Three years of naval warfare

THREE YEARS OF
NAVAL WARFARE

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/•*•.::•*'• /*•*'••*

THREE YEARS OF
NAVAL WARFARE

BY

R. H. GIBSON

LONDON
WILLIAM HEINEMANN

London: William Heinemann, 1918.

BefcicateD

TO

THE MEMORY
OF THOSE SAILORS AND MARINES

WHO HAVE LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE

SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY IN ORDER THAT THEIR

COUNTRY MIGHT LIVE

AND IN

GRATITUDE FOR THE SPLENDID SERVICES OF

LORD JELLICOE, HIS OFFICERS, AND MEN OF THE GRAND

FLEET, THE OVERSEAS FLEETS, AND PATROLS

44C979

PREFACE

A HISTORY of the naval war since 1914 is of a very far-
reaching character, but I have endeavoured to localise the
many campaigns into separate chapters, although a small
amount of overlapping is unavoidable. The stupendous
events of the last few years have followed one another in
such rapid succession that few people realise the enormous
task which our Navy was called upon to perform. From
the terribly sudden collapse of the whole fabric of Germany's
commerce the success of this work must be evident; and
although in 1915 many of our ships were still engaged on
foreign service, practically all naval matters centralised in
home waters. The book is divided into two parts, the first
dealing with the work of the Royal Navy around our shores,
and the second part treating the British and Allied Fleets
abroad.

The veil over our Fleet remains as inscrutable as ever,
and one is tempted to question the need for such absolute
secrecy. The enemy is, of course, greatly hindered in learn-
ing of the dispositions and strength of our squadrons and
patrols, but the disappointment which the public feels is
keen. It tends to make us overlook the wonderful patience
of our sailors in their long and weary vigil for the hiding
foe. Some day let us hope that we shall be told the full
story of the glorious deeds of our men who had kept the seas
in fair weather and foul, in winter and summer, by night and
day, in the hope of encountering the enemy, in the enforcing
of the blockade, in the protection of our vast overseas trade,
in the supplying of our overseas forces, and in keeping our
coasts immune from the inhuman and murderous invader.

To ensure this our " silent Navy " has suffered losses —
even severe losses — but the many gallant lives which have

vii

viii PREFACE

been lost have not been laid down in vain. Their loss
leaves their comrades more determined than ever to carry
on to the end. The perils are manifold; and there is little
chance vouchsafed to them in battle should their ship be
mortally hit. When it is remembered that in the short
space of a few hours in the Jutland battle over 5700 lives
were lost, and that 1500 others perished in the triple sinking
of the large cruisers in September 1914, the perils will be
realised. We have as yet lost only a few modern ships,
but it is a melancholy fact that practically all their crews
have perished with them.

Our patrols are for periods varying from weeks to months
in constant danger from mines and submarines and the ever-
present hazard of shipwreck. Sometimes nothing more is
ever heard of these ships after leaving port except for a
small amount of wreckage washed ashore, and their fate is
a matter of pure conjecture ; at other times only a few of
the crew survive the loss of their ship and are cast on in-
hospitable shores, and again perhaps a boat or two may be
picked up days after the mishap. For it must be remembered
that the unfrequented seas have to be actively patrolled as
well as the more populous areas. Should the disaster occur
at night in the northern latitudes, then the sufferings of the
crew are terrible. If one ever gives a thought as to what
is happening in these seas, let him not forget the debt which
we owe to these brave and uncomplaining heroes who are
patrolling ceaselessly the chilly waters of the Arctic regions,
the wild Atlantic, and the treacherous North Sea in all
weathers and seasons.

In concluding this brief appreciation, we must add a
word of tribute to the services of our minesweepers,
steaming through death to prevent death. These brave
crews are drawn exclusively from the trawling industry,
under the command of R.N.R. officers and skippers, and
have performed in the most courageous manner feats full
of danger in all weathers. They clear the seas from the
deadly menace of the floating and drifting mine set adrift
by the enemy submarines, pseudo-neutral merchantmen and

PEEFACE ix

fishing craft, so that our commerce and the neutral nations'
commerce and finally our own warships can patrol and
cruise on the seas with at least one peril temporarily removed.
These mines are ever being sown, mostly by submarines
following in the wake of the sweepers, and the task of
sweeping them up is never finished.

If this book should give the reader a clearer insight into
the wonderful task which our Navy, " Britain's sure shield,"
has so successfully carried out, it will have achieved its
desired object. The present times are undoubtedly serious
and, despite the inevitable fluctuations, it is as well to realise
that the submarine problem is yet far from being solved.
The one fact which points to ultimate success is that, as in
the previous campaigns, the shipping losses are very much
reduced around our shores. We must put implicit trust in
our sailors, who will assuredly win through in this danger
as they have done so often before.

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE GKOWTH OF THE EOYAL NAVY .... 1

PART I

CHAPTEK I
BKITAIN PBEPABED ....... 40

APPENDIX — THE BELGIAN COAST BOMBARDMENTS, 1914-17 67

CHAPTEK II
THE WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA, 1915-16 . 72

CHAPTER III
THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN, 1915 .... 81

CHAPTER IV
THE JUTLAND BATTLE, MAY 31, 1916 .... 95

CHAPTER V
THE DEATH OF LORD KITCHENER, THE MURDER OF

CAPTAIN FRYATT, AND PATROLLING INCIDENTS, 1916-17 113

CHAPTER VI
THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN, 1916-17 . . . 142

PART II

CHAPTER I
THE SIEGE OF TSINGTAU, AND THE CAREERS OF THE

GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE . . . . .157

CHAPTER II

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN ..... 194

xi

FAGS

xii CONTENTS

CHAPTEE III
THE BLACK SEA 226

CHAPTER IV
THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA . . . .239

CHAPTEE V
IN THE ADEIATIC SEA ....... 258

CHAPTEE VI

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS (AFRICAN, STEIAN,

PERSIAN, BALKAN AND MEDITERRANEAN THEATRES) . 276

WARSHIP LOSSES FROM 1914 TO 1917 (EXCLUDING

TRAWLERS, ETC.) ....... 304

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY

WE have been so long accustomed to hear the title of
" Mistress of the Seas " applied to our country, yet it is
not every one who knows it was very much in danger of
passing from our hands during the Victorian period. This
country had been slowly but all too surely drifting from her
position as the first naval Power as the result of the policy
of Mr. Gladstone's Government, whereby the Navy was so
persistently starved. Several events abroad had from
time to time caused a panic, but beyond a very temporary
outpouring of funds, which were invariably squandered, no
real progress was made. The next naval Power, France,
was rapidly coming up with us, and her expenditure was very
little behind ours during the eighties. Armoured ships
were then in their infancy, and the only warships of this
class which we possessed were nearly all freak ships.

It was not until the famous Naval Defence Act was
passed in 1889 that the crisis was reached. The motley
assortment of the various types of warships was the result
of this spasmodic and indiscriminate construction policy,
and few warships were in a fit state to put to sea without
an extensive overhaul. By thoroughly acquainting the
public with the peril to which we were rapidly approaching,
a far-sighted party of men forced Parliament against its
will to consent to the immediate construction of eight
battleships (" Royal Oak " class), two smaller battleships
(Barfleur and Centurion), nine first-class cruisers (" Edgar "
class), twenty-nine second-class cruisers (" Apollo " class),
and eighteen gunboats (" Speedy," " Niger," and " Dryad "
classes). This huge programme cost £21,500,000 and was
to be completed by 1894.

On the completion of these ships the largest annual pro-
gramme to date was brought forward and passed, providing
for seven battleships (" Majestic " class), six second-class
B

2* THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

cruisers and two sloops, and by 1900 this country was again
secure. Thus by a tremendous effort England was saved
from drifting on to the rocks of national disaster, and com-
petition by the next naval Power was not only rendered
impossible, but our Navy was brought up to the position
of the Two-Power Standard, the superiority against any two
naval Powers.

Germany at this time possessed a very small Fleet of no
significance at all, and her Army was her one force. When
she realised the impossibility of becoming a Power of any
consequence without a Navy, efforts were made to secure a
vote for the establishment of a comparatively moderate
Navy. The Jameson Raid and President Kruger's telegram
from the Kaiser strikingly illustrated to the Germans
their weakness, and they utilised the event in emphasising
this fact to the German people, who had hitherto looked
upon their Army as their one weapon of defence and offence.
The Boer War, with the seizure of the German steamer
Bundesrat, suspected of carrying arms to the Boers, further
accentuated Germany's impotence in the world's affairs,
and in 1900 a new German Naval Act was passed and carried
out, which almost doubled the proposed establishment.
From this time onward the rise of the German Navy was
extraordinary, and its purpose was clearly obvious.

When in 1906 our Liberal Government set about a
retrenchment of the Cawdor Naval Programme, Germany
responded by providing for six armoured cruisers struck
out of the original 1898 programme, and two years later
announced a system of replacement of all battleships of
twenty years of age, thus again increasing her rate of con-
struction. The cruisers of course became battle-cruisers,
consequent on the introduction of the type by ourselves in
1907, but they were later changed to battleships in their
programme. The new Act also provided for four capital
ships annually during 1908-11, and thereafter for two,
but when the reduction would take place a new Act was
passed providing for 3 battleships, 2 light cruisers, and
54 submarines, thus bringing the strength of the Imperial

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 3

German Navy in 1920 up to 41 battleships, 20 battle and
armoured cruisers, 40 light cruisers, 144 destroyers, and 72
submarines, whilst the expenditure since the beginning of
the growth of the German Navy had increased 292 per cent.

We know now for what purpose this formidable Fleet was
built, but there were few men who in 1900 foresaw the
remarkable rise of this country's insignificant Navy. Until
then, the Power from whom we thought we had the most
to fear was France, possibly Russia, but never Germany.
Since that date many things had happened — the terrible
disaster to the Russian Fleet, the naval retrenchment of
our neighbour across the Channel, the rise of the American
and Japanese Fleets, but the most unforeseen was the
expansion of a negligible naval Power to the second place
amongst the navies of the world. The motive for the
successive amendments to the German Naval Act of 1900
was remarkably frank, and it was clearly a challenge to us.
But for the drastic reform of our Navy during the last ten
years, it would not be pleasant to contemplate what the
European situation would be to-day. Lord Selborne in
1904 stated that the new German Navy was " of the most
efficient type and is so fortunately circumstanced that it is
able to concentrate almost the whole of its Fleet in home
waters." In other words, there were none of the useless
and obsolete ships in the German Navy so familiar in our
Navy at that time, and that with her small coastline and
her few colonies she is able to keep practically all this newly-
created Fleet within striking distance of our shores.

In 1904 a thorough and drastic reform was made through-
out our Navy. A great number of old warships were
scrapped, there was a complete reorganisation of the entire
Fleet, including the withdrawal of numerous ships of no
value from the distant seas, and the centre of gravity was
shifted from the Mediterranean to Home Waters. There was
also the creation of the nucleus system whereby personnel
transferred from the useless ships were put aboard the older
ships in commission as nucleus crews, the remainder of
their complements being drawn from the various Reserves.

4 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Of course, after the mutilation of the Cawdor Programme
(whereby four capital ships were provided for annually),
which entailed the reduction to two and later to three ships
laid down, there came the inevitable panic when Germany
instantly increased her construction. Undeterred by our
reduction, all the Powers, Germany foremost, increased
their programmes until, unless strong action were taken by
our Government, there was a serious danger of our again
losing our Two-Power Standard. Public opinion again
forced the Government to take steps to procure our suprem-
acy, and again they had to submit although they would
not take heed from their naval advisers. As a result four
ships were laid down, and in addition four others were also
voted to replace the deficiency of the 1907, 1908, 1909
programmes. These latter, known as the " contingent
four," were the result of the national cry, " We want eight,
and we won't wait," and are the " Orion " class, whilst the
other four were the " Lion " battle-cruisers and the two
" Colossus " battleships. Their immediate construction was
necessary, as Germany had actually accelerated her already
amended programme by beginning the construction of her
1909-10 programme before the scheduled time. Thus this
policy of retrenchment, based upon the grounds of humanity,
produced absolutely the opposite effect which had been
desired — that of arresting this world-race of naval arma-
ments, although it has been put forward that the decrease
was due to a desire to await the perfection of the new 13-5"
gun. The subsequent programmes from 1910-15 were
either four or five capital ships to be laid down annually,
and of the later estimates nothing is of course known.
It was stated that by the end of 1916 the whole of the
" Royal Sovereign " class would be in service, which would
bring our total Dreadnought force up to forty-three as
against Germany's twenty-eight.

During the great reform of 1904 a committee decided that
instead of the multitudinous types of warships then in
vogue, there were only four different types necessary to
the composition of a modern Fleet. Firstly, two kinds of

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 5

battleships — one type a ship carrying the greatest number
of heavy guns of one calibre combined with heavy armour
protection, whose speed would be about 2 1 knots ; and the
other a ship of greater speed, 25 knots, and carrying fewer
heavy guns and less armour protection to counteract the
weight of the enormous engines necessary to produce the
high speed (which in some cases has reached as much as
32 knots). These ships were later classified as battle-
cruisers. Secondly, a considerable number of light cruisers
of high speed, for duty at home as scouts for the battle
squadrons and for patrolling the distant seas. Thirdly,
two types of destroyers were considered necessary, one
for accompanying the battle squadrons, and the other
for purely coastal purposes, though only thirty-six of these
latter were built as their utility was doubtful. Finally,
powerful submarines were needed to complete a modern
Navy. There are, it is true, several other ships still con-
structed, depot-ships, oil-carriers, transports, etc., but
these are purely non-combatant vessels.

This policy was carried out without exception until the
outbreak of war, when the value of monitors for assisting
military operations was recognised, and a great number of
this type of warship have since taken the water. Flotilla
leaders are also an innovation, but several of the earlier
light cruisers had until then taken their place. Whether
this war has produced any new types of warships time
alone will show, but there seems little likelihood of any really
new craft being evolved yet. A glance at any old Navy List
will show the various types of warships — coast-defence
battleships, armoured cruisers, first-class and third-class
cruisers, torpedo boats, gunboats, and sloops, which are
now no longer built.

To enter into the much-discussed arguments as to the Utility
of the armoured cruiser does not come within the province
of this book, but a word might briefly explain the reason
for the cessation of their construction. In the Russo-
Japanese War, from which many valuable lessons have been
derived, Admiral Kamimura's squadron was used more as a

6 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

detached flying battle squadron than as a cruiser force,
the prevalent idea being that they would be used more or
less as an advanced force capable of dealing damage to the
enemy should he not be in force, whilst their superior speed
would enable them to draw away if the enemy should prove
too strong. Being vastly superior to any other cruisers,
it was held that they would be able to command the outer
seas and consequently strangle the enemy's commerce,
for their large fuel capacity gives them a relative radius of
action and sea-keeping endurance and enables them to remain
on their stations longer than any other warship, excepting
perhaps battleships. Amongst the objections to these
cruisers was their large cost if used solely as cruisers, and
the large crew which was needed to man them. A model
cruiser must be speedy and powerful, having a large fuel
capacity for extensive patrolling, together with a small cost
in order that a considerable number can be turned out —
not at all easy qualities to combine. The Battle of Jutland
tragically illustrated the weakness of their protection when
used as a flying battle squadron. It will be remembered
that of Rear- Admiral Arbuthnot's squadron only the Duke
of Edinburgh survived the battle, so terrible are the effects
of modern high explosive shells on any but the stoutest
of armour. With the advent of the " Invincible " battle-
cruisers, these armoured cruisers ceased to be built, and
provision was made for a number of less costly but more
valuable light cruisers.

The first-class protected cruisers also became too costly,
though the first ships of this class, the " Edgars," proved
excellent ships, and have been extensively used in this war
in connection with the Dardanelles campaign as the famous
" blister-ships." Prior to the war they formed the Special
Service Squadron, and were used as a training squadron for
boys. The third-class cruisers have merged into second-
class cruisers, and all now come under the heading of " light
cruisers." Torpedo boats have also merged into destroyers,
for the thirty-six modern craft were really built as coastal
destroyers ; whilst the torpedo-gunboat, which was built

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 7

to destroy the numerous and small torpedo boats of that
day, was not fast enough to catch them, and the modern
destroyer may be said to have evolved from this species.

I will now give a brief survey of the existing Royal Navy
as it was on the outbreak of hostilities.

BATTLESHIPS. — The battleships on the active list in
1914 were all built subsequent to the famous Naval Defence
Act of 1889, and are divided into two classes — ships of a
mixed armament built prior to the Dreadnought, called pre-
Dreadnoughts, and ships built after the inception of this
well-known battleship called Dreadnoughts. The oldest class
is the " Majestic," of which nine were launched between
1894^96, and they have a tonnage of 14,900 and a nominal
speed of 17-5 knots, though this is now greatly reduced.
They were armed with four 12" guns mounted in two turrets,
one fore and the other aft, and twelve 6" guns in casemates
on the ships' sides formed their secondary armament.
Their armour consisted of 9" Harveyed steel 200' long,
which left the ends unprotected, but they were in the
nineties considered to be the finest squadron of ships afloat.
They are the only class of battleship in the Royal Navy
with their funnels constructed abreast, the idea being that
they thus presented a smaller target to the enemy's fire;
but the great disadvantage was that should a shot hit one
funnel the other one would inevitably be also holed, and the
practice was abandoned in all later ships. The nine ships
were named Majestic, Magnificent, Ccesar, Hannibal,
Illustrious, Mars, Jupiter, Prince George and Victorious.

The next class consisted of the six " Canopus " ships
launched between 1897-99. They displace 12,950 tons and
carry a similar armament to their predecessors, but have a
greater speed of 18-25 knots. Their protection is also reduced
to 6" thick Harvey nickel steel, but this decrease in tonnage
and armour was necessary so that this squadron of battle-
ships could be dispatched to the East via the Suez Canal
if it were necessary. Their higher speed and smaller draught
rendered these ships an extremely mobile squadron, and they
have been extensively employed abroad before the war

8 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and since. Their names are Canopus, Albion, Goliath,
Ocean, Glory and Vengeance.

Following this class came the eight " Formidables,"
launched in 1898-1902, of 15,000 tons, and 18 knots. These
ships are protected with Krupp steel 9" thick amidships,
giving a good protection, and 2" in their bows. They have
proved useful ships, but misfortune has dogged them.
They are the Formidable, Bulwark, Implacable, Irresistible,
London, Venerable, and the later Prince of Wales and Queen.

The " Duncan " class, launched in 1901, was again smaller,
but carried the same armament. Their tonnage was 14,000
and they have a speed of 19 knots, whilst their armour
is 7" thick Krupp. They have been employed on foreign
stations until recently, but of the six which were built,
Duncan, Albemarle, Cornwallis, Exmouth, Russell and Mon-
tague, the latter ship stranded on Lundy Island during a
fog on May 13, 1906, and broke her back.

All the foregoing ships have four torpedo tubes, excepting
the " Majesties," which have five ; and as an anti-torpedo
battery the lighter classes carry twelve 3" 12-pounders
and the heavier classes eighteen.

After these four classes come the two smaller battleships
which were originally built for Chile in 1903, but were
purchased by us to prevent them from falling into the hands
of the Russians. They are quite different from the usual
British standard, and have a tonnage of only 11,988 and a
speed of 20 knots; they carry four 10" guns, fourteen 7-5"
guns, and fourteen 14-pounders for repelling torpedo
attacks, and they have also two torpedo tubes. It will
thus be seen that for their size they are exceptionally
heavily armed, and for service abroad they are well suited.
They were renamed Triumph and Swiftsure, and in 1914
the latter was the East Indies flagship and Triumph was at
Hong-Kong. Their armour is identical with the " Duncan "
class.

We now come to the finest squadron of pre-Dreadnoughts
in the world, the well-known " King Edward VII " class.
Although their nominal speed remained unaltered their

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 9

tonnage was raised to 16,350, but the chief innovation was
in their armament, and was the first step which culminated
in the Dreadnought. The four 12" pieces were still carried,
but the 6" gun was replaced by four 9-2" guns as their
secondary battery. The smaller weapon was still retained,
but only ten of them were carried. It had become doubtful
whether the 6" gun would be of much use in a naval action,
owing to the rapid progress in naval gunnery and the con-
sequently greater range at which they would be fought
with the more powerful 12" guns. Therefore the 9-2"
weapon was substituted and a very strong armament re-
sulted. They were, of course, very much more costly,
and eight ships were launched during 1903-5, comprising
King Edward VII, Africa, Britannia, Commonwealth,
Dominion, Hibernia, Hindustan, and New Zealand, which
latter was renamed Zealandia when the fine battle-cruiser
of that name was presented by that colony.

Disadvantage goes with advantage, and it was found that
there was much difficulty in " spotting " the fall of the
various shells, as there was but little difference between the
drop of 12" and 9-2" shell, and a 9-2" and a 6" projectile.
This defect was removed in the two succeeding ships, Lord
Nelson and Agamemnon, and the 6" gun was abolished,
whilst ten 9-2" guns were substituted. The 12" guns were
also carried, and twenty -four 12-pounders completed their
powerful armament.

It must be understood that the 12" gun of 1906 was vastly
superior to the weapon of 1894, and similarly the 1910 type
was more powerful than that of 1906.

Turning to the world-famous battleship Dreadnought,
we come to the greatest change in naval design of modern
times. The chief innovations in this ship were twofold :
firstly, her armament was radically altered and only two
types of guns were carried, a main armament and an anti-
torpedo battery. The main armament consisted of no fewer
than ten 12" guns disposed in the following manner : two
mounted fore and four aft, all on the centre line, and a pair
on either beam, so enabling eight heavy guns to be fired

10 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

from either broadside, six ahead and six astern. The same
anti-torpedo battery was carried. The second chief point
was the installation of turbine machinery instead of the
usual reciprocating engines, and by this step the high speed
of 21 knots for a battleship was obtained. They were the
first turbines to be placed in any warship larger than a light
cruiser, and the success of this ship led to its adoption by
every naval Power. She was also constructed in record
time, being laid down at Portsmouth on October 2, 1905,
launched by King Edward on February 10, 1906, and leaving
on her trials on October 1, 1906. Her construction was
kept a profound secret and enabled us to gain a very valuable
advantage over any foreign Power, though by the policy
of the subsequent Government we went very near to losing
it. The adoption of these new features necessarily increased
her tonnage, which was brought up to 17,890, and she cost
no less than £1,813,000.

At the same time three " large armoured cruisers " were
constructed; they were of slightly less tonnage, but pos-
sessed the enormous speed of 28 knots. To obtain this
their protection had to be reduced to 1" armour owing to
the great engine space required for their huge turbines.
They also carried fewer guns, eight 12" and sixteen 4" guns,
but they were nevertheless little less costly than then1 larger
and more heavily armed sister. They carried their guns in
twin turrets as usual, two fore and two aft, but amidships
they were mounted en echelon, i. e. at an angle of forty-five
degrees to the centre line, which enables all the guns to be
fired from either broadside. They were, of course, the
Invincible, Inflexible and Indomitable; the secrecy with
which they were built baffled all the German agents at work
in this country, and the contemporary German Blucher was
very much inferior. These three " large armoured cruisers "
were later termed " fast battleships," and yet again " battle-
cruisers " ; but after a dozen more had been built the name
reverted to " fast battleships," from which it is evident that
their role was determined with difficulty. Though the
Dreadnought was completed two years before the " Lord

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 11

Nelsons," yet there was really no retrogression, for the
extremely rapid construction of this ship necessarily left
the others behind.

