Second Ostend Raid
The Second Ostend Raid was one of two attempts to block the channels leading to the Belgian port of Ostend during World War I. The ports of Ost end and Zeebrugge provided sea access via canals for the major inland port of Bruges. A successful blockade of these bases would force German submarines to operate out of more distant ports, such as Wilhelmshaven. The First Ostend raid on 23 April 1918 was largely a failure, the blockships grounded too far from the channels to obstruct them. The second attempt also failed, due to heavy German resistance and British navigational difficulties in poor weather.
About Second Ostend Raid in brief
The Second Ostend Raid was one of two attempts to block the channels leading to the Belgian port of Ostend during World War I. The Imperial German Navy had used Ostend as a base for their U-boat activities during the Battle of the Atlantic since 1915. The ports of Ost end and Zeebrugge provided sea access via canals for the major inland port of Bruges. A successful blockade of these bases would force German submarines to operate out of more distant ports, such as Wilhelmshaven, on the German coast. The First Ostend raid on 23 April 1918 was largely a failure, the blockships grounded too far from the channels to obstruct them. The second attempt also failed, due to heavy German resistance and British navigational difficulties in poor weather. The raid was presented in Britain as a courageous and daring gamble that came very close to success. Three Victoria Crosses and numerous other gallantry medals were awarded to sailors who participated in the operation. British forces had moderate casualties in the raid, compared to minimal German losses. Two years passed before the next attempt on the Ostend locks. Both attacks largely failed while a large scale operation to block the wider canal at ZeeBrugge, but while at Ostend it took several months for the British authorities to realise that it had been unsuccessful. As a result, the attack ended catastrophically, with the British regrouped and re-grouped on the southeast coast of Britain following the end of the war.
Thus the attack on Ostend seemed to be nullifying any success that might have been achieved at the other port of Bruges, following heavy regrouping and repair of the British forces on the east coast of the UK following the outbreak of the First World War. In fact, Ostend was open wide, and the attack was a success, though it took the British several months to realise the attack had ended in failure. The attack on Ostend was a disaster for the Royal Navy, as their ships had grounded over half a mile from their intended location and been scuttled by their crews under heavy artillery and small arms fire, which caused severe casualties. It was also a success for the German navy, as it was immune to most naval artillery fire and coastal raids, providing a safe harbour for training and repair. On 7 September 1915, four Lord Clive-class monitors of the Dover Patrol had bombarded the dockyard, while German coastal artillery returned fire. Only 14 rounds were fired by the British with the result that only part of the dock yard was set on fire. In a bombardment on 22 September 1917, the lock gates were hit causing the basin to drain at low water. The attack was conducted by Acting Vice-Admiral Roger Keyes led by Acting Lieutenant-Commander Sir Roger Keye in April 1918; while at the same time, the British were trying to block the wider canal at Zee brugge.
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This page is based on the article Second Ostend Raid published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
