynes, C.M.G., who had at his disposal all the monitors, destroyers, motor launches, and c.m.b. (coastal motor boats) that he required. Until 1.45 a.m., fifteen minutes before the Vindictive was timed to arrive at the entrance, the weather conditions were all that could be desired, with a light haze, a calm sea, and a light wind from north-north-west. At this time a sea fog drifted towards the shore, reducing the visibility to 300 or 400 yards. This, of course, rendered the Vindictive’s task extremely difficult. For twenty minutes the Vindictive crossed west and east, seeking an entrance. This was a trying experience for her captain and crew, for the enemy opened fire, and some of the missiles from the shore unfortunately went home. There were several casualties on board the Vindictive at this time, but, still undaunted, she held on her way.
ALONGSIDE THE PIERS.
About 2.20 her crew were delighted to find themselves almost alongside the Ostend piers. Now came the great ordeal of the attack. Shot and shell battered into the old ship. Then the captain swung her into the channel, and rammed her stern against the eastern pier. Finding the Vindictive was aground aft, and would not turn any farther, the officer cleared the engine-room and stokehole, and blew the charges. The crew of the doomed ship then jumped into two motor launches (Nos. 254 and 276). which had gallantly stood by ready to take off the men.
When she was abandoned the Vindictive was lying at an angle of about 40 deg at the eastern pier, with her stern against it. Not a moment was to be lost in getting away from the cruiser once the object in view had been accomplished.
The Germans had been unable to prevent the gallant British sailors from practically getting a footing on Belgian soil, and they made frantic attempts to stop them from making their escape. As the motor-boats sheered off with the Vindictive’s men aboard shot and shell rained around them.
About 3.15 a.m. one of the motor-boats was sighted by the flagship, the Warwick (with Admiral Keyes on board), and two lieutenants with thirty-eight men of the Vindictive were taken off her. One of the men was dead. All the fine fellows aboard the Vindictive were volunteers from various ships of the Dover Patrol, while Engineer Lieut.-commander ---- was one of those who, in the Vindictive, took part in the last attack.
COMMANDER LYNES’S REPORT.
Commander Lynes was in command of the operations, and in his report tells his story in plain, seaman-like language.
“Before the arrival of the Vindictive, up till 1.45, the enemy had been remarkably quiet; but just at this time,” says the Commodore, “the Germans commenced to open fire. The star shells showed that the smoke screens were progressing excellently. About this time the sky, which had hitherto been almost unclouded, began to be partially obscured by low, drifting clouds, and about ten minutes before the Vindictive was due at her destination a sea fog set in. This stopped our air attacks for a time; indeed, even the searchlights could not be seen. This state of things continued for almost an hour, when it cleared sufficiently for the air attacks to recommence.
“It was a lurid scene, when, at two o’clock in the morning, the Vindictive arrived practically at programme time. There was the thundering of guns on sea and land, the exploding of bombs from our aeroplanes, and an occasional cry of agony from someone mortally wounded, whilst the searchlights criss-crossed above, and the whole scene was illuminated with the flashes of the star shells. For a full hour this was the picture to be witnessed off Ostend. The Vindictive cruised about for twenty minutes in the fog, looking for an entrance, which was eventually found close to her, and she sank herself about 150 to 200 yards inside the eastern entrance.”
The rescue of the Vindictive’s crew, added Commodore Lynes, was gallantly effected by a motor launch, which brought off two officers and thirty-eight men, and by another, which subsequently went alongside the Vindictive and brought off a lieutenant and two ratings.