The next battleships were the three " Bellerophons "
and the three " St. Vincents." They were of similar design
to their predecessor excepting that their masts were differ-
ently arranged. They had the same 11" armour and carried
ten 12" guns, but the latter ships had eighteen 4" guns
mounted as their anti-torpedo battery in comparison to
sixteen on the " Bellerophons." Bellerophon, Superb and
Temeraire are of 18,600 tons, and St. Vincent, Collingwood
and Vanguard displaced 19,250 tons. They were built
during the years of 1906-8, the period of starvation under
the Liberal Government, which with Neptune and Inde-
fatigable, laid down during 1908-9, produced only eight ships
instead of the necessary twelve.

The Neptune, for many years the Fleet flagship, was
launched in 1909; she displaced 19,900 tons, and was closely
followed by Hercules and Colossus. The chief difference
is that the disposition of their heavy guns was altered.
It will have been noticed that of the two aft pairs of guns,
the rearmost turret obscures the fire of the one behind
for astern fire, but this defect was remedied by superposing
the most amidship turret and thus enabling it to fire over
the rearmost guns. Their amidships guns were also mounted
en echelon, and thus their offensive power was much in-
creased. The battle-cruisers Indefatigable, Australia and
New Zealand are of 18,750, 19,200, and 18,800 tons respec-
tively, and were completed between 1911-12. They carry
the same armament, but have 8" armour, and as they are
longer, a wider radius of fire is permitted for the amidships
guns.

We now come to what are termed " super-Dreadnoughts,"
in which the 12" weapon is replaced by the 13-5" gun, which
has a greater accuracy at long ranges, besides having a better
penetrating power. The three classes which are thus covered
are the " Orion," " King George V," and " Iron Duke " ships.
They all carry ten 13-5" guns mounted on the centre line,

12 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the guns fore and aft being superposed in twin turrets and
the amidships gun is only available for broadside fire.
They all have the usual 21 knots speed, arid the first two
classes carry sixteen 4" guns and three torpedo tubes,
whilst the later class has a dozen 6" pieces, two 3" anti-
aircraft guns and four torpedo tubes. When it is remem-
bered that this weapon formed our pre-Dreadnoughts'
secondary battery, the great advance in the power of
torpedo craft will be realised. The Iron Duke, Marlborough,
Benbow and Emperor of India are remarkable for the
absence of torpedo nets, and their tonnage is about 25,000.
The Orion, Conqueror, Monarch and Thunderer are of 22,500
tons, and King George V, Ajax, Audacious and Centurion
displace about 23,000 tons. This latter class was completed
between 1912-13, the four previous ships during 1911-12,
whilst only two of the " Iron Dukes " were completed before
war broke out.

The battle-cruisers Lion and Princess Royal also carry
the new gun. Two pairs are mounted in the superposed
position forward, and the others are mounted amidships
and aft. Only four can thus be fired ahead, two astern,
but all the eight from their broadsides. With a foe like
Germany this arrangement has not been successful, and our
pursuing ships could only utilise their forward guns in the
chases. Their tonnage was 26,350, their speed 28 knots,
and their cost was no less than £2,085,000, whilst they
absorb the enormous complement of 980 men, due to the
huge engines, which have developed 31-8 knots.

The last of these swift battle-cruisers were the Queen Mary
of 27,000 tons, and Tiger of 27,500 tons. They were com-
pleted during 1913-14. Like the " Iron Dukes," a battery
of 6" guns is carried on Tiger, but eight 13-5" guns are
again carried. They both cost about £2,000,000, and were
undoubtedly the finest ships afloat prior to the war. Their
armour was increased to 10", one inch increase to the Lion's,
but their contemporary battleships were carrying 12"
armour.

Although the Admiralty have ceased to build battle-

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 13

cruisers, yet provision was made for five fast battleships in
1912, and of these Queen Elizabeth was just completed in
1914, Barham shortly afterwards, and presumably during
1915 Malaya, Valiant and War spite also joined the Fleet.
They have a nominal speed of 25 knots and a tonnage of
27,500, and carry eight 15" guns, which is probably the
latest pattern. Sixteen 6" guns were also carried for
repelling torpedo attacks. They are also the first battle-
ships to burn oil fuel exclusively, and this innovation greatly
increases their steaming radius besides being less bulky
and easier to take aboard. Their armour is reported to be
13-5" thick.

The last class that was laid down prior to the war was the
" Royal Sovereign," consisting of Royal Sovereign, Royal
Oak, Revenge, Resolution, Ramillies, Renown, Repulse and
Resistance. They are battleships in name and character
and displace only 25,500 tons, but carry ten 15" and twelve
6" guns, and have a nominal speed of 21 knots. They also
burn oil fuel exclusively, but of course nothing has been
published about their details. They were launched between
1914-15.

They are the last battleships whose construction has been
officially announced, but on the outbreak of war there were
several warships building in this country for foreign Powers.
Amongst these were four Dreadnoughts in various stages of
construction, two for Turkey and two for Chile. The former
were known as Reshadieh and Sultan Osman I, but imme-
diately after the outbreak of war the Admiralty purchased
them, and under the names of Erin and Agincourt they have
already proved their value. Erin was launched in 1913
and has a tonnage of 23,000 ; she comes under the heading
of a super-Dreadnought as she carries ten 13-5" and sixteen
6" guns, besides four 12-pounders. Her speed is about
21 knots, and generally corresponds to our " King George V '
ships. Agincourt, although displacing 27,500 tons, carries
no fewer than fourteen 12" guns, all of which are mounted
on the centre line ; she has also twenty 6" and sixteen small
guns and three torpedo tubes. Her speed is 22 knots, and

14 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

this pair of ships was a very handsome addition to our battle
squadrons. The Chilean ships were named Almirante
Cochrane and Almirante Latorre and were taken over later,
the latter receiving the name of Canada. They were both
the largest British battleships to date, and were of 28,000
tons. Their speed was stated to be about 23 knots, and they
are the sole ships in the Royal Navy which carry 14" guns,
of which ten are carried in addition to sixteen 6" and several
14-pounder guns. No official announcement was made of
the acquisition of the former, and her new name was also
unknown. These emergency ships complete the list of the
British battleships and battle-cruisers.

ARMOURED CRUISERS. — The thirty-five armoured cruisers
launched between 1899 and 1907 all bear a marked resem-
blance to each other, and they all have a belt of armour
6" thick amidships excepting the " Monmouth " class. No
armoured cruisers had been built since the old Shannon in
1875, but during the South African War they were in-
troduced into the Navy again. They were all expensive
craft ranging from £750,000 to £1,450,000, and as cruisers
pure and simple were extravagant ships, seeing that three
light cruisers of the same period could be built for one such
armoured cruiser. As a light battle-squadron they were
cheap, but no test was made of this theory until the Battle
of Jutland in 1916; those ill-fated ships were of the latest
classes, yet their 6" Krupp armour afforded them little
protection from the terrible gunfire of modern actions and
the increased power of the torpedo. Over a dozen of these
ships have been lost and, although against the smaller enemy
cruisers and in patrolling the shipping lanes and convoying
troopships they have proved exceedingly useful, if costly,
they are not a real success in modern warfare.

The first class consisted of the six " Cressy " ships which
have a tonnage of 12,000 tons, a speed of 22 knots and an
armament of two 9-2", twelve 6", and several smaller guns.
Their complements are 750 each. They include Cressy,
Aboukir, Bacchante, Euryalus, Hogue and Sutlej.

We then had the four larger ships of 14,100 tons and

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 15

23 knots, the Drake, Good Hope, King Alfred and Leviathan,
but four additional 6" pieces were carried and a crew of
900. As they were becoming far too costly (about £1,000,000)
and absorbed too many men, a considerable reduction was
made in their design. It has been said that they were in
character really armed transports, and in the next class
only 540 men were carried. Ten of these cruisers — Mon-
mouih, Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland, Donegal, Essex,
Kent, Lancaster, Suffolk and Bedford — were launched during
1901-3, and they displaced only 9800 tons, but had a>
nominal speed of 23 knots (although fourteen years later
Kent raised 27 knots in the Falkland Battle). The 9-2"
gun was abandoned and only fourteen 6" and eight 12-
pounders constituted their armament, whilst their armour
is only 4" thick amidships, tapering to nothing in the bows
and stern. Bedford was wrecked in the Straits of Korea
on August 21, 1910, but the other cruisers have been actively
engaged in patrolling the ocean routes.

The remaining classes are all very similar, and there are
only slight differences in their armaments. First there
come Devonshire, Antrim, Argyll, Carnarvon, Hampshire
and Roxburgh of 10,810 tons and a speed of over 23 knots,
which carry four 7-5" and six 6" guns. They were again
more costly and required 655 men to man them. Next
there are Black Prince and Duke of Edinburgh with six 9-2"
and ten 6" guns, of 13,550 tons and a similar speed. These
ships cost over £1,000,000, and are very similar to Warrior,
Achilles, Cochrane and Natal, except that these mount
four 7-5" guns in place of the 6" weapon. They were all
completed between 1905-7.

Finally, we have the three " Defence " cruisers carrying
four 9-2" and ten 7-5" guns, and displacing 14,600 tons.
They are Defence, Shannon, Minotaur, and they cost
£1,400,000, nearly as much as the battle-cruisers which
followed them.

PROTECTED CRUISERS (1st class). — The first of these ships
were laid down under the Naval Defence Act of 1889, and
they proved very useful and seaworthy craft. They are

16 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

protected by an armoured deck to prevent damage to their
engines and boilers, but they have no side armour. As
they were built they would have little chance in an action
nowadays, but the first ships have been altered to the
" blister-ships " and are now claimed to be torpedo -proof.
These are Edgar, Endymion, HawJce, Grafton, Theseus, of
7350 tons, and Gibraltar of 7700 tons, which carry two
9-2" and ten 6" guns, and Crescent and Royal Arthur of 7700
tons, which carry one 9-2" and twelve 6" guns. They were
completed between 1893-4, and were followed in 1898 by
the Powerful and Terrible. These two huge ships were
almost as expensive as armoured cruisers, and required a
crew of 840 to man them. They carried an armament of
two 9-2" and sixteen 6" guns and had a speed of 22 knots.
Certainly they came in useful during the Boxer rebellion
and in the Boer War, but they were not a success. Their
tonnage was 14,100. Between these two classes of ships
there had been built two other cruisers, Blake and Blenheim
of about 9000 tons, but they have been used as depot ships
for many years. The last class of this type were eight in
number, Diadem, Amphitrite, Andromeda, Argonaut, Ariadne,
Europa, Niobe and Spartiate. They were of 11,000 tons and
20-5 knots; they carried sixteen 6" and a dozen smaller
guns, and cost about £550,000. Niobe was purchased by
Canada in 1910, but after 1902 no further protected cruisers
of this type were built. They are not, on the whole, a
success.

PROTECTED CRUISERS (2nd class). — These ships and all
the subsequent classes are now termed light cruisers, bat it
will be better to describe them under the heading in which
they were built. It will be remembered that twenty-nine
second-class cruisers were advocated in 1889, but only
fifteen of these were on the active list in 1914, of which seven
have been converted into minelayers. These were Andro-
mache, Latona, Naiad, Thetis of 3400 tons, Apollo, Intrepid,
Iphigenia of 3600 tons, all of which are minelayers, and
were launched during 1888-9. Then come Terpsichore,
Sappho, and Scylla of 3400 tons, and Molus, Brilliant,

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 17

Melpomene, Sirius and the Canadian Rainbow of 3600 toni.
All these ships are of about 19 knots speed, and carry two
6" and about half a dozen 4*7" pieces. Most of them are
obsolete, but a few were recommissioned in 1914. After
these came Astrcea, Cambrian, Charybdis, Flora, Forte,
Fox, Hermione, Bonaventure of 4360 tons, which were com-
pleted during 1894-5. They differed but little from the
earlier ships. Then came the nine " Talbot " cruisers,
which have done good work during the earlier part of the
war. They were completed during 1897-8, and displace
5600 tons and carry eleven 6" guns. Their cost was about
£275,000, and they needed a crew of 416. They can steam
about 19 knots, and are named Talbot, Diana, Dido, Doris,
Eclipse, Juno, Minerva, Isis, Venus.

These handy ships were followed by the Arrogant, Furious,
Vindictive and Gladiator. Their tonnage is 5750 and their
speed is about 19 knots. They have only ten 6" guns, but
several smaller ones. The latter was lost in collision with a
liner in 1909. The Hermes, Hyacinth and Highflyer of 1898
were two knots faster, but displaced only 5600 tons, and
they were followed by Challenger and Encounter in 1902-3.
These were of 5880 tons, and both classes carried the same
armament as the " Talbots." Hermes was later equipped
as a seaplane-carrying ship, and she was the first ship of
its kind.

The construction of this class of ship was suspended for
six years, and before following the course of the new ships
it will be better to review the third-class cruisers.

PROTECTED CRUISERS (3rd class). — Under the Naval
Defence Act provision was made for the immediate con-
struction of several cruisers of about 2500 tons called the
" Pearl " class, but there remains only the Philomel on the
active list. This cruiser was the oldest light cruiser serving
with the exception of the little Medea of 2800 tons, which
was built in 1888. The Philomel herself is now a unit of
the New Zealand Navy and carries eight 4-7" guns, her
speed is about 18 knots, and her tonnage is 2575. Next
there came the ten " Pelorus " ships — Pelorus, Proserpine,
c

18 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Pegasus, Perseus, Pyramus, Pomona, Prometheus, Psyche
of 2135 tons, and Pandora and Pioneer of 2200 tons. Their
speed is about 20 knots, their cost £150,000, and they carry
eight 4" and some smaller guns. They have been greatly
employed on foreign stations, and were admirably adapted
for harbour service and such operations as the suppression
of gun-running in the Persian Gulf.

Not until 1903-4, after the " Challengers " had been built,
were any more of these protected cruisers built. The four
" Topaze " ships were then launched. One of these,
Amethyst, was equipped with turbines at the instigation
of Lord Fisher, and such was the success of the experiment
that almost every warship laid down subsequently was
similarly equipped. No ship larger than a destroyer had
formerly had turbines installed, and great credit is due to
the energy of Lord Fisher for his courageous action in the
face of considerable opposition. A speed of 23-5 knots
was obtained in her. The other ships were Diamond,
Sapphire, and Topaze. In the next year there were built
the eight scouts, Adventure, Attentive, Foresight, Forward,
Patrol, Pathfinder, Sentinel and Skirmisher, all of which
have a tonnage of about 3000 and can steam at 25 knots.
They are now armed with nine 4" quick-firing guns, although
originally equipped with 12-pounders. They are handy
little craft.

UNPROTECTED CRUISERS. — In 1908 there were constructed
seven ships of about 3500 tons, absolutely devoid of armour,
which were equipped with turbines giving a speed of
25 knots. These were Boadicea, Blanche, Blonde, Bellona,
Active, Amphion and Fearless. They were armed with ten
4" guns, but are not considered a success.

Meanwhile, with the cessation of the construction of the
armoured cruisers, a greatly improved class of light cruisers
was brought out during 1909-10. These were Bristol,
Glasgow, Gloucester, Liverpool and Newcastle of 4800 tons,
and they were armed with a couple of 6" and ten 4" guns.
Their speed of 25 knots was of course obtained with tur-
bines. During the next year Dartmouth, Falmouth, Wey-

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 19

mouifi and Yarmouth were also launched, and they were of
5250 tons ; eight 6" pieces were carried, in addition to the
two torpedo tubes. They were perhaps slightly slower,
but only cost about £335,000. In 1911-12 there were
launched Chatham, Dublin and Southampton of 5400 tons,
but with the exception of a speed of 25-5 knots they are
identical with the " Dartmouths." In 1913 the last three
ships — Birmingham, Nottingham and Lowestoft — took the
water, and these valuable cruisers were of 5440 tons and
had an extra 6" piece mounted.

All these cruisers were in 1912 termed " light cruisers,''
and they have proved of immense value during the war,
both at home and abroad. The " Sentinels," " Boadiceas,"
and " Topazes " were employed as flotilla leaders in 1914,
pending the construction of ships of this type, and all these
modern cruisers, with their high speeds, are now employed
constantly in the patrol of the North Sea.

LIGHT ARMOURED CRUISERS. — We now come to the last
of these small ships, the light armoured cruisers, the ships
which have been called by Mr. Churchill " destroyers of
destroyers," " the fastest, cheapest and smallest vessels
protected by vertical armour in the British Navy." They
are, in fact, a type of ship between the latest light cruiser
and the latest destroyer. They are fast enough to overhaul
any destroyer, and with their superior armament are able
easily to destroy them. They have acted both in this
capacity and as swift Fleet scouts, and are regarded as a
most successful type of ship. The displacement is about
3500 tons, and they carry two 6" and six 4" guns. Moreover,
they burn oil fuel exclusively, and can steam well over
30 knots with their turbines. The first eight were named
Arethusa, Aurora, Galatea, Inconstant, Phaeton, Penelope,
Royalist and Undaunted, and they were completed after
the outbreak of war. They have been followed by Calliope,
Caroline, Carysfort, Champion, Cordelia, Comus, Conquest
and Cleopatra, which carry an additional 6* gun and displace
4000 tons. Their speed is also 30 knots. Of course there
have been many more constructed since, amongst which are

20 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Castor, Canterbury, Chester, Colleen, etc., but there are no
details available.

TORPEDO BOATS. — When the torpedo had reached the
practical stage during the seventies, large numbers of small
vessels were built mostly for foreign Powers for the purpose
of carrying these engines of destruction. They were but
diminutive craft of about 30 tons, but they possessed the
very high speed in those days of 18 knots. They could
of course only be used in coastal waters, but it became
evident later that ships confined to one harbour were of
little use, as the enemy might never come near or attack
that port. The idea of the use of these craft was for them
to dash out under cover of the night and by their very
smallness approach the enemy ships outside unseen, and
then discharge their torpedoes. What happened afterwards
did not matter much, but in the following confusion the
small attacker might escape. Larger ships were then
constructed, and the first British torpedo boat, the Lightning,
was launched in 1877. Eight years later ships of 40 tons
and 20 knots were introduced, though an experimental
ship " 0 81 " was built by Messrs. White in 1885 which
displaced 125 tons. So numerous were the craft built
by France, at that time semi-hostile, that the menace of
the torpedo boat was considered to be very serious, and
an attempt was made to find the antidote. From these
investigations a type of ship was evolved during 1886-95
which went by the name of " Torpedo -Bo at Catcher."
These are now called " Torpedo Gunboats," and of these
Speedy, Seagull, Spanker, Speedwell, Gossamer and Skipjack
of 735 tons and armed with two 4-7" guns, are the oldest
in service. These were built during 1890-1, and they
were followed in 1893-4 by Jason, Leda, Circe, Niger,
Hebe and Antelope of 810 tons, and in 1894-5 by Halcyon,
Hazard, Harrier, Hussar and Dryad of 1070 tons. As
their best speed was only 19 knots they were thus at the
outset useless for their role, but have since been useful
as minesweepers, fishery protection cruisers and coastal
patrols.

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 21

Meanwhile the construction of torpedo boats continued
both at home and abroad, and the Admiralty ordered
special manoeuvres in 1892 to solve the problem. They
resulted in the evolution of the " Torpedo-Boat Destroyer "
of to-day. This ship was designated to have a superiority
over the French torpedo boats, which had then reached
a stage of good seaworthiness, and also to be used for night
attacks on the enemy battle squadrons. They were much
smaller than the torpedo-gunboats, and displaced only
220 tons, but they had the great speed of 27 knots. The
Havock was the first of these, and she was launched in 1893 ;
and she was followed by about forty similar craft, all of
which have been scrapped several years ago. They were
armed with six 6-pounder guns.

TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYERS. — Our oldest ships are now
classed A and D, and the latter have a speed of 30 knots,
and all are armed with one 12-pounder and five 6-pounder
guns, as well as a couple of torpedo tubes. Their tonnages
range from 280 to 340. The former consist of Boxer, Bruiser,
Conflict, Fervent, Lightning, Opossum, Porcupine, Sunfish,
Surly, Wizard and Zephyr (Opossum and Sunfish only have
one torpedo tube). The D's are Angler, Coquette, Cygnet,
Cynthia, Desperate, Fame, Mallard, Stag.

During 1896 and 1902 there were launched Arab, Earnest,
Express, Griffon, Kangaroo, Lively, Locust, Myrmidon,
Orivell, Panther, Petrel, Quail, Seal, Spiteful, Sprightly,
Syren, Success, Thrasher, Virago, Wolf. They have the same
armament, but Orwell has six 3-pounder guns. Two other
boats, Gala and Tiger, were lost during 1908, but were
replaced by Albacore and Bonetta, which carry three 12-
pounder guns and steam at 26 knots, in comparison to the
speed of the others of about 30 knots. All the above are in
the B class, and the C class are very numerous and displace
from 350 to 400 tons. The usual armament is also carried,
and their speed is 30 knots. They are Albatross, Avon, Bat,
Bittern, Brazen, Bullfinch, Cheerful, Crane, Dove, Electro,
Fairy, Falcon, Fawn, Flirt, Flying Fish, Gipsy, Kestrel,
Leopard, Leven, Mermaid, Osprey, Ostrich, Otter, Racehorse,

22 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Recruit, Roebuck, Star, Sylvia, Thorn, Vigilant, Violet,
Vixen, Vulture, Whiting. There were also three ships
equipped with turbines, Velox, Viper and Cobra, but the
latter broke her back in the North Sea in 1901 whilst she
was in charge of a navigating party who were delivering
her to the Admiralty. She was struck by a huge sea, and
she foundered with sixty-seven of her company. In the
same year Viper stranded off Alderney. These early
turbine- driven ships were very frail, as the greater part of
their tonnage was devoted to the large engines ; and their
length in proportion to their weight was too great to ensure
strength. Owing to insufficient coal capacity this class
were unsuitable for high seas work, but the next class were
much more stoutly built, and although the tonnage was
nearly doubled the length remained unaltered.

This class was formerly known as the River class, but is
now known as the E class. These ships came out between
1902-4 and were a great improvement. They were more
roomy and habitable for the crews, as they had high fore-
castles which prevented the heavy seas from almost drowning
every one aboard. All the previous craft had the turtle-
back forecastles and flush decks. They were of over 500
tons and had the moderate speed of 25-5 knots, as greater
attention was made in regard to their structural strength.
They are Arun, Boyne, Chelmer, Cherwell, Colne, Dee, Der-
went, Doon, Erne, Ettrick, Exe, Foyle, Garry, lichen, Jed,
Kale, Kennet, Liffey, Moy, Ness, Nith, Ouse, Ribble, Rother,
Swale, Teviot, Ure, Usk, Waveney, Wear and Welland.
Blackwater and Lee were both lost during 1909, but were
replaced next year by Stour and Test. Eden was equipped
with turbines, and all of them mount four 12-pounder guns
and a couple of torpedo tubes.

At the same time there was built another type — coastal
destroyers of 200 tons, but they were little more than
improved torpedo boats and are now called as such. Twenty
of them were built during 1901-4, but after the thirty-six
modern torpedo boats constructed during 1906-9 no further
ships were built.

