-sweepers continued.

"At 4:09 P.M. the Irresistible quitted the line, listing heavily, and
at 5:50 o'clock sank, having probably struck a drifting mine. At 6:
o'clock the Ocean, also having struck a mine, sank. Both vessels sank
in deep water, practically the whole of their crews having been removed
safely under a hot fire. The loss of the ships was caused by mines
drifting with the current, which were encountered in areas hitherto
swept clear.

"The British casualties in personnel were not heavy considering the
scale of the operations, but practically the whole of the crew of the
Bouvet were lost with the ship, an internal explosion having apparently
supervened on the explosion of the mine." [About 500 lives were lost on
the Bouvet.]

On March 16 Vice-Admiral Carden, who had been incapacitated by illness,
was succeeded in the chief command by Rear-Admiral John Michael De
Robeck, with the acting rank of vice-admiral.

ADMIRAL DE ROBECK'S TRIBUTE TO THE FRENCH

After the engagement of March 18 Admiral De Robeck telegraphed to the
British Admiralty the following tribute to the gallantry of the French
in action:

"I desire to bring to the notice of your Lordships the splendid behavior
of the French squadron. Their heavy loss leaves them quite undaunted.
They were led into close action by Rear-Admiral Guepratte with the
greatest gallantry."

About this time it was noted by the press and generally commented upon,
in both England and America, that the Admiralty had not made public a
single word of commendation for the work of the British navy since
the war began. This unusual fact was interpreted as evidence of the
inflexible purpose of the British to ignore minor losses and even
defeats until the main battleship fleets of the belligerents should come
to grips in the open sea. English newspapers began to taunt the Germans
with permitting their navy to "rust in the Kiel Canal."

The sinking of the battle cruisers Irresistible, Ocean and Bouvet was
the heaviest loss sustained by the Allies since the war began. The
British crews were rescued, almost to a man, and the loss of the French
crew was due mainly to the internal explosion following that of the
mine. All the ships sunk were of the earlier pre-dreadnought type. On
the same day, March 18, the British battle cruiser Inflexible and the
French battleship Gaulois were put out of commission temporarily by the
fire of the Turkish forts.

The Irresistible, the Ocean