London, March 19.
The Press Bureau states that in the course of a general attack against the forts in the Narrows and Dardanelles the French battleship Bouvet was struck by a floating mine and sank in three minutes, Almost all hands were lost owing to an explosion on board.
Floating mine. also struck and sank the British battleships Irresistible and Ocean. Practically the whole of the crews were removed, in spite of a hot fire, while the French battleship Gaulois was damaged by gun fire.
Mine sweeping has been in general progress during the last tea days inside the Straits.
A general attack by the British and French fleets was made yesterday against the fortr: in the Narrows. At 10.45 in the morning the British battleships Queen Elizabeth, Agamemnon, Inflexible and Lord Nelson bombarded five of the forts, while the Triumph and Prince George aimed at three batteries. The enemy replied heavily with howitzers and field guns, At 12.92 the French battleships Suffren, Gaulois, Charlemagne and Bouvet advanced and engaged the forts ut clare range. Four of the forts replied strongly, but were silenced by ten battleships inside the Straits. All of the ships were hit several times during this part of the action.
At 1.25 in the afternoon all the forts ceased firing. H.M.S. Ven-glance, Irresistible, Ocean, Albion, Swiftsure and Majestic then advanced to relieve the six battleships inside the Straits. As the French squadron, which had engaged the forts in a most brilliant manner, wasp Bouvet blown up by a and sank in thirty-six father water northward of Arenkioi village.
The relief battleships then renewed the attack against the forts, which reopened fire. The attack was maintained while mine-sweepers were operating.
At four o'clock and six o'clock re spectively H.M.S. Irresistible and H.M.S. Ocean struck mines and sank in deep water. H.M.S. In-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.