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 23

In the next destroyers a great change is noticeable in
their design, for turbines were universally adopted in place
of the reciprocating engines, and oil fuel was burned instead
of coal. Their size was increased to about 880 tons, and the
armament to five 12-pounders in Afridi, Cossack, Ghurkha,
Mohawk and Tartar, and to about 1000 tons in Amazon,
Crusader, Maori, Nubian, Saracen, Viking and Zulu, whose
armament is two 4" guns. A speed of over 33 knots was
realised from these very valuable craft, which were brought
out during 1907-10.

In the G class, formerly the Coastal, their size was reduced
to about 900 tons, their speed to 27 knots, and their arma-
ment to one 4" and three 12-pounder guns. They also
burnt coal, and were stationed in the Mediterranean in
1914. Their names are Basilisk, Beagle, Bulldog, Foxhound,
Grasshopper, Grampus, Harpy, Mosquito, Pincher, Racoon,
Rattlesnake, Renard, Savage, Scorpion, Scourge and Wolverine.

The twenty H class ships are Acorn, Alarm, Brisk,
Cameleon, Comet, Fury, Goldfinch, Hope, Larne, Lyra,
Martin, Minstrel, Nemesis, Nereide, Nymphe, Redpole,
Rifleman, Ruby, Sheldrake and Staunch. They, again, burn
oil, but a speed of 27 knots was obtained and their tonnage
was only about 780. They were launched during 1910-11.

In 1911 slightly larger ships were launched, and in three
of which a speed of over 30 knots was obtained. They had
a similar armament — two 4" and two 12-pounder guns.
These were Acheron, Archer, Ariel, Attack, Badger, Beaver,
Defender, Druid, Ferret, Forester, Goshawk, Hind, Hornet,
Hydra, Jackal, Lapwing, Phoenix, Sandfly, Tigress, and the
larger and faster Firedrake, Lurcher, Oak.

Next there came in 1912-13 the " Acastas " (K class)
of about 935 tons, which have a speed of 29-32 knots.
They are armed with three 4" and one machine-gun, and also
four 21" torpedo tubes. They are Acasta, Achates, Ambus-
cade, Ardent, Christopher, Cockatrice, Contest, Fortune, Gar-
land, Hardy, Lynx, Midge, Owl, Paragon, Porpoise, Shark,
Sparrowhawk, Spitfire, Unity and Victor. It was this flotilla
which got so badly knocked about after the Jutland Battle.

24 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

The last boats to take the water before war broke out
are the well-known L class, of which twenty were built.
These were Laertes, Laforey, Lance, Landrail, Lark, Laurel,
Laverock, Lawford, Legion, Lennox, Leonidas, Liberty, Linnet,
Llewellyn, Lookout, Louis, Loyal, Lucifer, Lydiard and
Lysander. Their tonnage is about 950, they burn oil fuel
and can steam at about 35 knots, but in other respects
resemble the K craft.

Only thirteen M destroyers were provided for in 1914,
namely, Manly, Mansfield, Mastiff, Matchless, Mentor,
Meteor, Milne, Minos, Miranda, Moorsom, Morris, Murray
and Myngs. They were even smaller, only displacing about
750 tons, but carry an extra 4" gun and the speed of 35 knots
is maintained. No further details are to be had, but they
probably also carry four torpedo tubes.

These ships were doubtless completed during 1915, and
a large number of new craft have since been added to our
flotillas. In Sir John Jellicoe's Dispatch on the Jutland
Battle several new names were mentioned, and also from
time to time there have been reports of new ships. First
there is the Lassoo, mentioned in the Sylt raid in March
1916, which was mined later in August, and which was
probably a replacement of the wrecked Louis. Four new
M destroyers, Magic, Mcenad, Moresby in the Jutland Battle,
and Medusa, lost in the Sylt raid, have also appeared;
Narborough, Nerissa, Nestor, Nicator, Nomad and Nonsuch,
of the N class ; Obdurate, Onslaught, Onslow, and Ophelia
of the 0 class, and finally, Pelican and Petard of the P
craft. Of the Abdiel nothing is known, and there are no
details to be had of any of the above destroyers. Later
still during 1917 the Mary Rose and Strongbow, numbered
by the Germans as G 29 and G 31, were also reported, and
there is no doubt that this class of warship has been pushed
ahead with extraordinary rapidity, as they are so urgently
required for convoying and submarine hunting.

This action also brought forward several of our new
flotilla leaders, of which we now have several. Our first
leader was built so far back as 1907, but it was really an

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 25

" experimental ocean-going destroyer." This was the
Swift of 2170 tons, and her tremendously high speed of
36 knots was even exceeded on trials. She carries four
4" guns and two torpedo tubes, and was undoubtedly the
fastest warship afloat for several years. Her high cost,
£280,000, prevented further ships being built, for in this
respect she was little less than a light cruiser without the
protection of those ships. We had in 1914 four flotilla
leaders in various stages of construction, and they were
really large destroyers of 31 knots and equipped with six
4" guns. These were Marksman, Lightjoot, Kempenfelt
and Nimrod. There were also a couple building for Chile
of 1430 tons and 32 knots, and these were taken over and
renamed Broke and Faulknor, and were later followed by
Botha and Tipperary of 1850 tons and 31 knots, all these
ex-Chilean ships being armed with six 4" guns. A crew of
about 150-200 is believed to be carried. Of the newer
Termagnant and Turbulent there are no available details.
All of these ships are really powerful destroyers and form a
sort of flagship for the flotilla, and are less costly than the
light cruisers which were formerly employed for this duty.

Since the end of 1916 the Admiralty have refrained from
disclosing the identity of the losses amongst the flotillas,
in order to preserve our naval secrets so that the enemy
will not be able to gauge the rate of new construction.

SUBMARINES. — Submarines, like destroyers and torpedo
boats, are a comparatively recent invention, and may be
described as underwater destroyers. As they have developed
to such an extraordinary extent during these years of war-
fare, a brief outline of their history and their remarkable
growth will be of interest.

The real origin of these craft dates back as far as the
seventeenth century, when a Dutchman and an Englishman
both built an " ark for submarine navigation," and the
latter claims to have travelled a fair distance down the
Thames in 1645. But it was the American, David Bushnell,
who was the first to obtain any degree of success. Between
1771 and 1775 he built a small craft, now in an American

26 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Museum, which in shape resembled an egg and when afloat
stood up on one end. The motive power was supplied by a
screw driven by men. This vessel failed to secure any
success against the British ships which were blockading the
American ports, although attacks were attempted by taking
the craft awash to the ships and then fixing a clockwork
explosive machine against their hulls.

Fulton, the American, was the next successful inventor.
He came over to France in 1801 and, receiving financial
aid from Buonaparte, he built a vessel which he called
Nautilus. The ship was driven by an engine worked by
men, but when in surface trim sails were hoisted. Light
was supplied by a small glass aperture in the hull, as candles
used up too much oxygen. He installed a copper globe
containing one cubic foot of compressed air at 300 Ibs.
per sq. in., and he claimed that he could remain sub-
merged for four hours. He did on July 3 descend to a
depth of 25' in Brest Harbour and remained there for an
hour, and with this ship he made a demonstration off
Boulogne before several French naval experts, and success-
fully blew up a small ship. Later he built another craft,
Nautilus II, and he was then employed by the French
Government against us. His one notorious attempt ended
in failure, when he attacked the 74-gun Ramillies and
almost bored through her bottom with an auger. In 1803
Fulton came over to England to offer his services. He was
equally unsuccessful against his former employers, though
he attacked some French ships in the Boulogne Roads.
Two years later, however, by means of a spar torpedo, i. e.
a torpedo fixed and fired from the end of a long spar, he blew
up a stout brig of 200 tons in the Downs off Walmer Castle.

In 1844 a Frenchman. Dr. Payenne, constructed a
" machine " of 62 tons which had a length of 43' and a
breadth of 10'. She was sausage shaped and was built
exclusively for excavation purposes in harbours, and
therefore had no propelling machinery. For rising and
descending weights of 4 tons were carried over pulleys,
so that to rise the weights were lowered to the harbour

THE GROWTH OF THE KOYAL NAVY 27

bottom, when the natural buoyancy of the wooden vessel,
once released of the weights, would cause it to rise to the
surface. The bottom of the ship was partly open to enable
the crew to carry out their work. Though perhaps hardly
a " submarine," this caisson provided an excellent subject
for experimenting on the restoration of the purity of her
atmosphere by carbonic acid gas.

The next step in submarine construction was made during
the American Civil War in the sixties. As the Confederate
Government possessed no large warships, they depended
upon the mine, the ram and the torpedo ; they also con-
structed several " underwater torpedo boats " at Charleston
and Mobile, in which they hoped to approach the Federals
outside unseen. These little ships were called " Davids,"
and were installed with steam-engines with collapsible
funnels. They were cigar shaped, and although very
unreliable, they seem to have had many adventures in the
year 1863-4. One unsuccessfully torpedoed the Federal
New Ironsides off Charleston during the winter, and another,
also unsuccessful, damaged the Minnesota.

A much-improved vessel was built in 1863 at Mobile, and
this was hand-propelled by eight men who turned the
propeller shaft. She also carried a commander who navi-
gated her from a sort of conning tower, and a chief gunner.
This ship, during her adventurous career, accounted for no
fewer than six crews, forty-seven men in all, before being
finally lost. Her record is hardly credible, and the patriotism
of the crews is almost beyond belief.

Whilst on her trial trip, commanded by a Lieutenant
Paine, she was swamped by the wash of a passing steamer,
as the hatches had been left open whilst running awash,
and all but the Commander were drowned. She was raised
and again Paine took charge, but she was swamped for a
second time with six of her crew during a squall. Raised
again, the indomitable Paine took her out for the third
time, but she capsized off Sumpter Point, and as the crew
were below, all but Paine were lost. For the fourth time
this death-ship was taken out, this time in charge of one

28 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

of her builders, but she dived into the muddy bottom owing
to trouble with the steering gear and hydroplanes, and the
whole of her crew perished. Incredible as it seems, this
David was again raised and volunteers were found, but
striking a ship's cable, she was again lost. For the last time
she was raised, and with great heroism on the evening of
February 17, 1864, the sixth crew, comprising two army
officers and five men, navigated her out of the harbour,
across the bar in an awash condition, and gained the sea.
She was then submerged, and they attacked the blockading
ships from seaward. Unseen, she ran alongside the Federal
corvette Housatonic and successfully sank her with a spar
torpedo, but at the same time perished in the explosion,
together with -her brave crew.

Fourteen years later a Liverpool clergyman, the Rev. W. G.
Garnett, built a vessel, and in the next year he constructed
another at Messrs. Cochrane & Co.'s yard which had an air-
purifying device installed, whilst the screw was worked by
a steam-engine. Unfortunately she was lost during a trial
in the Irish Sea.

Sweden was the next country to make any real progress.
In 1885 the Nordenfelt of 60 tons, measuring 64' x 9' x 11',
was built; she had steam-engines fitted. Her descent
was controlled by vertical propellers which stopped when
an ascent was required, and for awash conditions ballast
was carried. She could travel at a fair speed under-
water. She was purchased in 1886 by Greece after success-
ful trials in the Bay of Salamis, and two larger craft were
ordered by Turkey, the Nordenfelt II and Nordenfelt III.
They were shipped in sections to Constantinople, but, as
might be expected in such a country, only sufficient parts
arrived to put together one vessel. This craft was quite
successful, but when a torpedo was fired she stood up
vertical, so unstable were these craft then. In the same
year, 1887, a vessel was constructed at Barrow called
Nordenfelt IV, of 245 tons submerged and 260 tons on the
surface. She measured 125' x 12', and although she made
the trip from Barrow to Southampton without mishap,

THE GROWTH OF THE KOYAL NAVY 29

the Admiralty refused to purchase her on the grounds of
instability and low speed ; and no further steps were taken
by our Admiralty until 1901 after all the Powers, excepting
Germany, had already constructed several.

During this period France had brought this extremely
difficult craft to a practical stage. Calling for tenders in
1886, M. Dupuy de Lpme two years later commenced the
construction of the Gymnote, and after his death the work
was continued by M. Gustave Zede, who was supported by
Admiral Aube. This craft measured 59' x 5-9' x 6', but
her longitudinal stability was unsatisfactory. Five years
later a submarine of 266 tons was built at Toulon and named
after M. Gustave Zede, who had died. Like the Gymnote,
she was driven by accumulators, and had a designed speed
of 16 knots. The fumes given off by the accumulators
made the crew ill, and as several cells had to be taken out,
only 8 knots were realised. Longitudinal stability was also
very poor, and to counteract this defect three additional
rudders were fitted on the sides. This craft performed the
41 -mile voyage from Toulon to Marseilles in an awash
condition in seven hours and twenty minutes.

In 1897 the Narval was built at Cherbourg, and she was
the first craft to be able to be navigated in three distinct
conditions, namely, in surface trim with her ballast tanks
empty and similar to a torpedo boat, awash with the conning
tower and chimney above water like the " Nordenfelts," and
finally completely submerged with the ballast tanks filled.
She was driven by triple expansion engines of 250 h.p.
(submerged), and when on the surface by a motor of 158
accumulators. Though, of course, these vessels have now
been removed from the active list, they were the stepping-
stones to the present-day vastly improved submarines.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic much success
had been gained. In 1875 Mr. J. P. Holland, of New
Jersey, built a submarine canoe seating one occupant who
worked the screw by pedals, the " crew " having his head
encased in a diving helmet and lying in a recumbent
position. This little craft measured 16' x 1-65' x 2'.

30 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Two years later at the Albany City Ironworks he con-
structed a petrol -driven craft of 4 h.p., but it was smaller
in length though 3-5' in breadth. In 1881 an internal
combustion engine was installed in a 19-ton vessel, much
larger than the previous ships, and the seventh vessel he
built was very similar to the " Nordenfelts," though the
steam-engine was replaced by an internal combustion engine.
She was built in 1895 at Cramp's Yard, Philadelphia. The
ninth " Holland," built at Elizabethport, N.J., in 1900,
marked a considerable advance, and the submarine weighed
75 tons. For ballast, 10 tons of water were carried, and she
measured 53-83' x 10-25' x 10-51'. A 50-h.p. Otto gaso-
lene motor was used and a speed of 7 knots was obtained ;
and when submerged an electric motor was used, just as
in the present submarines. She submerged by filling her
tanks, and for diving two horizontal rudders or hydroplanes
were fitted. During 1901-9 twelve improved submarines
were built for America of about 120 tons.

It was by these " Hollands " that our Admiralty were
finally induced to provide for the construction of five
submarines at Barrow. The first was launched on Novem-
ber 2, 1901, by Messrs. Vickers, the renowned submarine
builders. She displaced 104 tons when on the surface
and 120 tons when fully submerged, and she was practically
similar to the contemporary American vessels then building.
Gasolene engines were used when in surface trim which
gave a speed of 8-5 knots, and when submerged by electric
motors giving a speed of 6 to 7 knots. A single torpedo
tube was her only offensive weapon.

A word here about the general character of these ships
will be of use. Submarines have developed more than any
other type of warship during the war, and our enemy has
been reduced to the use of these craft alone, with the excep-
tion of a few destroyer raiders. The one great advantage in
their favour is their ability to approach their victim unseen,
and even if their presence is known a state of general uneasi-
ness exists. They are in theory underwater torpedo boats
pure and simple, and whilst the surface boats depend upon

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 31

surprise attacks and are forced to make the attack at night
when their black hulls are almost indistinguishable from the
darkness, the submarine can by reason of her invisibility
operate both by day and by night. On the other hand,
there are a multitude of difficulties to contend with.

A submarine can now cruise in four different conditions :
(1) riding on the surface using her oil engines, more com-
monly known as " oiling," (2) awash with her hull submerged
except for the conning tower and periscopes, (3) submerged
with the sole exception of the tips of her periscopes, (4) and
totally submerged.

The first position is, of course, useless when enemy ships
are in the vicinity ; but as the internal combustion engines
can be used whilst the batteries are recharged, and inci-
dentally the crew can get a breath of fresh air, the sub-
marine generally proceeds to her station in this trim. The
speed, although not high, is also considerably increased.
The awash condition is more generally used when it is neces-
sary to dive at a moment's notice from the attentions of the
enemy. The third position is used for attacking. The
submarine, once submerged, derives its sight from the
periscopes, which are steel tubes about 6" in diameter with
an arrangement of mirrors inside whereby the scene above
the surface of the water is reflected upon a chart in the
conning tower. In this condition it is necessary for the
utmost vigilance on board the surface ships ; on a calm day
to the experienced eye a periscope can be recognised, but if
the seas are at all rough then the chances of detecting the
" eye " of the submarine correspondingly diminishes. At
the same time, however, should the waves be at all high,
then the range of the vision of the submarine is considerably
restricted unless she also rises further out of the water.
So much has been written about these craft that a descrip-
tion of them is unnecessary; in general appearance they
resemble a fat cigar or a torpedo, and on their top runs a
small deck, the conning tower (an oval drum-shaped
erection from which the observer seated in here can see
through very thick glass portholes the neighbouring area),

32 THREE YEARS OP NAVAL WARFARE

and the periscopes, two in all the later ships, fitted on to the
conning tower. The chief external difference between
British and German submarines is the bows ; the German
forepart resembles a boat, which they claim gives greater
stability. All recent craft carry wireless, and our D and
E classes are armed with a small armament of 12-pounders
mounted on disappearing platforms. All Germany's later
vessels are also armed, and it is with these guns that she has
helped to make her name a thing of loathing throughout
the civilised world, for the crews have turned them on the
struggling passengers and crews in the water. At each end
inside their hulls torpedo tubes are carried, thus placing
the submarine at the distinct disadvantage of not being able
to turn her tubes on her enemy, but having to manoeuvre
herself into the desired direction. To attack successfully a
moving ship the submarine will have to take an observation
with her periscope, and if the victim is steaming in her
direction she will submerge until the enemy comes up.
Then she will again rise, take aim, and let go her torpedoes ;
and then unless an opportunity presents itself to rise to see
the result, she will either sink to the bottom or dive and
travel underwater until she considers herself in safe waters,
as the destroyers will be scouring the vicinity in search of
her. With a merchantman these difficulties did not exist
until they were armed and convoys provided, and these
craft at once rose to the surface and watched their handiwork
with the utmost callousness and cruelty.

The submarine is divided into several chambers. First
there is the fore torpedo compartment, then come the crew's
quarters, next a compartment under the conning tower
where a mass of delicate machinery for steering and diving
and the periscope charts and various control gears are at
the hand of the observer, then the engine-room, and finally
the stern torpedo chamber, if stern tubes are carried. Under
all this are the stores of compressed air, oil-fuel tanks and
water-ballast tanks. The stern tubes are more for attacking
a pursuer than for offensive purposes. Above all, the hull
of the submarine is very fragile, though nowadays very thin

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 33

armour plating is carried; and a few well -placed shots from
a destroyer would sink a submarine once and for all, whilst
a shell from a heavy gun would blow a submarine to pieces.

In the last few years the submarine has greatly increased
in size and power, and we have sent three C class craft out
to China, which travelled the greater part of the long journey
on the surface ; and the six B class submarines which were
sent to Gibraltar and Malta accomplished the voyage
across the Bay of Biscay in very heavy weather with hardly
any discomfort to the crews, whilst their escort, the cruiser
Diana, felt the seas very much. They were, of course,
submerged. Later, in 1913, the two Australian submarines,
AE 1 and AE 2, both successfully performed the 13,000
miles journey to Sydney entirely under their own power.
They were escorted as far as Aden by Eclipse, where they were
met by Australian ships and thence escorted to Australia.

Whilst details are rightly withheld, the pre-war limit of
their radius, 1200 miles, is now greatly exceeded, and
submarines can travel across the Atlantic with ease. Several
Canadian-built craft crossed the ocean during 1915, and a
couple of German craft also put into Baltimore. The enemy
has now no need to return home for supplies, for the existence
of depots on " neutral " and unfrequented shores and a
system of submarines especially built as depots have
enabled them to revictual in the unfrequented waters.

The most successful defence against these formidable
warships lies in high speed which enables the attacked to
draw away and steam an irregular course without losing
ground. With the submarine ahead ramming is extensively
tried, but should the submarine be able to discharge a
torpedo before hurriedly diving, then the speedy destruction
of the ship must be expected, as a torpedo fired at such close
quarters creates such enormous havoc that the victim in
some cases has been blown in two.

After the first five " Hollands " were laid down in 1904,
Vickers commenced the construction of the thirteen A class
craft. These were of 204 tons, between 110' and 150' in
length, and had a speed of 11 knots on the surface and a

34 THREE YEARS OP NAVAL WARFARE

submerged speed of 7 knots. A 1 carried only one torpedo
tube, but all the others have two. The eleven B class were
all launched during 1905, and displaced 313 tons when
submerged and 280 when on the surface. Their speeds were
13 and 8 knots respectively. During 1906-7 they launched
the first sixteen C boats, of similar speed and displacement,
and in the next year the Admiralty commenced to con-
struct four others at Chatham, the last two, C 19 and C 20,
being of 321 tons. The remainder of the thirty-eight were
completed at Barrow during 1908-9, with the exception of
C 33 and C 34, which were built at Chatham. Meanwhile a
very much improved craft, D 1, had been launched at Barrow,
whose surface displacement was 550 tons and submerged
displacement 600 tons. Her surface speed was 16 knots,
and she carried an extra torpedo tube. She was followed
during 1909-11 by seven sister ships, whose submerged
speed was 10 knots, and D 4 had a disappearing gun mounted
on her deck. They were all twin-screw. In 1912-14 eleven
E class boats were launched, and they were again a marked
advance upon their predecessors. Their surface tonnage
and speed were 725 and 16 knots, but submerged they
displaced 810 tons (excepting E 1, E 2, AE 1 and AE 2).
Four torpedo tubes are carried. There have been over
thirty of this class built, although in 1914 only eighteen
were known to be built or building. In addition there were
several experimental craft in various stages of construction.
Hitherto all the submarines had been built either at Barrow
or Chatham, and in 1914 Vickers had under construction
"Nautilus," VI, V2, V3 and V 4. In addition Messrs.
Scott's of Greenock were building " Swordfish," SI, S 2,
S 3 and " S " Fiat S. G., Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth of
Elswick were building W 1-W 4, and finally there was F 1
building at Chatham.

Of the above submarines, the five " Hollands " and the
first four A craft were scrapped before 1914; A 7, B 2, and
C 1 1 were accidentally lost, and probably the B class have
also been discarded. During 1914-17 we have lost C 34,
D 5, AE 1, AE 2, E 3, E 7, E 13, E 15, E 17, E 20, E 22

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 35

and another unnamed. Both British and German craft
have been shrouded in secrecy for many years, but ship
for ship our craft were superior to the enemy before 1914.
It is a pity that the Admiralty cannot see their way to
publish our successes instead of the mishaps, for the enemy
does exactly the reverse ; and the impression is given that
our submarines are not to be compared with the successful
German craft, whereas the North Sea has witnessed many a
thrilling incident in connection with our submarines.

MONITORS. — Very soon after the outbreak of hostilities
the Admiralty acquired from Brazil three river monitors
which were building in this country in 1914 for service on
the Amazon. They were renamed Humber, Severn and
Mersey, and they have been followed by a vast number of
similar craft. During 1914-15 several were dispatched to
the Dardanelles, the JSgean Sea, the Egyptian coast, the
German East African coast, to the Tigris and Euphrates,
and of course to the Belgian coast. More recently they
have appeared in the Adriatic Sea and off the Palestine
seaboard. The original ships were of 1260 tons and could
steam at 11-5 knots, as for their original purpose speed was
unessential. Their armament consisted of a couple of 6"
guns, two 4-7" howitzers and ten smaller pieces. They were
admirably suited for supporting land operations, for with
their light draught they could stand well in and at the same
time frustrate any submarine attacks.

