GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER SUNK BY H.M.S. "HIGHFLYER." (Hansard, 27 August 1914)

§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. Churchill)

I ought to tell the House that for reasons which seem sufficient to the Government and to the military authorities a strong force of British Marines has been sent to Ostend, and has occupied the town and surrounding district without delay. Here is another matter: The Admiralty have just received intelligence that the German armoured merchant cruiser "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse," of 14,000 tons and armed, according to our information, with ten guns of approximately 4 in, calibre, has been sunk by His Majesty's ship "Highflyer" off the Ouro River on the West African coast. This is the vessel which has been endeavouring to arrest traffic between this country and the Cape, and is one of the very few German armed auxiliary cruisers which have succeeded in getting to sea. The survivors were landed before the vessel sunk. The "Highflyer's" casualties were: One man killed and five slightly wounded, and the names have been given to the Press Bureau.