Our vigilant Navy last Sunday morning disposed of the Goeben
' and the Breslau,' the well-known German-Turkish cruisers, which made their first sortie from the Dardanelles. Those who use ferrets for rabbit-shooting know how their attention wanders after a long wait, and our patrols might well have been taken off their guard when the rabbits bolted after three and a half years. But two destroyers, first H.ELS. Lizard' and then H.M.S. Tigress,' observed the enemy ships before they had made the short passage to Imbros, and at once engaged them in an attempt to save two monitors, H.M.S. Raglan' and M.28,' which were lying in Kusu Bay. The slow monitors, taken unawares and unable to manoeuvre, were sunk by the Goeben's ' big guns. But the destroyers pluckily hung on to the enemy, despite his overwhelming superiority, and worried the Breslau ' so much that she ran into our minefield and sank. Four enemy destroyers came out of the Straits, but were promptly driven back. The Goeben ' ran southward, but was attacked by our seaplanes and forced to head for shelter. In turning she too struck a mine, and had to be beached just inside the eastern end of the Dardanelles. There she is being attacked daily and nightly by our aircraft, which have already made six direct hits on her. The great battle-cruiser which forced Turkey into the war, and has terrorized Constantinople ever since, is thus out of action. This brilliant naval affair may have important political consequences.
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