Later monitors were armed with two 14" guns or a 9-2"
gun in the bows and a 6" piece astern. They were claimed
to be torpedo-proof, owing to their small draught. So far
the only monitor lost, the M 30, was sunk by gunfire. Most
of these craft are numbered, but a few have received names,
of which General Crauford, Lord Clive, Marshal Ney, Picton,
Prince Eugene, Prince Rupert, etc., have come before the
public notice in connection with the Adriatic and Belgian
coast operations.

GUNBOATS AND SLOOPS. — There are also a few small ships
which have rendered valuable services in all quarters of the
globe. Of the five gunboats, Ringdove of 805 tons, 13 knots

36 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and with an armament of six 4" and two 3-pounders,
Bramble, Britomart, Thistle, and Dwarf of 710 tons, which
were built in 1898 and can steam at about 13 knots and carry
two 4" and four 12-pounder guns, the best known is the
latter, which has done very good work off the West African
coasts.

Of the ten sloops the smallest is Racer, built in 1884,
of 970 tons, 10 knots, which carries a couple of 5" pieces ;
next there is Algerine of 1050 tons and 13 knots, which is
eleven years younger. During 1890-98 Rosario, Vestal,
Shearwater and Rinaldo were built, and they displace
980 tons and steam at over 13 knots, and carry four 4" guns.
Lastly in 1900-3 we have Cadmus, Clio, Espiegle and Odin
of 1070 tons, which carry two extra guns. All these four
have rendered good service in Mesopotamia and off Flanders,
and though of little value nowadays, they can take the place
of more powerful craft which would have to be detached for
these operations.

There are, in addition, many auxiliary ships such as
Surveying Ships, Special Service and Dispatch ships, but
they are too numerous to describe. There are also
depot- ships for submarines and destroyers, and a few
yachts.

AUXILIARY SHIPS. — A great number of trawlers have been
requisitioned for patrol work and minesweeping in the
North Sea, in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, and in
the Dardanelles ; no praise can be too great for the manner
in which their peril-fraught task has been carried out.
Before coming to the armed liners, we come to an entirely
novel type of ship which was unknown before 1914; this
is the seaplane carrier. Although nothing much is known
of these ships, it is evident from photographs that a spacious
deck is their chief characteristic, from which the seaplane
is able to rise for its flights. On its return it is hauled
aboard by the derricks. In the case of transformed
merchant ships the forward deck has been cut through and
the seaplanes lie in the original hold. There was only one
ship under construction in 1914, the Ark Royal, but amongst

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 37

the commissioned liners and cross-Channel packets we
know of Campania, Canning and the Engadine, Paris and
Riviera.

ARMED LINERS. — In peace time these ships are well-known
liners, which are hired or purchased by the Admiralty in
times of war ; and this practice was extensively used in the
olden times, the East Indiamen belonged to this category.
Armed ships can be divided into three classes : (1) ships
armed purely to defend themselves, against submarines
nowadays, previously against the numerous privateers and
frigates; (2) auxiliary cruisers, ships intended to patrol
either the shipping lanes or in the main theatre of war,
thereby augmenting the original cruiser force; (3) armed
tugs, yachts, motor vessels, etc., used for coastal patrolling
and boarding traffic.

As the first and third classes explain themselves, there is
no need to dwell upon them. The auxiliary cruisers were
previously the large ocean liners or fast cross-Channel
steamers, and they are armed with 6" and 4-7" guns. They
are, of course, incapable of standing up to a regular cruiser,
and even if pitched against another auxiliary cruiser there
is serious danger of both ships sinking, as the much larger
target, combined with their very thin hulls, are not con-
ducive to withstanding any battering from gunfire. For
patrolling and acting as intelligence ships far out to sea
their large bunkers stand them in good stead, and they can
keep the seas for a much longer period than the light cruiser.
A large number of liners were commissioned in September
1914 as auxiliary cruisers, and they have performed very
useful services in spite of numerous losses.

Many other liners have been converted into transports
for troops and animals and stores, etc., and they are per-
fectly legitimate prey to any warship. Like auxiliary
cruisers, they can be sunk at sight; indeed, if a ship was
warned by a submarine before being torpedoed, fire would
be opened immediately on the submarine if guns were
carried. It must not be overlooked that a transport is a
warship, as she is carrying war material, and she is kept

38 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

in a state of readiness for repelling an attack. Several
transports have been lost, many unhappily with large loss of
life, and a list of these losses will be found appended.

HOSPITAL SHIPS. — A hospital ship, on the other hand,
is held to be immune from attack, but our inhuman and
brutal foe refuses to recognise the laws of civilisation, and
after sinking five such ships, he declared that all hospital
ships found in the Channel and along the East Coast will
be sunk at sight. He alleged that we had employed them
as transports for ammunition, for of course this would be
a flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention.

On the outbreak of war there was only one hospital ship,
the Maine, in the Navy, but since then about fifty of our
most commodious liners and Channel packets have been
equipped as floating hospitals. The larger ships are for
service with the troops in the Mediterranean and other
distant theatres of war, whilst the smaller ones transport
the overflowing stream of wounded from France to England,
and the remainder are attached to the Grand Fleet.

By international law it is laid down that the hulls shall be
painted white, with a broad green band running the length
of the ship, though the band is red if the ship belongs to a
private society or person. Two Red Crosses punctuate the
band, fore and aft on either side, and to secure further
protection these distinctive marks are lighted up at night.
The Red Cross Flag of Geneva is also flown in addition to
the national flag, and there can be no mistake made in
ascertaining the character of the ship. They can be visited
and examined by a belligerent Power, but cannot be sunk
or captured, nor can the medical staff or the wounded be
taken prisoners of war. Such are the rules governing these
ships, which have been so grossly violated by the enemy,
who even tried to prevent the arrival of rescue ships in one
case by jamming the wireless appeals for help.

At the end of this volume will be found detailed the
Royal Australian Navy, but there are two other forces which
must be described — the Royal Indian Marine and the

THE GROWTH OF THE ROYAL NAVY 39

Royal Canadian Navy. The former consists of seven troop-
ships-

Tons. Speed. Armament.

Dufferin . . . 7457 19 Six 4" and eight 3-pounders.

Hardinge . . . 6520 18 „ 4-7", six 3-pounders, and

four Maxims.

Northbrook . . 5820 16 Six 4" and six 3-pounders.

Dalhousie . . . 1960 14 „ 6-pounders.

Latorence . . . 1154 13 Four 6-pounders and four

machine-guns.

Investigator . . 1015 13-5

Minto . . .930

Besides the cruisers Niobe and Rainbow, which have been
described, Canada possesses the Customs cruiser Margaret,
four surveying ships, and the five gun- vessels -

Tons. Speed. Armament.

Canada . . . 780 17 Four 3-pounders.

Minto .... 1100 16 „ 6-pounders.

m » Three

Acadia .... 526 10-5 Six „ „

This, then, is a brief outline of the forces on which the
security of this country rests, and we must now endeavour
to follow the events since the momentous days of August
1914.

PART I

CHAPTER I

BRITAIN PREPARED

WHEN one so often hears the statement that the war found
this country in a state of unreadiness, the fact that no foreign
soldier has set foot on these shores is ample proof of the
fallacy of this fact. Our Army, we know, was totally inade-
quate in strength to be pitted against any of the Continental
Armies, though what it lacked in numbers was more than
counterbalanced by the wonderful bravery and discipline
of our troops during the terrible strain in August and Sep-
tember 1914. That this state of unreadiness existed in
the Royal Navy is utterly untrue ; in fact the German
General Staff could hardly have chosen a better time for us
to precipitate their long-waited campaign of aggression.

The cause of this fortunate state of affairs can be traced
back to some months previously, when Mr. Winston Churchill
on March 17, 1914, intimated in the House of Commons
that there would be no grand naval manoeuvres in July ;
instead there was to be a general mobilisation of the Third
Fleet, manned by nucleus crews and augmented by the
Royal Fleet Reserve, who would be called up from their
civilian employment for a seven days' training. The cost
of this scheme, which was of the utmost importance, was
only £50,000 compared to the £180,000 which would be
entailed by the annual grand manoeuvres. There would be
the usual annual review, at which the King would be present.

On July 20 the long line of warships passed before His
Majesty, who in Victoria and Albert was stationed off the Nab
Lightship, and disappeared into the Channel to what every
one thought were the ordinary exercises, but what proved

40

BRITAIN PREPARED 41

to be the preliminary movements of the war. Little did
the average man imagine that in the space of ten days these
same ships would be called upon to stand between Britain
and the ruthless invader. The mobilisation of the Third
Fleet was concluded on July 24, and the 1500 seamen and
marines were sent back to their homes, as this was prior
to the dispatch of the arrogant Austrian ultimatum to
Serbia; and further to illustrate the confidence that the
Serbian trouble would not spread, on this day the Admiralty
decided to establish a small squadron of old battleships
and cruisers on Hull. Four days later, when the Austrian
ultimatum was dispatched to Serbia, matters at once took a
grave turn, and through the foresight of our First Sea Lord,
the Grand Fleet was ordered to stand fast, and all movements
of our Fleet were veiled from the public. On the next day,
August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, who had mobilised
part of her army in response to the Austrian declaration;
and Russian troops crossed the frontier, whilst German
soldiers entered Cirey in France. On August 3 the mobilisa-
tion o<f the British Fleet was completed, thanks entirely to
the vo/luntary response of the reserves who came forward prior
to the Bang's Proclamation, and at 11 p.m. on August 4
Britain declared war on Germany in consequence of the
cowardly ultimatum to Belgium.

Here it will be convenient to observe the disposition of
this mighty armada in August 1914, both at home and abroad.
There were three Home Fleets, which consist of both battle
squadrons and flotillas, and all are included in the Grand
Fleet. There were also the Mediterranean Fleet, the China
and East Indies Squadrons, the Australian and New Zealand
Squadrons, a West Atlantic, South African and West
African Squadron, in addition to a flotilla based on Gibraltar.

Their composition is as follows—

THE GRAND FLEET

FIRST HOME FLEET
Iron Duke. (Commander-in-Chief ' s Flagship. )
Sappho. Attached Ship. (Cruiser.)
Oak. „ „ (Destroyer.)

42 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

FIRST BATTLE SQUADRON

Marlborough. (Flag.)

Collingwood. „

St. Vincent. „

Colossus. Vanguard.

Hercules. Superb.
Neptune.

FIRST BATTLE CRUISER SQUADRON
Lion. (Flag. ) New Zealand.
Queen Mary. Invincible.

Princess Royal.

SECOND BATTLE SQUADRON
King George V. (Flag.)
Orion. „

Ajax. Conqueror.

Audacious. Monarch.

Centurion. Thunderer.

SECOND CRUISER SQUADRON
Shannon. (Flag. )
Achilles.
Cochrane.
Natal.

Bellona.
Cyclops.

Attached Cruiser.
„ Ship.

THIRD BATTLE SQUADRON
King Edward VII. (Flag.)
Hibernia. „

Africa. Dominion.

Britannia. Hindustan.

Commonwealth. Zealandia.

THIRD CRUISER SQUADRON
Antrim. (Flag.) Devonshire.
Argyll. Roxburgh.

Blanche. Attached Cruiser.

Boadicea.
Assistance.

Attached Cruiser.
Ship.

FOURTH BATTLE SQUADRON
Dreadnought. (Flag. )
Temeraire.
Bellerophon.
Agamemnon.

FIRST LIGHT CRUISER SQUADRON
Birmingham. Lowestoft.

Nottingham. Southampton.

Blonde. Attached Cruiser.

MlNESWEEPING SQUADRON

Circe. Seagull. \ Driver.

Gossamer. Speedy. lGunboats Seafloioer.
Jason. Speedwell, j Seamew.

Leda. Skipjack. J Sparrow

Spider.

Trawlers purchased in
1909.

SECOND

FIFTH BATTLE SQUADRON
Queen. (Flag.) Bulwark.

Formidable.
Implacable.
London.

Prince of Wales.

Venerable.

Irresistible.

FIFTH CRUISER SQUADRON
Carnarvon. (Flag.)
Falmouth.
Liverpool.

Diamond. Attached Cruiser.

HOME FLEET

SIXTH BATTLE SQUADRON
Lord Nelson. (Fleet Flagship.)
Russell. (Flag.) Duncan.
Albemarle. Exmouth

Cornwallis. Vengeance.

SIXTH CRUISER SQUADRON
Drake. King Alfred

Good Hope. Leviathan.

Topaze. Attached Cruiser.

MINELAYING SQUADRON (Cruisers)
Andromache. Intrepid. Latona.

Apollo. Iphigenia. Naiad.

Thetis.

BRITAIN PREPARED

43

THIRD HOME FLEET

SEVENTH BATTLE SQUADRON
Ccesar. Prince George.

Illustrious. Victorious.

Magnificent.

Sapphire. Attached Cruiser.

SEVENTH CRUISER SQUADRON
Cressy. Hogue.

Euryalus. Sutlej.

NINTH CRUISER SQUADRON

Europa.
Cumberland.

Highflyer.
Vindictive.

ELEVENTH CRUISER SQUADRON

Diana.
Doris.
Eclipse.
Isis.

First.
22 " I " class.

Juno.
Minerva.
Talbot.
Venus.

EIGHTH BATTLE SQUADRON
Albion. Goliath.

Canopus. Ocean.

Glory.

Amethyst. Attached Cruiser.

EIGHTH CRUISER SQUADRON
Donegal. Amphitrite.

Monmouth. Challenger.

TENTH CRUISER SQUADRON
(Late Training Squadron)
Edgar. Grafton.

Endymion. Hawke.

Crescent. Royal Arthur.

Gibraltar. Theseus.

HUMBER SQUADRON
Majestic. (Flag.) Battleship.
Mars. „

Jupiter. „

Hannibal. „

Aboukir. Cruiser.
Bacchante.

PATROL FLOTILLAS
Second. Third.

20 " H " class. 20 " L " class.

Sixth. Seventh. Eighth.

Composed of the " A," " B," 12 " F " class.
"C," and "D" classes.

EIGHT SUBMARINE FLOTILLAS

Fourth.
20 " K " class.

Ninth.
24 " E " class.

FOREIGN SERVICE SQUADRONS

MEDITERRANEAN FLEET
SECOND BATTLE-CRUISER SQUADRON FIFTH DESTROYER FLOTILLA

Inflexible. (Flag.)

Indefatigable.

Indomitable.

FIRST CRUISER SQUADRON

Defence. (Flag.)
Black Prince.
Duke of Edinburgh.
Warrior.

Blenheim. (Depot. )
Basilisk. Pincher.

Racoon.

Rattlesnake.

Renard.

Savage.

Scorpion.

Scourge.

Beagle.

Bulldog.

Foxhound.

Grasshopper.

Harpy.

Mosquito.

Wolverine.

44 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

SECOND LIGHT CRUISER SQUADRON
Chatham. Gloucester.

Dublin. Weymouth.

TORPEDO BOATS
O 44. 0 46. O 64.

O 45. O 63. O 70.

Hussar. Attached Gunboat. SUBMARINES

Imogene. „ Ship. B 9, BIO, B 11.

GIBRALTAR FLOTILLA

TORPEDO BOATS SUBMARINES

83. 89. 91. 93. 95. B 6. B 7. B 8.

88. 90. 92. 94. 96.

CHINA SQUADRON

Clio.
Bramble.
Britomart.
Thistle.

Triumph. (Reserve at Hong Kong.) Cadmus.

Minotaur. (Flag.) Cruiser.

Hampshire. „

Yarmouth. Light Cruiser.

Newcastle. „ „

Chelmer. Destroyer.

Colne.

Fame.

Jed.

Kennet.

Ribble.

Usk.

Welland.

O 35. Torpedo Boat,

O 36. „

O 37. „

O 38.

C 36. Submarine.

C37.

C 38.

Rosario. Sloop. (Depot. '

Sloop.
Gunboat.

RIVER GUNBOATS

Robin. 1897. 85 tons.CantonR.

Sandpiper. ,, „
Kinsha. 1901. 616 Yangtze
Moorhen. 1902. 180
Nightingale. 1897. 85
Snipe.

Teal 1902. 180

Widgeon. 1905. 195 Chung-king.
Woodcock. 1890. 150
Woodlark. „ „
(Used for the suppression of piracy. )

Alacrity. Dispatch Boat.

AUSTRALIAN SQUADRON

Australia. (Flag.) Battle -cruiser. FLOTILLA

Light Cruiser.

(bldg.)

Melbourne.

Sydney.

Brisbane.

Encounter.

Pioneer. „ „

Protector. Gunboat.

Gayundah. „

Salumah. „

Tingira. Training Ship.

NEW ZEALAND SQUADRON

Pyramus.

Psyche.

Philomel.

Cruiser.

Parramatta. Destroyer.
Warrego. „

Tarra. „

Derwent. „

Swan. „

Torrens. „

AE 1. Submarine.
AE2.
Penguin. (Depot.)

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
SQUADRON

Hyacinth. (Flag.) Cruiser.
Astrcea.

BRITAIN PREPARED 45

EAST INDIES SQUADRON WEST ATLANTIC (FOURTH

CRUISER) SQUADRON

Swiftsure. (Flag.) Battleship. Suffolk. (Flag.)

Dartmouth. Light Cruiser. Berwick.

Fox. „ „ Essex.

Espiegle. Sloop. Lancaster.

Odin. „ Bristol
Sphinx. Special Service Sloop.
(Built 1882, 1130 tons, 12-5 kn.)

WEST COAST OF AMERICA WEST COAST OF AFRICA

Algerine. Sloop. Dwarf. Gunboat.

Shearwater. „

SOUTH-EAST COAST OF AMERICA

Glasgow. Light Cruiser.

Of course great alterations were made in the above dis-
positions on the outbreak of war, chiefly in regard to the
foreign squadrons, and after the rounding up of the German
raiders their pursuers were ordered home; but several
arrived off the Dardanelles and assisted in that campaign.
Of the three Home Fleets, now known as the Grand Fleet,
we know practically nothing. The Flotillas have expanded
enormously. With regard to the sloops and gunboats in
the above, not enumerated in the foregoing chapter, these
have been employed on special duties and are probably
now scrapped.

It was in this condition in which this country took the
fateful step, and the entirely satisfactory state of affairs
was due to the personal action of the First Sea Lord, H.S.H.
Prince Louis of Battenberg (now the Marquis of Milford
Haven), ably supported by Mr. Winston Churchill. We
are so often reminded of the various politicians and Admiralty
Boards who are responsible for the general efficiency of our
Fleet, but we have previously seen that the country awoke
to its peril as far back as 1904, and again in 1909, and had by
a great effort placed the Navy in its proper superiority. It
is, however, certain that disaster would have befallen us
had Prince Louis not taken, in the words of Mr. Churchill,
" the first step which secured the timely concentration of
the Fleet." In his letter to Mr. Churchill in August 1915

46 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

he says : " The news from abroad on the morning of the
26th (July) was certainly very disquieting. . . . After making
myself acquainted with all the telegrams at the Foreign
Office ... I directed the Secretary to send an order to
the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleets at Portland
to the effect that no ship was to leave her anchorage until
further orders." After this, in conjunction with Mr.
Churchill, he took all the necessary steps which placed the
entire Navy on a war footing twenty-four hours before the
declaration of war, and by August 4 the Grand Fleet had
already proceeded to its allotted stations.

We know it was the German plan to intercept our Fleet
on its passage to Rosyth and the other bases along the East
Coast of England and Scotland by sending out minelayers to
strew their course with their deadly machines, but through the
resolute action of Prince Louis the Fleet had already reached
its destinations by the time that the line of mines extending
from the mouth of the Thames to the Dutch coast was laid.

The first shot to be fired at sea was in the destruction of
one of these minelayers. On August 5 the Amphion and
the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla were patrolling the southern
area of the North Sea when they surprised the converted
Hamburg-Amerika liner Konigin Luise engaged in its
nefarious task. After a chase lasting for about an hour she
was brought to and sunk by the destroyers Lance, Lark and
Linnet ; the survivors were then picked up and transferred
to the leader Amphion. The search then continued for
other enemy ships, but at 6 a.m. next morning, when they
were returning, Amphion had the misfortune to strike a
mine on the very spot on which the minelayer had been
sunk. A fire broke out aboard, and she was so seriously
damaged that it soon became evident that she would have
to be abandoned. In twenty minutes from the time when
she struck the mine all the wounded and the survivors had
been' transhipped to the destroyers, and three minutes later
another explosion occurred forward, which blew the magazine
up, and the ship sank. The falling debris caused a few more
casualties amongst the rescue boats, and it was found that

BRITAIN PREPARED 47

149 of the crew had been killed and 32 wounded, together
with- 20 German prisoners who had been confined in the
forepart of the cruiser and who were all killed by the
first explosion. Captain Fox, 16 officers and 135 men were
saved. This was the only loss which the Germans, hoping
to cripple our Fleet, caused us.

Failing to secure any success with their minelayers, the
Germans settled down to a policy of attrition with their
submarines, mines, etc., in the hope of wearing down our
strength by incessant attacks on our patrolling squadrons.
In this they have also failed, though they have accounted
for several of our warships from time to time. The first
attack, which ended in disaster to themselves, was made by
several submarines on August 9, when the First Light
Cruiser Squadron was attacked. They were beaten off, and
one of them, U 15, was sunk by fire from Birmingham.

During these days all the more modern warships were
stationed " somewhere in the North Sea," but our outlying
cruisers were very actively engaged in capturing the enemy's
commerce ; captured German and Austrian liners and tramps
were pouring into our ports, and many were seized in the
ports where they were lying. Large numbers of others sought
refuge in neutral harbours, where they remained for over
two years before these countries in turn declared war against
the world's aggressor ; and only a few managed to put to
sea as armed commerce raiders. No fewer than twenty-four
British cruisers, besides several French ships, were guarding
the trade routes from, and hunting down, these raiders in
the Atlantic Ocean. Within a fortnight our trade had
resumed almost its normal flow.

Meanwhile, three hours after the declaration of war several
of our D and E submarines had already taken up positions
in the Bight of Heligoland, waiting for the enemy warships
to emerge and at the same time taking very valuable observa-
tions and surroundings. It was well known that Germany
would attempt either to come out in force immediately,
trusting to our Fleet being dispersed, and try conclusions
before our superiority would assert itself; or to emulate

48 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the famous torpedo attack by the Japanese on Port Arthur
immediately on the outbreak of hostilities. Both of these
projects were frustrated by the action of the First Sea
Lord, and until the Jutland Battle in 1916, the German
High Seas Fleet had never ventured far from its bases.
Failing to take our Fleet by surprise when the odds would
probably have been even, the German Admiralty were
forced to try to reduce our superiority by attrition both with
submarines and mines. In this she has again failed; and
though it is true that we have lost several warships in the
North Sea, yet these losses have been made good and the
Navy has now expanded beyond recognition, the latest
official number of ships being computed at about 5000 vessels,
this estimate including the numerous patrolling craft, tugs,
minesweepers, etc.

Every effort was made to induce the foe to come out and
give battle, but he persistently and wisely refused ; for once
the favourable opportunity had passed, he had nothing to
gain by losing his valuable warships when he would not be
able to cause us any proportionate loss. It was his wisest
policy to keep his fleet intact, a " fleet in being " constituting
a perpetual menace, at the same time retaining his superiority
over the Russians in the Baltic. The German Fleet, curiously
enough, occupies the same position towards the Russians as
we do towards the Germans ; but being the central force, they
have the distinct advantage of being able to shift their
strength from one foe to the other. In this policy they
are admirably served by the Kiel Canal, which enables them
to concentrate their squadrons with the utmost secrecy.
With their North Sea coast very strongly defended with
minefields and fortifications on Heligoland and on the main-
land, they can pass their entire Fleet into the Baltic without
seriously jeopardising their rear ; and it speaks volumes for
the skill of the small Russian Fleet to have suffered so little
whilst making the enemy pay dearly for any enterprise.
The German losses in the Baltic have not all been caused
by mines and submarines, and the Russian Fleet, in com-
parison to the German Fleet, does not remain behind its

BRITAIN PREPARED 49

defences ; it has stood up to an immensely stronger force
and thoroughly beaten it, and the Germans, once bitten, kept
religiously in their harbours, sending out only a few torpedo
craft.

During August the North Sea was full of patrolling cruisers
and submarines, but beyond a bit of desultory fighting
on the 17th, no collision occurred until the last days of this
month. On August 18 it was announced that the whole
of the British Expeditionary Force had been landed in France
without the loss of a single life or a single pound of stores,
and this was undertaken within a few hours' steaming of
the German ports. So well were our forces disposed that
not a single German ship emerged from its shelter to dispute
their transport. Had they done so, our Eighth Submarine
Flotilla, accompanied by the destroyers Firedrake and
Lurcher, were ready stationed in the Bight of Heligoland,
and doubtless our larger ships were also in readiness.

THE BIGHT OF HELIGOLAND ACTION

On the morning of August 28 a considerable force of British
cruisers and destroyers carried out a reconnaissance in force
— to use the official term, " a scooping movement " — with the
object of inducing the German cruisers, guarding the entrance
of the Heligoland Bight, to come out and engage our destroy-
ers which had steamed into the Bight. Lest there should
be any danger of our destroyers, led by Fearless and the new
Arethusa, being too heavily engaged, the first Battle-cruiser
Squadron and a few cruisers were at hand under Vice- Admiral
Beatty. The Eighth Submarine Flotilla with the two des-
troyers under Commodore Keyes had already taken up their
stations, and Rear-Admiral Christian with Euryalus and
the Eighth Cruiser Squadron, together with Amethyst, were
stationed to the west to intercept any enemy cruisers breaking
out. Thus were these elaborate preparations made.

The action opened at 7 a.m., when Arethusa and Fearless
with the First and Third Destroyer Flotillas under Commodore
Tyrwhitt sighted an enemy destroyer off Heligoland, and half
an hour later several more destroyers and light cruisers. A

50 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

sharp action ensued, and Arethusa became heavily engaged
by several destroyers and a large four-funnelled cruiser, either
Boon or Yorck. This ship then turned her fire on Fearless
at 8 am., but Arethusa continued her fight and engaged and
severely damaged a two-funnelled cruiser, which was seen
to turn away to Heligoland. During this fight Arethusa was
also badly hit and at one time only one 6" piece remained
in action, all the others and her torpedo tubes being tempo-
rarily disabled ; her speed was also reduced to 10 knots, and
these two ships then retired. They had, however, heavily
punished the enemy destroyers, and one, V 187, was seen to
be sinking. This craft was the German commodore's ship,
and boats from Defender and Goshawk were at once lowered
to rescue the drowning sailors. There then occurred the first
act of treachery with which the enemy has fouled his name, for
immediately a cruiser of the " Stettin " class opened fire upon
the boats ; fortunately our submarine E 4 perceived what
was happening with her periscope, and rose to the surface
to attack the cruiser. Having driven her off, she returned
and picked up the crew of the Defender's boat which had been
left behind, and also a German officer and two men, leaving
eighteen German wounded in the boat in charge of another
officer and six men, who were allowed to make for Heligoland.
E 4 then dived under and brought her visitors home.

Meanwhile, the Arethusa's guns were repaired and every-
thing made ready for any emergency, though her speed still
remained reduced. At 10 a.m. news was received that
Firedrake and Lurcher, the submarine escort, were being
chased by light cruisers ; Arethusa and Fearless went to
their assistance, and arriving off Heligoland, they sighted the
four-funnelled cruiser again. Fire was immediately opened
upon them, and although greatly outranged, Fearless and the
First Flotilla attacked her and pursued her into the mist.
Ten minutes later she reappeared, and she was then attacked
with torpedoes, and a message was sent to Beatty for
assistance. Beatty had already been attacked by submarines
but had evaded them, and he came up at full speed in order
to take the enemy by surprise before he could retreat. In

BRITAIN PREPARED 51

the meantime Arethusa, Fearless and the First Flotilla were
again being heavily attacked, but by splendid fire from the
two cruisers the large enemy ship was driven off. The
light cruiser Mainz was then sighted and engaged, and after
twenty-five minutes she was seen to be sinking forward.
She had fire aboard and had received serious damage to
her bows, and she was finished off by the First Light Cruiser
Squadron. Firedrake very skilfully ran alongside and took
off 220 of her crew.

On the arrival of the battle-cruisers they found Fearless
and the First Flotilla retiring, and Arethusa and the Third.
Flotilla engaging the light cruiser Koln ; immediately a
chase at 27 knots began, in which Lion came across the
Ariadne and fired two salvos at her, when she disappeared
into the mist, burning furiously and sinking. This very fine
piece of gunnery was carried out at a speed of 28 knots at
a ship also steaming at a very high speed and travelling at
right angles to her. Owing to the danger from floating
mines no pursuit was ordered, and the battle-cruisers circled
round to complete the destruction of the Koln. She was
sighted at 1.25 p.m. steaming to the south-east, and Lion
again opened fire, this time with only two turrets. Ten
minutes later Koln also sank, and although destroyers
searched the waters around no survivors were found. In
addition another German destroyer was reported sunk.

As the British ships had thus destroyed all the enemy
ships outside the Bight, and were not a match for any battle
squadron which the enemy would send out, Beatty decided
to retire. Though closely attacked by submarines, no hits
were made, but Queen Mary, sighting a torpedo coming
straight for her, avoided the impact by a sharp turn of the
helm ; and the torpedo raced harmlessly alongside the huge
ship. By 6 p.m. all the cruisers and destroyers had returned,
and the whole force retired covered by the battle-cruisers.
It was then seen that Arethusa could barely steam at 6
knots and further progress was impossible ; the destroyers
Laurel and Liberty had also been badly hit during the
spirited attacks on the enemy cruisers, and Amethyst was

52 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

ordered to take the former ship in tow. At 9.30 p.m.
Rogue also took Arethusa in tow, the feat being very skilfully
accomplished in pitch darkness excepting for two hand
lanterns, and the plucky little ship arrived at the Nore at
5 p.m. next day and slowly proceeded up to Chatham.

In the meantime the wounded were all transhipped to
Bacchante and Cressy, whilst Liverpool was detached to
Rosyth with 86 prisoners from Mainz. Thus ended a very
admirable cutting-out expedition, and that a larger bag
was not taken was entirely due to the prudence of the
enemy, whose ships did not venture out very far ; those
that did were sunk — the Koln, Mainz, Ariadne, and the
destroyer V 187 and another — whilst seven others arrived
at Kiel badly damaged. The enemy loss in personnel was
about 870, as the greater part of the Ariadne's crew was
rescued by their own destroyers. We lost 3 officers and 29
men killed and 2 officers and 54 wounded from Arethusa,
Fearless, Laertes, Laurel, Liberty, Druid, and Phoenix ; and
of these ships the two cruisers and Laurel and Liberty were
also damaged.

After this brilliant little episode, the Germans indiscrimin-
ately scattered floating mines in the North Sea, mostly by
innocent-looking trawlers, and several mishaps resulted both
to warships and to merchant ships. Amongst the first
victims were several commissioned trawlers, taken over by
the Admiralty for patrolling and minesweeping purposes,
and on this same day, August 28, H.M. trawlers Craithie and
D. Irvine both struck mines and sank with the loss of five
killed and nine wounded. Again on September 2 Eyrie was
lost with seven of her crew, and on the next day the drifter
Lindsell blew up off the East Coast and one officer and four
men were killed. A few minutes later the old gunboat
Speedy was similarly lost with one of the crew, whilst an
officer and two of the crew were seriously injured. More
serious was the torpedoing of the Pathfinder on the afternoon
of September 5 ; this light cruiser foundered so quickly
that she took down with her 259 of her crew. Her assailant
was stated to have been sunk later, but this was not confirmed.

BRITAIN PREPARED 53

Not content with making war on our commerce, the enemy
sank fifteen trawlers and captured their crews, whilst many
more fell victims to their drifting mines.

The Admiralty had announced on August 12 that " a
number of fast merchant vessels, fitted out in British arsenals,
are being commissioned by the Admiralty for the purpose
of patrolling the trade routes, and keeping them clear of
German commerce raiders," and in the September Navy
List there appeared the names of twenty-six converted liners
as auxiliary cruisers. Simultaneously with its publication
occurred the stranding of the ex- White Star liner Oceanic
off the West Coast of Scotland on September 9, though
fortunately without loss of life. This was the first of several
disasters, but, as will be seen later, these auxiliary cruisers
have proved their worth, and have appeared in all quarters
of the globe.

In a second attempt to entice the enemy out, on the 9th
and 10th, Beatty and his squadrons and flotillas again made
a sweep right into the Bight, but not a single German
warship was seen. More fortunate than the larger ships
was Commander Horton in E 9 on the morning of September
13, when he espied the old light cruiser Hela six miles off
Heligoland; this he successfully torpedoed, and although
hunted for hours, this daring officer calmly proceeded on
his mission, that of examining the outer anchorages of the
island, on the next day. E 9 was one of the submarines
which were in these waters within three hours after the
declaration of war. The work of our submarines, which were
continually in these waters, has been carried out with the
utmost skill and daring. The waters are thickly sown with
minefields, and in anything but calm weather the crews get
no peace, as the short, steep seas which race past the island
cause the submarine great trouble ; one minute they are lifted
up high, then the next down they come with a thud on to
the bottom. Gales were experienced during mid- September,
but despite these difficulties all the work allotted to them was
carefully carried out. E 6 on the 25th narrowly escaped
destruction from a mine which had become entangled, but

54 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

after half an hour's strenuous work by two of her crew the
mine was released.

It was on September 22 that we suffered our first really
heavy loss, when three cruisers were torpedoed and sunk one
after the other with heavy loss of life ; and though the triple
loss could have been avoided, it must be remembered that
the submarine menace was then in its infancy. The two later
losses occurred as the cruisers were standing by to pick up
the survivors from their stricken sister ship. The Admiralty
after this disaster issued an order io the effect that " No
act of humanity, whether to friend or foe, should lead to a
neglect of the proper precautions and dispositions of war,
and no measures can be taken to save life which prejudice
the military situation. Small craft should be directed by
wireless to close the damaged ship with all speed." How
strictly Captain Loxley of the Formidable, three months
later, adhered to this order will be related in due course.
The mistake of employing old and slow cruisers for patrol-
ling submarine-infested seas was not recognised for several
months, but fortunately we had no repetition of a similar
catastrophe. Of course most of our new light cruisers were
scouring the seas for the raiders, and these older ships were
the only craft available.

The three old armoured cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Rogue,
were patrolling off the Dutch coast in the early hours of
September 22. At about 6 a.m. the Aboukir was struck
by a torpedo from a lurking submarine, and immediately
the two other cruisers closed in to assist. Scarcely had the
boats from Rogue got clear when she herself was struck by
two torpedoes, and she at once began to heel over until five
minutes later she was floating bottom up. Aboukir, on the
other hand, remained afloat for half an hour. Meanwhile
Cressy had also lowered boats, but barely five minutes had
elapsed before a torpedo also struck her amidships on the
starboard side, and she immediately took a list ; this was at
7.15 a.m. A second torpedo missed, but a quarter of an
hour later a third hit her, and she began to heel rapidly
until just before eight o'clock she sank. A Dutch trawler

BRITAIN PREPARED 55

near by refused any aid, but two Dutch steamers rescued
about 120 men from Hogue, and most of these were brought
to Harwich by the destroyer Lucifer ; and 156 officers and
men were picked up by a Lowestoft trawler, mostly from
Cressy. Several other survivors were landed at Harwich
and Lowestoft by the light cruiser Lowestoft, and about 280,
who were later sent back to England, were taken to Holland.
Unfortunately the loss of life was heavy : from the Aboukir
25 officers and 502 men were lost ; from Cressy 25 officers and
535 men ; and from the Hogue 12 officers and 36 men — in all
a death-roll of 1135 men. Many brave deeds of heroism
are recorded, and all the crews displayed splendid discipline
and courage, acts of self-sacrifice being especially numerous.
Germany claimed that U 9 sank all three cruisers, but six
torpedoes at least were discharged, and it is unlikely that
such an old craft would carry more than four torpedoes
aboard.

Owing to the continued minesowing by the enemy and
the consequent losses to shipping, it was announced on
October 2 that the Admiralty were reluctantly compelled, as
a counter-measure, also to sow a minefield to the south of
the German mines. This step was very necessary to the
safety of our coast, for the German minefield, whilst forming
an obstacle for our ships, did not render the North Sea unin-
habitable for the foe, who of course knew the safe channels.
Three days later the two patrol trawlers Princess Beatrice
and Drumoak were both mined and sunk, with the loss of
eleven and ten of their crews respectively.

On the next day E 9 secured her second victim whilst
patrolling off the Ems River ; this time it was the destroyer
S 126, whose crew were nearly all rescued by another
destroyer; but on the 15th we suffered another loss to our
patrolling cruisers. The two old cruisers Hawke and Theseus
were patrolling the north coast of Scotland when they were
attacked by U 9 ; the latter ship managed to evade her
attacker, but Hawke was less fortunate and, being struck by
a torpedo, she sank with 26 officers and 499 men. These
losses are greatly to be deplored, as the many lives lost

56 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

are irreplaceable, although the ships themselves were semi-
obsolete.

This month of fluctuations witnessed many events, and
the balance was somewhat restored on the 17th when the
new light cruiser Undaunted, now in command of Captain
Fox, with the destroyers Lance, Legion, Lennox and Loyal,
encountered the four German destroyers S 115, S 117, S 118
and S 119 off the Dutch coast. After a running fight all
the enemy ships were sunk and sixty-one prisoners taken,
and the British loss was but three wounded on Legion and
Loyal. Next day, however, our submarine E 3 was sunk by
a German cruiser off the German coast, and presumably
all on board, numbering three officers and twenty-five men,
were lost.

In the meantime the first bombardment of the Belgian
coast had commenced. Owing to requests from the Allied
commanders for assistance in stemming the acWance of the
Germans along the coast on Calais, a miscellaneous flotilla
consisting of the three ex-Brazilian monitors, cruisers, gun-
boats, sloops and destroyers, under the command of the
late Rear- Admiral Hood, left our ports to deliver a very
systematic shelling of the German positions and trenches
around Nieuport, and thus rendered very valuable support
to the left flank of the Belgian Army. These operations are
described later, and it will suffice to say that the work was
most successfully carried out, and it completely prevented
the enemy from reaching his long-cherished object. In
connection with these operations, on October 24 Badger
rammed a submarine off the Dutch coast, and as her bows
sustained some damage, the German claim of her safe return
was improbable.

On the last day of this month the old cruiser Hermes, used
as a seaplane-carrying ship, was torpedoed in the Straits
of Dover with the loss of twenty- two killed and seven
wounded.

Two days previously a somewhat important change in
the Administration at the Admiralty had occurred. It is
not desirable to enter into this incident, as the more that is

BRITAIN PREPARED 57

said the more we must deplore the gross ingratitude of a
certain section of the public. Since the outbreak of war
there had been many scandalous and treacherous statements
made, hardly ever openly, about the position of our First
Sea Lord, who was born in Austria. So distinguished an
officer in the service of this country needs no word in repudia-
tion of these lying reports, but having seen " all was well "
with the Fleet in which he had lived, he put an end to the
scandal by relinquishing his appointment " on the grounds
that my birth and parentage have the effect of impairing
my usefulness on the Board of Admiralty in some respects."
This he did on October 28, but greatly to the sorrow of Sir
John Jellicoe and the whole Fleet, and perhaps more than
any one, of His Majesty. No doubt this campaign was
engineered by enemy agents in this country who were
eager to get rid of such a distinguished Admiral, but nothing
palliates the conduct of those whose protection he had
secured, who had any hand whatsoever in the spreading of
the infamous reports.

His successor was Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Fisher,
but unfortunately the temperaments of the First Sea Lord
and that of Mr. Winston Churchill were not conducive to
harmony, and both vacated their offices in the last days of
May 1915, when on the 26th Mr. Balfour succeeded Mr.
Churchill as First Lord, and on the 28th Lord Fisher was
replaced by Admiral Sir John Jackson as First Sea Lord.
Lord Fisher was appointed chairman of the Inventions
Board on July 4. This Administration remained in office
until the appointment of Admiral Jellicoe at Whitehall in
January 1917.

In the North Sea up to the beginning of November no
German warship other than torpedo craft had emerged from
its shelters, but during the winter months the enemy began
a series of raids on the East Coast towns. The object of
these excursions is not easy to understand, as the places
chosen for their depredations were chiefly pleasure resorts.
Even if the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians was their

58 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

aim, which is hardly likely, their valuable battle-cruisers were
thus laid open to attack. Making these swift dashes across
the North Sea on a dark, misty night, unperceived by our
patrols, was then quite an easy task, and the enemy made
three such attacks before he suffered disaster and discon-
tinued this practice.

The first raid was made on the night of November 3-4,
when a squadron of enemy cruisers, comprising Von der Tann,
Seydlitz, Moltke, Blucher, Yorck, the light cruisers Graudenz,
Kolberg, and Strassburg, appeared off the Norfolk coast. A
few shells were fired at Yarmouth, but all fell short, and the
only casualty was one wounded on the patrolling gunboat
Halcyon, which sent out a wireless message reporting the
whereabouts of the enemy. They, however, made off, and
although pursued until dusk by our light cruisers, they could
not be brought to action. During the pursuit our submarine
D 5 struck a floating mine, which had been thrown out by
the rearmost enemy cruiser, and only two officers and two
men who were on the bridge were saved. The enemy
nevertheless suffered more heavily, for the Yorck struck a
chain of mines in Jahde Bay on their return, and she took
down with her 251 of her crew.

Before the second of these raids occurred, several minor
incidents in connection with the patrols were reported.
On the 5th H.M. trawler Mary sank after striking mines, and
one officer and seven men were killed. Six days later the old
gunboat Niger was torpedoed and sunk in the Downs, and
fifteen of her crew were killed or died from injuries. Again,
on the 15th a German submarine was rammed by a French
torpedo boat off Westende before it had time to discharge
a torpedo at the French ship, and from the quantities of
oil which rose to the surface its loss was presumed. On the
18th the auxiliary cruiser Berlin put in at Trondhjem for
repairs to her engines, which had been damaged by high
steaming. Although this cruiser was known to have been
fitted out as a minelayer, she had none of these machines
aboard, and there was little doubt that she had been engaged
in indiscriminate minesowing. As she failed to clear in

BRITAIN PREPARED 59

twenty-four hours she was interned. Another submarine,
U 1 8, was rammed by a British patrol off the northern coast
of Scotland at about 12.30 p.m. on November 23; almost
an hour later she rose to the surface flying the white flag
and with all but one of her crew lined up on deck. The
destroyer Garry then came alongside to take them off, and
the submarine conveniently foundered just as the last man
was rescued. The one man lost stayed behind to blow up
the crippled submarine, and bravely perished with her. The
outer hull had evidently been pierced by the patrol's bow,
and the water between the inner and outer hulls deprived
her of her buoyancy, and so rendered her safe return
impossible.

Three days later a very deplorable loss occurred, the more
so as the disaster was an accident pure and simple, and it
was not due to any act of the enemy. Shortly before 8 a.m.
on November 26 there was a terrific explosion on Bulwark,
and when the clouds of smoke and steam had drifted away
it was seen that she had entirely disappeared beneath the
waves, and of all her crew of about 780 only fourteen men
were picked out of the water. The ship had been practically
blown in two, and the Court of Inquiry attributed the cause
of the disaster to an internal explosion from the ignition of
the gases given off from the ammunition.

Unfortunately a sister ship was shortly afterwards lost,
also of the same squadron. In the early hours of New Year's
Day the Formidable was off the Start Point. The night
was very wild and dark, and just after midnight the ship
was struck by two torpedoes. She listed immediately, but
Captain Loxley and his officers displayed the utmost coolness
in getting out the boats ; he moreover signalled to the
other ships not to stand by as he suspected the presence of
lurking submarines. Only four boats were launched and
one of these was immediately swamped; of the others one
with seventy-one men aboard was picked up by a light
cruiser, another arrived at Lyme Regis carrying fifty sailors
of whom twelve died from exposure during their terrible
night, whilst the pinnace was very skilfully picked up by

60 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the Brixham trawler Providence and the seventy men were
transhipped and carefully fed and clothed with all the
available stores aboard. Captain Loxley went down with
his ship, standing on the bridge with a cigarette in his mouth,
and 550 officers and men thus perished. By his calm
bravery a repetition of the Cressy catastrophe was avoided.
In the meantime there had occurred the second of the
raids on our coasts, and the heavy loss of life which resulted
is one of the most wanton of Germany's many acts of
barbarity which have astounded the world. It is true that
there were a few troops stationed at Scarborough, but this
affords no excuse for the cowardly wholesale murder of the
civilian population. In this raid misty weather again aided
the enemy in making his dash across the North Sea by night,
and also his return. The exact composition of the German
squadron is unknown, but that it consisted of battle-cruisers
is without a doubt, whilst a cruiser or two also accompanied
them. Arriving off Scarborough, Whitby, and the Hartle-
pools, the squadron commenced a deliberate shelling of the
sea fronts, demolishing whole rows of houses and killing all
their unfortunate inhabitants, who were at breakfast. They
were immediately attacked by patrolling destroyers, who
sent a message to Beatty with his battle-cruisers ; but when
the enemy learnt that reinforcements were arriving, an hour
later he made off closely pursued by destroyers. Such good
use was made of their small guns that over 200 Germans
were killed and wounded on the enemy ships. Aided by
the mist they succeeded in eluding Beatty, who had now come
up and was actually within range, though obscured by the
fog, and steaming at full speed, regained their ports. The
light cruiser Patrol lost four killed and four wounded, and
the destroyers Doon and Hardy lost four killed and twenty-
six wounded. The civilian casualties were unfortunately very
heavy, amounting to 130 killed and over 300 injured, many
of whom later succumbed to their injuries. The Germans
again strewed mines in their wake, and several steamers
and trawlers fell victims to them. The only bright spot
on the whole cruel, purposeless affair was the extraordinary

BRITAIN PREPARED 61

message from a destroyer which was received at the
Admiralty : " Am engaging three Dreadnoughts." To which
was sent the reply: " Use your torpedoes."

Our minesweepers were engaged in their task until
December 31, in constant bad weather which greatly added
to their peril, and they could only locate the minefield from
the losses sustained. The raid had taken place on December
16, and on the 19th the minesweeper Orianda was blown up,
whilst ten minutes later Passing and Star of Britain were
also seriously damaged. Even on January 6 the sweeper
Banyers was also struck by one of these machines.

Not only in the North Sea were mines laid, but even off
the Irish coast. Fortunately we escaped serious loss in
this area.

Christmas Day was celebrated by a seaplane raid on the
German warships lying off Cuxhaven. Seven seaplanes,
carried by Empress, Engadine and Riviera, and escorted by
light cruisers and destroyers, left for their flight on Christmas
Eve. The ships stopped off Heligoland, and the seaplanes
rose at about 7.30 a.m. for their destination. During their
absence the escorting ships were attacked by two Zeppelins
and several seaplanes and submarines, and there ensued the
most novel action recorded, that of cruisers beating off
aircraft and submarines. The Zeppelins were put to flight
by the anti-aircraft guns on Areihusa and Undaunted, and
the submarines were also evaded ; the seaplanes, on the other
hand, attacked the ships very closely, but unsuccessfully.
For three hours this fight continued, when three of our airmen
returned and were picked up ; three others were later picked
up by our waiting submarines after their machines had
been destroyed, and the seventh was rescued by a Dutch
trawler.

It was either in this raid or on the return of the Germans
from Scarborough that the Von der Tann, according to various
reports, was either sunk or seriously disabled in collision with
the light cruiser Frauenlob, or was sunk or seriously damaged
whilst shifting her position to escape our seaplanes. As
this fine ship did not figure in the later exploits, it is quite

62 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

probable that she suffered serious damage or complete
disablement.

The third and the most disastrous to the enemy of these
senseless raids on our coastal towns was attempted on the
morning of Sunday, January 24, a fine day with a north-east
wind and clear visibility. The German squadron consisted
of Moltke (flag), Seydlitz, Derfflinger, and Blucher, six light
cruisers and two destroyer flotillas. Under cover of dark-
ness they again succeeded in making their dash across the
North Sea, but in the vicinity of their course was a strong
British patrolling squadron under Beatty, comprising Lion
(flag), Tiger, Princess Royal, New Zealand and Indomitable, the
light cruisers Lowestoft, Nottingham and Southampton, which
were disposed on his port beam, and the Arethusa, Aurora
and Undaunted, with their three destroyer flotillas ahead.
At 7.25 a.m. the flotilla led by Aurora sighted the enemy
steaming in a N.W. direction for the English coast ; shots
were exchanged and immediately the Germans turned about,
closely followed by the light cruisers, who gave Beatty
valuable information. Beatty himself was then fourteen
miles to the W.N.W., and a stern chase ensued. By the
splendid efforts of the engineering departments, full speed
was worked up, and a course was set to the southward to
endeavour to cut right across the rapidly retreating enemy's
line, and later a S.E. course was set, our ships running nearly
parallel to the fleeing enemy. Still gradually overhauling
the foe, the battle-cruisers worked up to a speed of 28-5
knots — three and a half knots in excess of the nominal speed
of the two older ships — until, exactly an hour after the enemy
had been sighted, fire was opened by Lion at a range of
20,000 yards. Our line was disposed : 1. Lion (flag), 2. Tiger,
3. Princess Royal, 4. New Zealand, and 5. Indomitable ; whilst
Von Hipper flew his flag on Moltke, followed by Seydlitz,
Derfflinger and Blucher, with their light cruisers ahead and
their destroyers on the starboard beam.

Until 9 a.m. Lion continued to fire single shots at Blucher,
but ten minutes later Tiger opened fire on Seydlitz, and Lion
shifted her fire on to Derfflinger at a range of 18,000 yards

BRITAIN PREPARED 63

and obtained several hits. As these two ships were well
ahead of the others, they came under fire from Von Hipper
and sustained some casualties and slight damage. At this
time Princess Royal was engaging Blucher, but at 9.25 a.m.
she transferred her fire to Derfflinger, who thus came under
fire from two of our ships ; the slower Blucher now became
engaged by New Zealand and commenced to fall astern,
owing to the terrible fire experienced from our four battle-
cruisers, who had in turn all opened fire upon her with
considerable effect.

Shortly after 9.35 a.m. the two flagships exchanged shots,
and flames speedily broke out aboard the German ship,
whilst Derfflinger was also afire. Seydlitz was engaged by
Tiger until a smoke screen from their destroyers intervened,
when she attacked Blucher again. It was this screen of
smoke which enabled the enemy to change their course
to almost due east; and the range thus increasing, our
ships were ordered to raise their utmost speed and change
their course to N.N.E. An attempt by the enemy destroyers
to interfere was frustrated by a few shots from Lion and
Tiger, and our light cruisers were so disposed as to intercept
any enemy ship falling out of the line.

At 10.48 a.m. submarines were sighted but no successful
attacks were made. Blucher, on fire and listing heavily,
quitted their line and made for a northerly direction, where-
upon Indomitable was detached to complete her destruction,
and two torpedoes from Arethusa finally sank her. The
survivors, numbering only 283, were brought to Rosyth by
a destroyer. It was at about 11 a.m. that a lucky shot
from the retreating foe struck the feed tanks on Lion, which
rendered her port engine useless, so falling out of the line,
she shaped for the N.W. Beatty called the destroyer
Attack to him and boarded her at 11.35 a.m. This unfor-
tunate damage left our squadron without leadership, and at
12.30 p.m. the new flagship met the returning battle-cruisers,
when he boarded Princess Royal. Whether the results
would have been greater it is impossible to say, as the
enemy had reached his minesown area when the pursuit

64 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

was broken off ; but the damage to the Lion was undoubtedly
a great misfortune.

At about 3.30 p.m. Lion was taken in tow by Indomitable,
owing to trouble with her starboard engine, and she arrived
safely at Rosyth. She had lost four killed and about
fifteen wounded. Tiger was but slightly damaged, and lost
ten killed and eleven wounded, but returned home under
her own steam. The new destroyer Meteor, who lost one
killed and one wounded, was also somewhat damaged and
was towed home by Liberty.

In addition to the loss of the Blucher, the light cruiser
Kolberg was engaged by Aurora, and was observed later by
Arethusa to be badly battered and sinking. The Germans
admit that a small cruiser had been hit but had returned,
and she doubtless received severe punishment. The claim
that their destroyer V 5 sank Tiger was without any founda-
tion, and the enemy have cause to remember a second
drubbing they received at her hands off Jutland a year
later.

The salient features of this action were the unprecedented
speed at which it was fought, full speed being stated as
28-5 knots, but what the " utmost speed" was is unstated,
and the favourable disposition of the German armament.
Both sides possessed the fastest ships afloat, and their
capabilities were well tested in this direction ; with regard
to the guns, a comparison of the strengths of the squadrons
does not adequately give a true return —

BRITISH. GERMAN

Tiger. Eight 13'5" guns. Derfflinger. Eight 12" guns.

Lion. „ „ „ Seydlitz. Ten 11" „

Princess Royal. „ „ „ Moltke. „ „ „

New Zealand. „ 12" „ Blucher. Twelve 8'2" „
Indomitable. „ „ „

(N.B. — The smaller guns so conspicuous on all German warships would
not probably be used at all, except during a threatened torpedo attack.)

It has been shown that our armaments are designed
with the object of bringing the greatest number of weapons
to bear on a broadside, whereas on the German ships all

BRITAIN PREPARED 65

their guns can be fired astern with the exception of their
forward turret. With this arrangement, at the commence-
ment of the chase our cruisers could at the most only use
four heavy guns each, whilst Moltke and Seydlitz could
bring no fewer than eight guns each to bear on their pursuers,
and Derfflinger, like the British, could use four. Blucher,
who ought never to have accompanied the squadron owing
to inferior speed, had six 9-2" guns which could have been
trained astern. Thus the Germans were not so out-gunned
as it would appear on the surface, but their guns were of
a smaller calibre, as they favour more rapid firing to our
heavier, if slower, shooting.

Considering that practically all the hits registered were
British, we have reason to be proud of our gunners, for
it must be remembered that the ranges were continually
changing owing to the very high speed at which all the
ships were travelling. The extreme range at which the
action opened is somewhat similar to the 18,000 yards at
which the " Invincibles " opened fire at the Falklands battle
a month previously.

With the exception of a small raid on Lowestoft in the
spring of 1916, no further raids have been successful ; and
with the failure of this raid the Germans definitely gave up
the attempt to wrest from us the command of the seas
until the tremendous Battle off Jutland. Here again they
suffered defeat, and subsequently contented themselves
with the submarine campaign, occasionally relieved by
torpedo boat sorties.

• ••••••

The action off the Dogger Bank, fought on January 24,
terminated the first phase of naval warfare. The enemy
was bottled up in his own ports, and beyond three raiders
still at large no German warship was flying the German
Standard on the High Seas. The " bottling up " was not
at all the object of our aims — indeed it has been seen that
every inducement was offered to the enemy to come out
and give battle. A fleet " bottled up " in its own harbours
still remains a menace, whereas a fleet that comes out either
F

66 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

emerges the victor or leaves the seas a vanquished force.
In the present case the Second Naval Power remained
practically intact (save for a few valuable light cruisers),
whilst the First Naval Power, about 60 per cent, stronger,
patrols and regulates all traffic just outside its waters. The
stronger fleet must be in a position to deal with any sudden
action of the enemy if it intends to retain its supremacy;
but as all such operations would, of course, be undertaken
by the enemy in the most favourable conditions, it is easy
to see that although the enemy may be apparently quiescent,
no relaxation is possible until a decisive battle is fought.
The enemy, therefore, can pursue the policy of remaining
behind his minefields and fortifications, providing a perpetual
menace to his superior foe ; or, on the other hand, come out
to give battle, from which even if he should emerge victorious
he would have inevitably lost several all too valuable ships,
and thus would not be in a position to carry out the multi-
tudinous duties of the superior fleet. Taking the very un-
likely proposition of the two contending fleets engaging with
their entire strengths, the enemy would lose so many of
his fewer ships that the menace would be practically dis-
posed of ; he would of course account for several of our
ships, but this would not affect the relative standing to any
degree.

That the enemy may attempt such an undertaking towards
the final collapse of the Central Empires is not at all im-
probable, for the position would be that of " nothing to lose
and all to gain " by such a course. Knowing that their
ships would either have to be scuttled or captured by us,
it is unlikely that, exasperated by the taunts of their brothers
in the Army and by the populace, they will quietly remain
in harbour until the inevitable day ; rather will they come
out and endeavour to cause as much damage to our Navy
as is in their power, even though disaster be their end, or
at least sally out, like the Russian Port Arthur Fleet, and
make for neutral harbours, where they will be interned. If
they slip out into the Baltic and enter Swedish ports, then
it will be almost impossible to intercept them ; but should

BRITAIN PREPARED 67

they emerge into the North Sea, one may have every hope
that our sailors will be on the "right spot at the right
time."

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER I

THE BELGIAN COAST BOMBARDMENTS, 1914-17

APART from the general warfare in the North Sea, reference
has been made to a completely separate series of operations
which were undertaken by our Navy. It will be remembered
that during September and October, after the failure of the
German arms on the Marne, desperate efforts were made by
their troops to force an advance along the coast and secure
Calais for a base for their torpedo craft and for their projected
invasion of England. In consequence the Allied Army Com-
manders made requests to the Admiralty for assistance in
support of the flank of the hard-pressed little Belgian Army
to prevent this objective from materialising. Valuable ships
could not be spared in these early days, but on October 17
a fleet of heterogeneous warships, under the command of
the late Rear-Admiral Hood, left these shores to partake
in a bombardment of the enemy's troops and positions along
the Belgian coast.

The operations were commenced on the next morning, by
the three monitors Humber, Severn and Mersey, and the scouts
Attentive and Foresight, with several destroyers. The batteries
at Westende and Middlekirke were engaged, and machine-
guns were landed from Severn to assist in the defence of
Nieuport, one officer being killed whilst leading the men.
During the first few days shrapnel caused many casualties
on the ships, but no ships were lost, although Amazon was
badly holed. On the 23rd great assistance was given to
the Belgian Army near Nieuport, and the batteries at Ostend
were also engaged. Submarines were seen, but they were
unsuccessful in their attacks ; and it will be remembered
that on the next day Badger rammed one of these craft, and
it is possible that it was one of the submarines which had

68 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

ineffectually attacked the destroyer Myrmidon and the
sloop Wildfire.

Of course the enemy at once took counter-measures, and
by the 28th they had brought up heavy guns which replied
very vigorously to our ships. Larger warships were then
sent for, including the battleship Venerable and the cruisers
Brilliant and Sirius, to engage the bigger pieces. This day
the enemy's fire was particularly accurate, and several
casualties occurred. The destroyer Falcon, whilst guarding
the Venerable from submarine attack, lost her commander
and nine men killed with fourteen others wounded ; on
Brilliant and the sloops Rinaldo and Vestal there were two
killed and twenty wounded, whilst the forward turret on
Mersey was put out of action and two of her crew were hit.
Although no losses in ships were sustained, the sloops Vestal
and Wildfire were somewhat damaged.

On November 9 the first bombardment ceased, as the
country around Nieuport was inundated, and the warfare
had been reduced exclusively to trench work. Indeed hardly
any troops were to be seen, and the rush for Calais had thus
been prevented with great success and at very little cost.
Admiral Hood's force comprised the battleship Venerable,
the cruisers Attentive, Foresight, Brilliant and Sirius, the
three monitors Number, Mersey, Severn, the gunboats
Hazard, Bustard, Excellent, the sloops, Rinaldo, Vestal,
Wildfire, the submarines C 32 and C 34, and the destroyers
Amazon, Cossack, Crusader, Maori, Mohawk, Nubian, Viking,
Crane, Falcon, Flirt, Mermaid, Myrmidon, Racehorse, Syren.
In addition there were placed under his command the five
French destroyers Aventurier, Capitaine Mehl, Dunois,
Francois Gamier and Intrepide.

Considering that this collection of ships was constantly
operating within a few hours' steaming from the enemy's
ports, it speaks volumes for the supremacy, moral as well as
material, which we had then attained over the enemy. No
interference beyond unfruitful submarine attacks was at-
tempted during the three weeks in which this fleet was
at work.

THE BELGIAN COAST BOMBARDMENTS 69

Almost a year later a second series of attacks on the
Belgian ports were carried out with marked success and
at a small cost. These ports had been converted into veri-
table hornets' nests by the enemy, whose submarines derived
great benefit from them. By utilising Ostend and Zeebrugge
as bases they had no need to return to German ports to
replenish their stores of fuel and provisions, and thus could
easily prey upon our commerce entering the busy Thames.

Operations commenced on the morning of August 23 under
Vice-Admiral Bacon. A violent shelling by our new monitors
and a large number of other craft was directed on Zeebrugge,
and much damage was caused to the factories and earthworks
and to ships in the harbour. One of these was a destroyer
which endeavoured to escape from the terrible fire, but she
was encountered off Ostend by two French destroyers and
sunk after a brief fight. The next attack was delivered on
September 6, when five monitors attacked Ostend and wrecked
the submarine works and quays ; our fire was returned with
considerable accuracy. Westende was also shelled by three
gunboats, and this place was again visited on the 19th,
together with Middlekirke and Raversyde ; French batteries
near Nieuport greatly assisted in this attack. Five days
later a large combined attack was delivered on the fortifica-
tions both east and west of Ostend, embracing Knocke,
Blankenberge, Heyst and Zeebrugge ; great damage was done
to the German batteries, military depots and factories, and
several large fires broke out. On the 26th, 27th, and 30th
the attack was continued, especially on the batteries at
Westende and Middlekirke, and large explosions were ob-
served. Zeebrugge was revisited on October 3, and several
outbreaks of fire were seen. A few isolated shellings during
October and November completed the work.

Admiral Bacon states that the damage inflicted by six
extensive bombardments and eighteen minor shellings
includes the sinking of the destroyer, two submarines and
a large dredger ; three large factories were destroyed, and
several guns, ammunition dumps, etc. were also disposed of.
He especially emphasises the splendid marksmanship obtained

70 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

by novel methods, and of the protection afforded to the fleet
by the destroyers and patrolling craft under difficult con-
ditions. He gives no list of the ships engaged, but states
that " eighty craft were engaged in these operations manned
for the greater part by naval Reserve officers and former
fishermen." He had under him the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla,
and was assisted by the Second French Light Cruiser
Squadron and patrol, of which he states that three ships
were lost. The British losses were thirty-four killed and
twenty-four wounded from the drifter Great Heart which was
mined, the minesweeper Brighton Queen also mined, and the
armed yacht Sanda which was sunk by gunfire. This ship
was commanded by the oldest naval officer afloat, Lieutenant-
Commander Gartside-Tipping, aged seventy, and he was
unfortunately killed when his ship went down.

From the dispatch we glean the names of the cruiser
Hyacinth, the gunboats Bustard, Excellent and Redoubtable,
the monitors M 25, General Craufurd, Lord Clive, Marshal
Ney, Prince Eugene, Prince Rupert and Sir John Moore,
and the above craft.

Vice- Admiral Bacon's second Dispatch covers the period
from December 1915 to July 1916. He states that during the
winter months gales and the shortness of the days greatly
interfered with offensive operations, and the report really
deals with the work of the Dover Patrol. He, however,
says that during the spring certain opportunities arose which
resulted in a shelling of the Belgian seaboard. This pre-
sumably refers to the operations on April 24, when an ex-
tensive air raid was made by our seaplanes on Mariakerke,
in which several fights occurred. On the next day a squadron
of monitors, destroyers and auxiliaries, driving in the hostile
patrolling ships, bombarded Zeebrugge and its environs for
forty minutes, and caused great havoc to the harbour ; a
longer attack in the afternoon by a larger squadron resulted
in several fires breaking out. Admiral Bacon says that as
a result of these operations several submarines and a few
surface ships were sunk, the cost being four officers and

THE BELGIAN COAST BOMBARDMENTS 71

twenty-two men killed, and one officer and two men
wounded.

Of the Dover Patrol he states that whilst the weather
impeded our destroyers and patrols, the enemy was thereby
enabled to carry out his minesowing and submarine activities
more easily. Nevertheless of the 21,000 merchantmen which
passed through the Patrol, only twenty-one ships were
either sunk or badly damaged; and more creditable still,
the whole of the transport to France was unmolested and
not a single life was lost. To achieve this remarkable success
we sacrificed 4 per cent, of our patrolling ships and suffered
a consequent loss of seventy-seven officers and men. The
Times has reported that the destroyer Viking was mined
on January 29, 1916, whilst escorting a troopship in the
Channel, and that her commander was amongst the lost.

During 1917 there have been incessant bombings by our
seaplanes of the shipping and quays of Bruges, Zeebrugge,
Ostend and several other fortified towns near and on the
Belgian coastline, with a view to harassing and destroying
the submarine works and bases which have been constructed
at these places, and very much damage has been caused to
the enemy. Bombardments have practically ceased, but
there is no relaxation in the continual patrol of the Straits
of Dover, and the attempts of the enemy to frustrate this
series of operations during the winter of 1916-17 will be
related in due course.

CHAPTER II
I

THE WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA, 1915-16

THE spring of 1915 was marked by the official beginning
of the submarine " blockade " of these islands, of which
there are two distinct phases. These will be dealt with in
the next chapter, as they form a distinct type of warfare and
were chiefly directed against the commerce of the Allies.

The early months of 1915 witnessed a succession of dis-
asters to our auxiliary cruisers engaged in patrol work.
On the day following the battle off the Dogger Bank,
January 24, the Admiralty announced that the ex-R.M.S.P.
liner Viknor had been missing for some days, and it was
presumed that she had either foundered in the prevailing
bad weather or had struck a mine, quantities of these
machines having been laid by " neutral " merchantmen off
the Irish coast, and bodies and wreckage having been cast
ashore. Nine days later, signals and wireless messages
ceased from the Clan Macnaughten, which was also patrolling
in the same vicinity, and beyond some wreckage washed
ashore no further trace of her was discovered. Without
doubt she had suffered the same fate as the Viknor. Again,
on March 11, the Bayano, a converted Elder and Fyffe
liner, was torpedoed in the Irish Channel off Wigtown-
shire and, as a steamer in the neighbourhood was prevented
from searching for survivors amongst the wreckage by the
submarine and only escaped a similar fate by flight, all on
board were also lost. The coincidence of these tragic losses
in the same vicinity is amazing, and it was suggested that
the guns mounted proved too top-heavy and rendered the
cruisers unseaworthy in heavy weather, but this has been

denied.

72

WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA 73

In the North Sea, after the action on January 24 a period
of quiet supervened, and the sole operations in which our
Navy was engaged were the hunting down of the enemy
submarines and the organisation of a very efficient system
for curtailing the activities of these craft, and enforcing the
blockade of the enemy ports. The first break was due to
the activity of the German Fleet, which according to their
reports had on April 23 carried out a series of cruises " as
far as the English coast, without sighting a British warship,
as the whole British Fleet was concentrated in the Irish
Sea and Scottish bases." One is tempted to ask why, if
the German ships arrived off the East Coast, they did not
shell the open towns in fulfilment of their avowed intention.

The 1st of May witnessed several incidents in the southern
area of the North Sea. On this day the old destroyer
Recruit was torpedoed and sunk off the Galloper Lightship,
and thirty-nine of her crew were lost. A few hours later,
about 3 p.m., the armed trawlers Barbados, CMrsit, Columbia
and Miura, were attacked by two German Antwerp-built
torpedo boats A 2 and A 6, and a short action ensued in
which Columbia was torpedoed and sunk; only one of her
crew was saved, but three others, a lieutenant and two
seamen, were picked up by the pursuing enemy. Barbados
and the two trawlers, however, put up a good fight and beat
the enemy off, and sent a message to some destroyers in the
vicinity as to the course taken by the enemy. Four de-
stroyers then raced up, Laforey, Lark, Lawford and Leonidas,
accompanied by the light cruiser Undaunted, and a running
fight ensued which ended in the destruction of the two
torpedo boats. The action had lasted about an hour, but
no British loss was suffered, and forty-six prisoners were
taken. The three rescued British men from Columbia were
left to drown like rats by the enemy, as the " time was short
and the prisoners were below."

Another mishap occurred whilst a division of our destroyers
was patrolling off the Belgian coast on May 9, when the
Maori had the misfortune to strike a mine, and subse-
quently sank. The Crusader then came up to assist in the

74 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

rescue work and lowered her boats, but the crew had already
taken to their boats when they saw their ship was lost. A
battery ashore then commenced to shell the Crusader, and
after an hour and a half she was forced to retire without
her boats' crews, who were taken into Zeebrugge along
with the crew of the Maori. Though the loss of one of
these powerful destroyers is to be regretted, yet happily
it was unattended with loss of life.

More disastrous from this point of view was the accident
which befell the new C.P.R. Princess Irene, a converted
minelayer, whilst lying in the Medway at Sheerness on the
morning of May 27. Like the Bulwark, she was suddenly
blown up, and all on board but a stoker perished, including
seventy-six dockyard workmen. A few days later, on
June 10, two torpedo boats, Nos. 10 and 12, whilst patrolling
the East Coast, were torpedoed and sunk, forty-one of
their crews being saved; and two further minor incidents
occurred during the end of the month : on the 20th the
armoured cruiser Roxburgh was damaged by a torpedo in
the North Sea but returned to port under her own steam,
and ten days later the old destroyer Lightning was also
damaged and fourteen of her crew were killed.

The enemy, on the other hand, lost the destroyer V 188,
which was torpedoed by E 16 on July 26 whilst patrolling
the German coast, and another patrol ship was also torpedoed
about this time by E 4.

In the early days of August there was a repetition of
the activity of May. On the 8th the armed patrol Ramsey
(late I.O.M. packet) was attacked by the German Armed
Fleet Auxiliary Meteor and sunk with five of her officers,
the remainder of her crew, numbering forty-three, being
taken aboard a fishing vessel and later transferred to Arethusa.
This cruiser, with Aurora, Cleopatra, Conquest and Undaunted,
immediately set off in chase of the minelayer, and later
observed her sinking off the Horns Reef. Her crew had
scuttled her on the approach of our cruisers and escaped to
a Swedish ship near by.

On this day also the auxiliary cruiser India (P. & O.)

WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA 75

was torpedoed off the northern Norwegian coast and was
sunk, the survivors, numbering 141, suffering extremely
from the intense cold. On the next day the destroyer Lynx
presumably struck a mine laid by the Meteor, and sank with
the loss of seventy-four of her crew. These four events,
though small in themselves, indicated extreme liveliness on
both sides ; but, as in May, no developments apparently
transpired.

Not until October did any surface ship come to grief.
On the 25th, E 5 torpedoed and sank an auxiliary of the
" Mo we " type near Borkum Island, but three days later our
fine armoured cruiser Argyll stranded off the Scottish coast
during heavy weather and became a total wreck ; fortunately
no lives were lost. More deplorable was the mining of the
hospital ship Anglia (L. & N.W. packet) in the Channel on
November 17 ; she was carrying many badly wounded
soldiers from France, and she took down about eighty of
the staff and patients. By a curious coincidence His
Majesty had only recently crossed over on her after his
accident in the Field.

As the year of 1915 had begun with the loss of a large
warship, so it ended with the loss of another, in both cases
with a heavy toll of lives. On December 31, the fine armoured
cruiser Natal was lying in harbour when without the slightest
warning she blew up with an internal explosion, and over
400 of her crew were killed.

During the winter months little of importance occurred
in the North Sea, though the incessant watch was, of course,
maintained, and our submarines were continually off the
enemy's coast. It was only from the fact that so seldom
did his ships emerge that there is so little to relate of their
experiences. On December 22, however, E 16 sighted off
Heligoland a flotilla of torpedo boats, trawlers, tugs and a
sloop, which were forming a screen for a large Fleet Auxiliary
presumably engaged in minelaying. Despite her strong
protection E 16's plucky commander decided to attack
her; by skilful manoeuvring he successfully discharged a
torpedo at her and observed her begin to sink. This work

76 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

involved a few losses to our craft, and E 17 had the mis-
fortune to strand off the Texel during heavy weather on
January 9, 1916, when, springing aleak, she sank ; fortunately
her crew of thirty-three were rescued by Dutch warships and
interned. Exactly a fortnight later another submarine
came to grief off the Dutch coast, and her crew were partly
rescued by British destroyers and partly by Dutch warships ;
this craft was later salved and brought on February 22 to
Terschelling, where she was interned.

In the meantime the mining of the battleship King Edward
VII had occurred in the North Sea on January 8 ; although
the disaster took place in bad weather, not a single life was
lost, all being rescued despite the heavy seas. The enemy
claim that she had struck a mine laid by the raider Mowe
on her outward trip.

There were several incidents of importance during
February, the first being the narrowly escaped destruction
of the boarding steamer Peel Castle, a sister ship of the
Ramsey ; on the morning of the 7th fire broke out on board
whilst the ship was in the Downs, and it quickly spread.
Eventually the flames were subdued by the aid of tugs and
fortunately no lives were lost.

On the llth Berlin made a vain attempt to justify its
Fleet's existence by the manufacture of an action between
German torpedo boats and several British cruisers " which at
once fled, off the Dogger Bank. Our boats pursued them,
sank the new cruiser Arabis, and hit a second with a torpedo "
(which, later, they of course claimed, sank), " and rescued
three officers and twenty-one men from the Arabis, of whom
one officer and three men died." The German newspapers
declared that these cruisers had a speed of 16 knots and a
complement of eighty men, and had only been commissioned
a month. The Admiralty statement, though very brief,
put an entirely new complexion on the affair, stating that
" the cruisers mentioned were four minesweepers, and three
have returned safely." The Arabis was an oil-driven cargo
ship of about 3697 tons, built in 1914, and had no funnels,
this fact doubtless causing the Germans so much confusion.

WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA 77

Far more serious was the loss of the famous light cruiser
Aretkusa. This little ship struck a mine off the East Coast
and was presumably towed into port, where it was found
that she had received vital injury, and she became a total
loss with thirteen of her crew. The loss of light cruisers,
whose great value this war has shown, is of far greater im-
portance than that of almost any other type of ship, excepting
battleships and battle-cruisers. These ships have seen service
all over the globe, and all the available cruisers have been
retained for home service for scouting duties. Their high
speed gives them greater security than most warships can
obtain in these submarine-infested seas ; and when they
are required to cruise ahead near to the enemy's coast, in
their role of the " eyes of the Fleet," it enables them to
escape from the ever observant patrolling destroyers who
may sally out and attack them. The fact that the first
intimation that the German High Sea Fleet was out on
May 31 was due to a patrolling squadron of these cruisers
sighting the enemy and transmitting the news to the battle-
cruisers, is ample proof of their immense value. In convoying
expeditions such as the raid on Sylt later on, and the Christ-
mas Day raid on Cuxhaven, they are also useful, and the
loss of this well-known little ship was unfortunate, the more
so as she fell a victim to the cowardly warfare which the
Germans have initiated in these waters.

On February 29 there occurred the duel between the
raider Greif and the auxiliary cruisers Alcantara and
Andes, which resulted in the sinking of the first two ships.
This action is dealt with fully in Part II, chap. i.

March saw a continuation of activity in the North Sea,
and a part of the German Fleet was observed on the 6th by
several Dutch trawlers off Ymuiden, steaming westwards,
and later travelling in a north-easterly direction returning
home. The object of this cruise has never transpired, but
it seems clear that, learning of the whereabouts of our Battle
Fleet beforehand, they safely emerged " to cruise as far as
the English coast, without a British warship being seen,"
and incidentally to pass near to the Dutch fishing fleet so

78 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

that the feat might be widely published. A large number of
mines were sown in their wake, and a few days later no fewer
than 300 of these machines were washed ashore on the
Jutland coast. Evidence of this was forthcoming when on
the 9th the old destroyer Coquette, and the torpedo boat
No. 11, struck mines off the East Coast and sank, four officers
and forty-four men being lost ; and two days later when the
Fleet Auxiliary Fauvette was also lost in the same region,
two officers and twelve men perishing.

On March 15 Grand Admiral Von Tirpitz resigned, it is
said because his advocacy of ruthless submarine warfare did
not meet with general approval, but his resignation did not
materially affect the situation. His successor was Admiral
Von Scheer.

After the sinking of the two Dutch steamers Tubantia and
Palembang, there was a revival of torpedo craft activity by
the enemy in the southern waters. A division of three
destroyers, whilst off the Belgian coast on the 20th, encoun-
tered four British destroyers, but they immediately fled into
Zeebrugge closely pursued by our ships, which succeeded in
damaging two of them . Following this came the removal of the
Galloper Lightship ; and from these incidents it was thought
that considerable developments were about to take place, it
being considered that it was Germany's intention to clear
the North Sea of shipping in order to carry out operations
unobserved. However, nothing apparently happened.

On March 25 a naval air raid was made on the airship sheds
at Sylt, and the seaplane-carriers were escorted by light
cruisers and destroyers. Unfortunately the enemy obtained
warning of the impending attack, and it cannot be regarded
as a successful piece of work. In the patrol encounters
two armed trawlers, Braunschweig and Otto Rudolph, were
sunk, but our new destroyer Medusa collided with another,
the Laverock, in the heavy weather which followed, and she
had to be abandoned after the whole of her crew had been
very skilfully rescued by the new destroyer Lassoo. She was
later cast ashore on Vlieland. Later on, during the follow-
ing night, enemy destroyers attacked our retiring cruisers,

WAR OF ATTRITION IN THE NORTH SEA 79

but one of them, G 194, was rammed and cut in two by the
cruiser Cleopatra. Thus it was only by a piece of luck that
our loss was balanced, and the aircraft were hotly received
by anti-aircraft batteries.

The closing days of April witnessed a remarkable series
of incidents in three entirely different localities. The first
occurred on the night of the 20th, when a suspicious -looking
" Norwegian " steamer named Aube was seen off Tralee,
county Kerry, accompanied by the submarine U 19, from
which latter Sir Roger Casement landed and was subse-
quently arrested as a rebel, brought to London, tried and
executed. The Aube was stopped by the sloop Bluebell and
ordered into Tralee, but before she arrived a couple of
German ensigns were hoisted and an explosion followed in
which she sank. She had been blown up by her crew, of
which three officers and twenty men of the Imperial German
Navy were captured. The ship was later examined by
divers, and a quantity of ammunition was discovered aboard
destined for the Irish rebels.

At midday on the 24th a rebellion broke out in Dublin,
and by nightfall many parts of the city were in the hands of
the Sinn Feiners. The trouble was not got under for several
days, during which time the unrest had spread to several
districts in Ireland.

In the meantime a German battle-cruiser squadron,
accompanied by light cruisers and destroyers, dashed out
under cover of night and made for the Norfolk coast ; they
began shelling Lowestoft and Yarmouth shortly after 4 a.m.
on April 25, but after a twenty minutes' bombardment
retired. The squadron was attacked by our light cruiser
destroyers, who came under heavy fire, and three of
them were hit. This attack was made in conjunction with
a Zeppelin raid over Norfolk, when over 100 bombs were
dropped without causing any damage, injuring only one
man. This raid was followed by two further ones on the
next two nights, April 26 and 27.

On the 24th our flotilla delivered a heavy bombardment
on the German positions around Ostend.

80 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

All these events followed one another very closely, and yet
the enemy was nowhere successful. The raid on Lowestoft
was presumably a bait for our Grand Fleet to come down
south and leave a clear course open for assistance to be sent
to the Irish rebels, and it would appear that the rising in
Dublin following Sir Roger Casement's capture was some-
what premature according to the German plan. That these
projects, commencing with the Aube's seizure, should have
been brought to an ignominious close, clearly shows that our
Fleet was not caught napping. It seems that the German
plan was to strike at several different points and cause our
Fleet to scatter, when another batch of raiders would be sent
out, or perhaps an invasion of our East Coast would have
been attempted. On the other hand, the Lowestoft raid
may have been undertaken in fulfilment of a promise to
the Sinn Feiners to attack us in the east whilst they
would attack us in the west.

A remarkable point about these events was that only two
warships were lost by either belligerents. These were our
submarine E 22 which was sunk by mine, only two of her
crew being saved by the enemy ; and the German minelaying
submarine UC 5 which was captured off Harwich, together
with her crew, on the 27th.

During these days, April 22-7, all traffic was stopped
between this country and Holland, presumably to allow the
dispositions of our Fleet to be carried out without the know-
ledge of the skippers and crews of the numerous neutral
ships ; or perhaps a new minefield was sown.

These events terminated the period of guerilla warfare
before the two contending fleets met in battle for the first
time, but before coming to the stupendous battle fought off
Jutland on May 31, it will be as well to note how the much-
vaunted submarine campaign had fared since its inaugura-
tion in February 1915.

CHAPTER III

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN, 1915

WE now come to one of the most deliberate crimes ever
committed by a civilised nation. It will be remembered
that, failing to secure for herself a satisfactory condition in
August 1914, Germany settled down to a war of attrition
in order to wear down our superiority by constantly attack-
ing our warships, which we had, ipso facto, to expose to
her submarines in carrying out the virtual blockade of her
coast. At first she secured some success, notably the
sinking of the three " Cressy " cruisers, but as we had
learnt the lesson and employed smaller and faster craft, as
time went on she could claim little success.

Germany, therefore, turned her attention to our own,
and incidentally the neutral countries', commerce in a
futile attempt to inconvenience our overseas trade. The
international rules for the treatment of the enemy's com-
merce may be stated in a few words. A warship must,
when approaching a victim, hoist its colours before attempt-
ing any interference ; then the merchantman must be
hailed and ordered to stop, when a boarding party will be
sent to examine her. Should she endeavour to escape,
then only does she render herself liable to be fired upon.
The ship, when boarded, may either be taken into port,
there to await adjudication before a prize court, or if this
course is not feasible, she may be sunk " after due provision
has been made for the safety of the crew and passengers."
A merchantman is a strictly non-combatant ship, and those
aboard are immune from captivity and must be landed at
a port on the first opportunity.

Owing to the utter disregard of these principles by the
G 81

82 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

German submarine commanders, practically all our ships
are now armed with guns. The instructions issued on
October 20, 1915, to the captains of these ships were ex-
plicit; they were only allowed to utilise their armament
when attacked by an armed ship, and must not interfere
with any hostile, neutral, or friendly ships ; in opening fire,
the British colours must be first hoisted, but the fire must
not be maintained if the attacker stops or hauls down her
flag. Owing to the German submarines attacking without
warning, no such craft should be allowed to approach, and,
as Allied submarines had orders not to approach shipping,
any such craft will be hostile. Finally, if the ship, when
proceeding to the assistance of a distressed vessel, sights a
submarine standing by, she must not open fire unless she
herself be attacked.

These orders, it will be seen, are quite fair, but their
purpose has been wilfully perverted by the enemy, who,
whenever convicted of a crime, invariably stated that he
was fired upon first before a warning could be given to the
victim. When it is seen that the only warning which is
given is the hurling to death of the ship's company, the
difficulty will be recognised. Thus a difficult situation
arose ; for whilst it is admittedly legal to fire upon a ship
which endeavours to escape, yet the stoppage and subse-
quent destruction of the ship (in the less brutal cases) can
only mean that the passengers and crew, having taken to
the boats, are at the mercy of the seas. A submarine
naturally cannot take these people into a place of safety
(although in the earlier days several times the boats were
towed to the vicinity of the coast), but the least that she
can do is to leave a ship alone in foul weather, and in fair
to stop and direct the next steamer sighted to their assist-
ance. In many cases several boats' crews, drifting away,
have never been heard of to this day.

Had the enemy shown more consideration at the outset,
our ships, particularly passenger liners, would probably
have stopped to be searched; but where the choice lies
between drifting about on the wide seas in open boats and

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 83

making a dash for safety in the hope of sinking or at least
eluding the attacker, the latter course is obviously the
one to be chosen.

During the last months of 1914 a few ships, notably the
Amiral Ganteaume, with French refugees aboard, on Oc-
tober 26, were torpedoed, but little success was achieved
beyond the loss of several civilian lives ; however, these inci-
dents showed to what an extent the enemy was prepared to
go. We, on the other hand, had organised a very efficient
system of inspecting all traffic through the North Sea, both
at Dover and at Kirkwall. (Recently Halifax, Nova
Scotia, has been utilised as an inspection port to relieve the
inevitable congestion at Kirkwall.) All ships on being
boarded by our patrols are examined, and if anything is
discovered in the way of contraband aboard, the ships are
brought into these ports and thoroughly searched. More-
over, owing to the great rise in the imports of the neutral
countries adjoining Germany, these nations are " rationed "
at their pre-war standard; this may seem unfair to these
peoples, but without doubt Germany has obtained great
quantities of much-needed supplies through them, and has
managed to " rub along." The situation with the neutrals
is a very difficult one, and, with the intention of creating
ill-feeling between the Allies and the United States of
America, a German- American purchased the Hamburg-
Amerika liner Dacia, loaded her with cotton consigned to
Rotterdam, and sent her from Galveston on January 31.
This action was directed chiefly against us, as of course
we have charge of the blockade in the northern waters,
and when the test ship was approaching the Scillies on
February 27, her capture by the French auxiliary cruiser
Europe showed the strong Allied sentiment.

February was a month of several important incidents.
On the first day, the British hospital ship Asturias (ex-
R.M.S.P.) was attacked by a German submarine in the
Channel at about 5 p.m., but fortunately the torpedo
missed its mark; the submarine could not have mistaken

84 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the identity of the ship, as the light at that time had not
begun to fail, and even if it had been dusk the dis-
tinguishing marks on the hull quite obviated any mistake.
The world was thus given a concrete instance that Germany
intended to regard neither the international laws of the
sea nor the lives of non-combatants. On this day, also,
the armed yacht Vanduara fired upon the U 2 1 in the Irish
Sea, but did not succeed in sinking her ; and in connection
with this incident the German allegation that the Vanduara
opened fire without hoisting her colours was denied.

On the 2nd the German Admiralty announced that
every effort would be made to attack the large numbers of
transports then about to convey troops and stores from
these shores, but against these she obtained not the slightest
success. One of her submarines, we have seen, had pene-
trated into the Irish Sea and sank on January 30 three
steamers off the mouth of the Mersey, after giving their
crews time to escape to their boats. This was the first
real attack on our commerce, and was conducted with com-
paratively careful regard for the safety of the crews. It
has already been stated that it is not this part of the cam-
paign which calls for such indignation, as it is unavoidable
in submarine warfare, and our submarines have adopted
the policy of destruction instead of that of capture in the
Sea of Marmora and in the Baltic. It is the utter disregard
of all precautions for the lives of the crews and want of
humanity; no lives either in the Baltic or in the Marmora
were lost through the activities of our craft, but the non-
combatant lives lost, directly or indirectly, through the
agency of German submarines must be now incalculable.
Outrage has followed outrage, and there seems little like-
lihood of any cessation of such crimes when the opportunity
arises until the submarine commanders realise that they
will be made personally responsible for the innocent lives
thus sacrificed. That these men who have sent thousands of
innocent women and children to their deaths can be exone-
rated from any blame seems impossible ; and, therefore, their
superiors who give such orders are all the more responsible.

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 85

The German submarine campaign began officially on
February 18, but on the 5th the German Admiralty had
issued a wireless communication declaring that " the waters
surrounding Great Britain and Ireland, including the whole
of the Channel, are declared to be a war zone on and after
February 18, and every enemy ship will be destroyed, even
if it is impossible to avoid danger threatening the crew and
passengers." Neutral ships were also declared to be in
danger, owing to the " misuse of neutral flags by the British
Government on January 31." There had been issued a
statement that a ship, if attacked, may adopt the legal
procedure of flying a neutral flag for her protection; and
in the past several foreign ships had flown our flag to secure
protection; the converse of this rule was therefore quite
legal, if not to the liking of the enemy. On the 10th the
Holt liner Laertes was attacked off the Dutch coast by U 2,
but by clever seamanship she escaped; and her captain
afterwards received the D.S.O for his gallant conduct.
Her attacker opened fire with machine-guns, the first
instance of such methods, and these weapons have been
barbarously turned upon the crews from time to time.

The day following the fateful February 18 the Nor-
wegian steamer Belridge was attacked without warning and
"damaged, but was towed into Dover; and during the first
week of the campaign eleven Allied, American and Nor-
wegian steamers were attacked. Two of these were sunk
in the Irish Sea, and the remainder either in the Channel or
in the southern area of the North Sea. It was thus evident
that Germany had built much larger submarines, with a
consequent greater cruising radius (now over 5000 miles),
which enabled them to remain for several days in the
Channel, or to travel into the busy Irish Sea by way of the
north of Scotland or Land's End. On the 25th the hos-
pital ship St. Andrew was unsuccessfully attacked off
Boulogne.

That these raiders were not to have it all Iheir own way
was very evident from the plucky conduct of the little
Newcastle collier TTiordis. This ship was attacked by a

THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

submarine off Beachy Head on the morning of February 28
in heavy weather, but she managed to ram her assailant
and, as oil rose to the surface in great quantities, sank her.
Further, U 8 was destroyed by a flotilla of destroyers off
Dover on March 4, the crew of twenty-nine being captured ;
and this was followed by the ramming of U 12 by the
destroyer Ariel six days later, ten prisoners being taken.

The campaign still proceeded, accompanied with absolute
disregard for the lives of the crews, of which sometimes
only a few were picked up, and little discrimination was
shown between Allied and neutral ships. In the first four
weeks only nineteen British steamers were sunk, but during
the summer when the highest record in the first campaign
was reached, thirty-five steamers were sunk in August.
The monthly average up to October worked out at nineteen
ships per month ; and when it is remembered that the
monthly average of traffic was about 5500 in and out
sailings, it will be seen that the losses were about 1 in 270 —
a different result to that which Germany had hoped for.

The Admiralty shipping losses returns for 1915 are as
follows —

Date.

Arrivals and Sailings.
Ships over 300 tons.

Sunk.
Excluding Fishing Craft.

Feb. 18-Mar. 17 . .

5951

19

Mar. 18-Apr. 14 . .

5675

16

Apr. 15-May 12 . .

5991

15

May 13-June 9 . .

5478

20

June 10-July 7 . .

5582

25

July 8-Aug. 4

5513

12

Aug. 5-Sept. 1 . .

5598

35

Sept. 2-Sept. 29 . .

5563

22

Sept. 30-Oct. 20 . .

4146

13

During these months, however, some of the blackest
crimes ever committed by any nation have fouled the name
of the German submarine commanders for posterity.

First amongst these deeds comes the sinking of the
unarmed Elder-Dempster liner Falaba in the St. George's
Channel on March 28. The liner had stopped in accordance

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 87

with the submarine's orders and the boats were being
lowered; suddenly without the slightest warning a tor-
pedo was discharged and created such havoc that the
ship immediately took a bad list, thereby smashing several
boats. The liner sank in twenty minutes, before many of
those aboard had time to leave her, and altogether 112
lives were lost. Not content with their work, the sub-
marine cruised around the drowning people and jeered at
their struggles. According to their Admiralty, this craft
" never returned," thereby providing an excellent excuse
for repudiating the protest which was lodged.

On the previous day the Yeoward liner Aguila had also
been sunk in this vicinity, and the submarine had opened
fire upon the passengers and crew who were getting into
the boats, causing the loss of several lives by this wanton
act of cruelty. In all twenty-six lives were lost in this
case. Any one wishing to find an excuse for this diabolical
treatment will surely be at a loss, for there seems to have
been no hurry for fear of any of our warships coming up.

Nor were our fishermen immune from their attacks, and
the case of the Victoria is typical of their brutality. On
April 12 the transport Wayfarer was torpedoed, but she
was towed back into Queenstown ; several lives were lost.

About this time we accounted for several of these craft,
but the Admiralty had already commenced to keep the
destruction of these submarines secret. They announced,
however, on March 25 that the U 29 had been sunk with
all hands during an attack on part of the Fleet, and despite
all German allegations to the contrary, this submarine was
rammed in the open sea by a British warship. The French
on the 31st also announced that another craft had been
rammed off Dieppe, and large quantities of oil being ob-
served, her loss may be presumed.

To safeguard our liners from these wanton attacks, several
of them were armed during April and May with guns solely
for defence, and quite a number of submarines were thus
accounted for. Flagrant violations of neutrals' rights con-
tinued, and on May 1 the American Gul flight was torpedoed

88 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and sunk off the Scillies, the captain and two of the crew
losing their lives. This steamer was but one of several
United States ships which were put down during 1915.

A few days later there occurred the most terrible of all
Germany's crimes upon the seas, the more so as the catas-
trophe was absolutely premeditated. The huge Cunarder
Lusitania had been posted to sail from New York on May 1,
but prior to her departure, pamphlets and newspaper
warnings were issued in America to the effect that any
Allied ship would be sunk and that the passengers on the
Lusitania had better defer their voyage. Nevertheless she
left New York for Liverpool with 1255 passengers and a
crew of 651, and was due to arrive off Fastnet on Friday,
May 7. Since November her nominal speed of 25 knots
had been reduced to 21 knots in order to save coal con-
sumption and man-power, and on the 7th it had been
reduced to 18 knots in order to arrive in the Mersey at a
suitable time. The weather, which had been hazy, cleared
after passing Fastnet, but at 2 p.m. a torpedo was seen by
the second officer, coming straight for the liner. A cloud
of smoke and steam immediately came up from between
the third and fourth funnels on the starboard side, and
there followed a slight shock. This in turn was followed
by another explosion, which may have been a second
torpedo, or perhaps an internal explosion. No warning
whatsoever had been given by the submarine, and the
torpedo had been fired from a distance of about 400 yards.
Orders were at once given for the boats to be lowered
to the rails and for the women and children to be put
into them, but unfortunately it was discovered that the
engine-room had been wrecked and the way could not be
got off the huge liner, and even when she took the final
plunge she was still in motion. A heavy list to starboard
was immediately taken, and eighteen minutes after the
first torpedo had struck her she disappeared beneath the
waves, off the Old Head of Kinsale. No fewer than 1198
men, women, and children perished in the space of these
few minutes — innocent non-combatants who had no share
in the war at all — and only 787 persons were picked up by

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 89

torpedo boats, drifters, tugs and fishing smacks, and landed
at Queenstown and Kinsale. That many instances of
splendid heroism are to be recorded is a matter of no sur-
prise, but perhaps the most widely known was the brave
act of the millionaire Mr. Vanderbilt, who, seeing a little
girl without a lifebelt on, took off his own and strapped it
on her just as the ship sank, and was never seen again.
Many people died later and several bodies were picked up
at sea, but fortunately Captain Turner, who sank with his
ship, was rescued by a trawler.

The German claim that the liner was armed is totally
false, and it has been denied both by our Admiralty and by
the Customs Officers at New York; a German- American
who testified that the ship had four guns mounted, later con-
fessed to perjury. Germany, in another attempt to cover her
awful crime, stated that Canadian troops were carried, and
that the British Admiralty had ordered all British ships to
ram German submarines. The first statement was also
denied; but the order referred to in the second assertion
was perfectly legal, provided that we were prepared to risk
the consequences. These excuses, which seem adequate to
the German mind, have only intensified the feeling of horror
and revulsion with which the civilised world received the
news of this diabolical act.

Captain Turner, at the subsequent Board of Trade In-
quiry, was completely exonerated from blame, whilst the
German Government was very emphatically condemned
for ordering the murderous attack on an unarmed liner,
fully knowing that hundreds of souls would perish. Fouler
crimes, perhaps, have since been committed against smaller
ships — crews of trawlers shot down as they were leaving
their ship in compliance with the submarine's orders — but
this particular act was attended by the heaviest loss of life,
and it is to be hoped that these incidents will not be over-
looked on the day of reckoning. Many bloody deeds were
wrought by the cruel submarine commanders before this
campaign came to an ignominious close, and during 1915
several large ships, both British and American, were sent
to the bottom without warning.

90 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

It had been decided after the capture of the crew of the
U 8 that, owing to the cowardly attacks on harmless mer-
chantmen, the crews when captured would forfeit all claim
to the honourable treatment usually accorded to prisoners of
war, and that they would be kept apart from other prisoners.
This at the time was felt to be quite just, but the result
might have been foreseen; and the German Government
retaliated by refusing to exchange invalid civilians who
were imprisoned in Germany, and by generally increasing
their brutality to our troops in their hands. With a view
to reopening negotiations with the German Government
on these points, on June 9 Mr. Balfour announced in the
House of Commons that the difference in the treatment of
these murderers had already been annulled — not because of
any decrease in their cowardly crimes, but because the
submarine question was only one of Germany's many
diabolical acts — and that the question of responsibility would
be held over until the end of the war. Incidentally he
announced that U 14 had recently been sunk and twenty-
seven prisoners had been captured.

On the morning of August 19 the outward bound White
Star liner Arabic was torpedoed without warning off Fast-
net, and, taking with her forty-three of the passengers and
crew, she sank in ten minutes. Though fortunately the
loss of life in this case was not so heavy, yet the attack was
just as illegal as the Lusitania incident, as both ships were
unarmed. U27, which, according to Berlin, "did not re-
turn," has been suggested as the assailant, but this is
incorrect, as the attacker reached home. Closely following
this came the attack on the Allan liner Hesperian on
September 4, also in the same vicinity ; and despite a fine
effort lasting twenty-two hours to tow her into port, she
foundered with thirty-two of her company. In this case
only was a gun carried aboard, though purely for defensive
purposes.

In the case of the Arabic the German Government " dis-
avowed " the act after endeavouring to excuse itself on
the grounds that the liner attempted to ram the submarine.
When it was pointed out that the liner was struck aft and

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 91

that no sign of her presence was observed until the torpedo
was seen, it expressed regret for the loss of life. The
question of munitions could not enter, as the ship was
outward bound. As a result of this attack, Germany
promised to allow the crews of liners to get into " a place
of safety," but of course this was soon ignored.

The Hesperian, on the other hand, they claim was sunk
by mine, "as no submarine was in the vicinity " ; this
was false, as merchantmen were sunk both north and south
of this spot on this day and on the next, September 5.

In the Orduna incident, which liner had been attacked
and shelled on July 9, Germany asserts that the submarine
commander mistook this large 15,000 tons liner for a " small
enemy steamer," and that the liner only escaped being
struck owing " to the submarine pitching, and the distance
being too great " — not a very satisfactory explanation.

During October this, the first submarine campaign,
collapsed entirely. Whilst it is not expedient to write
about the causes of this failure, the Frankfurter Zeitung on
October 21 published a full description of one of the methods
used by our Fleet, and as this message was passed for pub-
lication, no harm will be done in quoting the article. " A
net has been drawn from Dover to the French coast, and
another from Portland Bill to Cape La Hogue, about 260
kilometres apart, allowing space for transports. Further
nets, extending from the Mull of Kintyre to the Irish coast,
and from Carnsore Point in Ireland to St. David's Head,
protect the Irish Sea. To allow the passage of shipping,
gates are fitted like pontoons, and these passages are peri-
odically changed. These nets extend right to the bottom,
the upper edge being suspended by buoys, and the lower
edge anchored to keep them from drifting. The buoys
are fixed just under the surface of the sea."

In addition to these nets there have been built very fast
ships especially adapted for submarine chasing, with heavy
steel rams ; and with these and other devices our sailors
brought the much-vaunted campaign to a close. Since the
spring no official announcements of the German submarine
losses have been made, and this secrecy, disappointing

92

THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

though it may seem, has a very demoralising effect on the
enemy. He knows not how, when, or where his craft
have been lost, and indeed a submarine may lie for days
entangled in the meshes of these nets before her condition
is noticed by our ships. Horrible though the fate of these
crews is, dying slowly by suffocation, yet one cannot say
that they do not merit their end. The souls of the
thousands of innocent men, women, and children foully
done to death must surely cry aloud for justice on their
murderers. These commanders know that they set out to
send any ship they come across straight to the bottom
without a thought for the safety of those aboard ; they also
know to a certain extent that large numbers of their com-
rades, meeting death in a terrible form, have never returned ;
yet it seems incredible that they do not ask themselves for
what purpose these lost crews have perished, unless they
glory in their deeds.

The known losses, published officially, during 1915 are
as follows —

Sub-
marine.

U15.

Date.

1914.
Aug. 9.

Vicinity.

North Sea.

— Oct. 12. Baltic Sea.

U18.

Oct. 24.
Nov. 23.

1915.

— Feb. 28.
U8. Mar. 4.
U 12. „ 12.
U29. „ ?
U14. June 9.

Dutch Coast.
North Sea.

Channel.
North Sea.

Fate of Crew

Rammed by Birming-
ham. Lost. Denied.

Gunfire after sinking of

Pallada. „ „

Rammed by Badger. „ „

„ „ H.M. ship. One lost.

„ s.s.Thordis. Lost. Denied.

U51. July

U27.

2. Black Sea.
2. North Sea.

Aug. 19. Irish Sea.

— „ 26. Off Ostend.
U41. Sept. 24. Western Channel.
U 8. Nov. 4. Dutch Coast,
(new)

— „ 28. Off Middlekirke.

— Dec. 28. Black Sea.
U23. ? ?

Sunk by flotilla.
Rammed by Ariel.

„ „ H.M. ship.

?

Gunfire.
Rammed by s.s. Cot-

tingham.

Sunk by Baralong.
Bombed by aircraft.
Gunfire by H.M. ship.
Stranded.

Saved.
Ten saved.
Lost.
27 saved.

Lost.

? Denied.
Two saved.
Saved.

Bombed by aircraft. ?

Gunfire. ?

Gunfire by H.M. trawler

Princess Marie Jose. Ten saved.

THE FIRST SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 93

In regard to the craft sunk by Baralong, the Germans
published a memorandum of the sinking of this craft in
which they allege that the destruction was carried out in a
murderous manner. The facts are that the submarine
(presumably U 27) was attacking the Leyland liner Nicosian
when she was surprised by a steamer flying the United
States flag. Like the Mowe, the ship hoisted the British
colours before opening fire, and in the subsequent destruc-
tion they allege that our sailors on board the auxiliary
cruiser Baralong shot down the survivors in cold blood;
further, they^assert that five of the crew who clambered
aboard the Nicosian were shot. Whilst denying these
statements, which were based upon the sworn evidence of
several American muleteers, the Admiralty pointed out
that Germany had committed three great crimes within
the same twenty-four hours — the murder of the crew of
the E 13 aground on a Danish island, the sinking of the
Arabic, and the sinking of the steamer Ruel, whose crew
were fired upon with shrapnel whilst taking to their boats.
Finally, our Government proposed that the whole case
should be submitted to a tribunal consisting of U.S. Naval
Officers. Should there be a vestige of truth in the accusa-
tion, then I think most people would consider that, though
the Baralong may have departed from naval traditions, the
murderers she dealt with do not deserve the consideration
which they receive at our hands.

In the case of the U41 the enemy again asserted that
" orders were given to commanders that the survivors of
submarines need not be rescued." This is, of course, a
falsehood, and there are no grounds for this protest.

Before coming to the Second Campaign, a few incidents
which occurred before its commencement will illustrate
the manner in which the enemy fulfilled his promise to
the United States after the sinking of the Arabic. On
November 7 the Italian liner Ancona was attacked without
the slightest warning by a German submarine flying the
Austrian flag off Sardinia. The first intimation of the
attack was a shell passing over the steamer; and although

94 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

she immediately came to a stop, this action did not prevent
the passengers and crew from being deliberately shot down,
even when they had taken to the boats. A torpedo finally
completed her destruction, and 208 lives were lost in all.
Considering that Italy was then not at war with Germany,
the incident constituted a very gross violation of inter-
national law, while it emphatically ignored the promise to
" secure the safety of the passengers and crew."

Six days later the Italian liner Bosnia was also sunk by
a German craft, and a boat containing twelve persons was
never heard of again; and in the sinking of the French
liner Ville de la Ciotat without warning on December 27
over eighty lives were lost. Finally, the P. & 0. liner
Persia was torpedoed without warning on December 30 and
sank in five minutes ; the attack, like the above cases, took
place in the Mediterranean off Crete, and so swift was the
end that 335 lives were lost, including forty-six women and
thirteen children.

Whereas the menace in Home Waters had by now been
got under control, the large area of the Mediterranean
presented an infinitely more difficult problem to grapple
with ; for almost a year no German submarine had pene-
trated into the Channel, and during October and November
the mercantile losses were practically reduced to nil.

CHAPTER IV

THE JUTLAND BATTLE, MAY 31, 1916

THE tremendous naval battle which was fought off the coast
of Jutland on May 31, 1916, was the first Fleet action which
had occurred since the outbreak of war twenty-one months
before ; and it was also the first naval battle between Dread-
nought ships that had ever taken place, for the Heligoland
Bight and Dogger Bank actions were more in the nature of
large skirmishes. It is true that the Battle of Tsushima
in 1903 had been fought by modern warships, but this was
before the advent of the famous Dreadnought. Since the
introduction of this ship in 1906 all the naval powers of the
world had built ship after ship, even the smaller countries
who could ill afford them, until in 1914 this country pos-
sessed twenty such battleships and nine battle-cruisers. With
the two "Lord Nelsons" they comprised two very power-
ful battle squadrons of eight ships each, one of five ships,
and three battle-cruiser squadrons of three ships each. In
addition we have several squadrons of pre-Dreadnoughts,
but there is no evidence that any of ours participated
in this conflict, and Germany only brought one of these
squadrons into action on this day. During the period from
August 1914 to May 1916 both the British and German
Battle Fleets had received several additions to their
strengths, and also supplementary light cruisers and torpedo
craft.

The British reinforcements include the five " Queen
Elizabeths," hereinafter called the Fifth Battle Squadron,
the two remaining " Iron Dukes," and several of the new
" Royal Sovereign " class ; finally, there were the four
acquired ships from Chile and Turkey. The battle-cruiser

95

96 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Tiger, it will be remembered, was also completed after the
outbreak of hostilities. The enemy, on the other hand,
had only received the four " Konigs " and the battle-
cruiser Salamis building for Greece, which had been re-
named King George /," but on being taken over by the
Germans had presumably been renamed Pommern.

In the official and unofficial reports of the battle,
many new names appeared and, on the other hand, several
remained unmentioned. Notable for their absence on the
British side were the Queen Elizabeth and Australia, whilst
on the German side the Von der Tann again was probably
absent, although reports differ greatly on this point.
Beatty stated that there were five enemy battle-cruisers
engaged ; and as the new Hindenburg could hardly have
been completed by then, their force probably consisted
of Moltke, Seydlitz, Derfflinger, Lutzow and Pommern. This
latter ship appears to have caused considerable confusion
in the minds of our sailors, but as no official list of the
German battle-cruiser squadron appeared, the above may
be taken as probably correct. Whilst the enemy would
naturally only cruise out at a period when all his forces
were available, the blockading fleet (though in this case
our Fleet is in Home Waters excepting during the periodical
sweeps of the North Sea) has necessarily to detach certain
units for repairs and overhauling.

On this memorable day, according to reliable evidence,
our Fleet consisted of 28 Dreadnoughts, 9 battle-cruisers,
8 armoured cruisers, about 30 light cruisers, and prob-
ably over 100 destroyers. Against this the German High
Sea Fleet, under Von Scheer, comprised 16 Dreadnoughts,
5 battle-cruisers, and 6 pre-Dreadnoughts, with numerous
light cruisers and destroyers.

An account of this battle is somewhat difficult to give
in simple form, but the accompanying official diagram will
be found of great help in following the course of the two
Fleets and in illustrating the splendid seamanship of Vice-
Admiral Sir David Beatty, who bore the brunt of the
enemy's fire during the whole action, a period of six hours.

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 97

On May 30 the Grand Fleet, comprising the 1st, 2nd,
4th and 5th Battle Squadrons, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battle-
cruiser Squadrons, the 1st and 2nd Cruiser Squadrons, with
the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons and the
1st, 4th, 9th, 10th, llth, 12th and 13th Flotillas, left its bases
for one of the periodical sweeps of the North Sea which
have been carried out from time to time, under the com-
mand of Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe. Part of this force
was detached under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir
David Beatty, and consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battle-cruiser
Squadrons, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Light Cruiser Squadrons,
with the 1st, 9th, 10th and llth Flotillas, supported by the
fast 5th Battle Squadron under Rear- Admiral Sir Evan
Thomas. It was this part of the Fleet which sighted the
enemy battle-cruisers.

The purpose of the sally of the entire modern German
Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Von Scheer, is not known
definitely. Their official mention of " an enterprise directed
northwards " leaves a great deal to speculation on the
character of such an " enterprise." There are three more
or less plausible theories : (1) that another raid was con-
templated on our East Coast with the battle-cruisers, whilst
the main Fleet was to occupy any of our forces which would
be likely to impede the success of Von Hipper's squadron ;
(2) that there was an attempt to send out a squadron of
light cruisers or commerce raiders to harry our trade routes,
covered by the battle squadrons to distract any opposition
which they might encounter ; and (3) less likely, but possible,
a short cruise off Denmark or Norway for battle practice.

Whatever the object was, it was defeated at the outset
by the appearance of the Grand Fleet in the vicinity ; and
it is quite evident that the enemy was very badly informed
as to the movements of our Navy. The force under Beatty
was cruising to the southward of the Grand Fleet with the
light cruisers spread out; at 2.30 p.m. on May 31 Galatea,
the flagship of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, reported
the presence of enemy ships, later found to compose Von
Hipper's battle-cruiser squadron. Beatty immediately set

98 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

his course to the S.S.E. to place his ships between the
enemy and his bases and to intercept him before he could
round Horns' Reef ; but smoke being seen a quarter of an
hour later to the east, he also turned to the E. and later
N.E. in order to close the enemy. Almost an hour after
the first observation of the enemy, Von Hipper's five battle-
cruisers came into sight twenty miles to the N.E. The
three light cruiser squadrons almost immediately engaged
the enemy light cruisers, and by their tenacity were able to
obtain valuable information. The 5th Battle Squadron at
this time was eight miles away to the N.W., and the two
main Battle Fleets were each about fifty miles in the rear
of their battle-cruisers, the enemy steaming north whilst
Jellicoe was coming down southward.

The value of aircraft in naval warfare for scouting pur-
poses was strikingly illustrated, when shortly after 3 p.m.
a seaplane rose from the deck of the carrier Engadine,
piloted by Lieutenant Rutland, and by splendid manoeuvring
under very heavy fire from the enemy light cruisers, the
airmen sent very valuable information to Beatty. From
these reports Beatty, again turning to the E.S.E. at a speed
of 25 knots to converge upon the enemy, formed his squadron
into line of battle, Lion (flag) leading, Tiger, Princess
Royal, Queen Mary, of the 1st Squadron, and New Zealand
and Indefatigable of the 2nd Squadron, with the 9th and
13th Flotillas ahead as a screen. Evan-Thomas, with the
5th Battle Squadron, was 10,000 yards to the N.W., and was
ordered to fall in astern. The weather conditions were
at this time good, the S.E. wind clearing our smoke, whilst
the sun was shining on the enemy. In this position the
conflict began.

At 3.48 p.m. both sides simultaneously opened fire on
each other at a range of 18,500 yards, and Hipper imme-
diately turned almost sixteen points, whilst Beatty, also
steaming southwards, rapidly converged until the range came
down to 14,500 yards, and a parallel action ensued similar
to the Dogger Bank action. At this time enemy submarines
made their appearance, but did not obtain any hits.

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 99

It is a noticeable feature of both Sir John Jellicoe's and
Sir David Beatty's Dispatches that no account is given of
the end of the three battle-cruisers which were lost. From
various unofficial reports it appears that just as Evan-
Thomas came up with his squadron at 4.8 p.m. and opened
a somewhat ineffective fire at 20,000 yards range, a terrible
misfortune occurred. The enemy, opening a concentrated
but futile fire on Lion, transferred their fire to our fourth
ship, Queen Mary, and by an unlucky chance almost every
shell the Germans fired seemed to strike her. Under this
terrible tornado she disappeared in a minute and a half,
and only two of her crew were picked up by us. Our battle-
cruisers are very much less heavily armoured than the
German ships, only 9" plating being carried on the Queen
Mary against 13" in the latest German ships, and 7" in the
" Indefatigables " to 10" in the Moltke and Seydlitz, the
extra weight in our ships being devoted to more heavy guns.
This loss was shortly afterwards followed by another disaster,
and Indefatigable was heavily hit and burst into flames ;
she also disappeared, and again only two of the crew were
picked up, this time by the enemy on their return. Thus
we had only four ships left to fight the enemy's five. Our
slower but more accurate fire now began to tell, and the
third enemy ship was set afire at 4.18 p.m. ; but the weather
conditions were becoming poor and the visibility low, owing
to drifting mists.

In the meantime a very dashing torpedo attack by twelve
destroyers was ordered at 4.15 p.m. Before arriving at a
suitable position, however, an enemy light cruiser and
fifteen destroyers intercepted them, but these were forced
to retire with the loss of two destroyers. Unfortunately
during this skirmish our destroyers lost their favourable
formation, but three of them, Nestor, Nicator and Nomad,
pressed home the attack on the battle-cruisers and dis-
charged two torpedoes at them. Coming under a very
heavy fire, Nomad was disabled, but the other two kept on
until, suddenly finding themselves in range of the entire
German Fleet, they were subjected to a terrific fire. Daunt-

100 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

lessly pressing on, Nestor was hit and nearly rammed Nicator.
who alone managed to escape and regain her flotilla. Most
of the crews of the Nestor and Nomad were captured. Other
destroyers also attacked the battle-cruisers, and their rear
ship was hit.

The fight between the battle-cruisers continued, still on
a S.E. course, but at 4.38 p.m. Southampton, of the 2nd
Light Cruiser Squadron, reported that the German High
Sea Fleet was ahead. Four minutes later this formidable
array came into view, and Beatty immediately turned about
and made for the north, where Sir John Jellicoe was speed-
ing down to meet him. Followed by the enemy battle-
cruisers the parallel fight continued, although the 2nd Light
Cruiser Squadron still kept on to the southward to make
observations on the oncoming German Fleet. It is difficult
to describe the gallantry of this squadron, approaching as
it did to within 13,000 yards under a very heavy fire from
the whole German Battle Fleet. Meanwhile with the com-
plete turn of our battle-cruisers, the 5th Battle Squadron
was enabled to come into very effective range, and poured
out a tremendous fire with their 15" guns ; and at 4.57 p.m.,
the position of the German Fleet being pointed out to him,
Evan-Thomas engaged the main German Fleet. At 5 p.m.
Beatty's force was thus disposed : Fearless with the 1st
Flotilla ahead, the 1st and 3rd Light Cruiser Squadrons on
the starboard bow, the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron on the
port quarter, and Champion ahead of the 5th Battle Squadron.

With the setting sun the weather conditions changed,
resembling somewhat the position in which Rear-Admiral
Cradock was placed off Coronel, and our ships were sil-
houetted against the west whilst the enemy was partly
obscured in the misty east. During the period from 5 p.m.
to 6 p.m. our ships, nevertheless, worked havoc on the enemy,
and one of their battle-cruisers quitted the line, whilst others
were seen to be suffering considerably. It is noticeable,
again, that most of the damage to our ships occurred early
in the action when the Germans* gunnery was good, but
it rapidly deteriorated under our heavier, if slower firing. At

> i* Cruiser

Battle Cruisers
(Von Hipper)

L/TTLE FISHER

/rondvfie. BANK.

Reference.

Track of British Battle Cruisers

Sh'ips

JUTLAND PLAN.

[To lace page 100.

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 101

5.10 p.m. the destroyer Moresby discharged a torpedo at
their battleships, and eight minutes later observed a hit
on their sixth ship, and from observations from Fearless,
who sighted an enemy battleship on fire and later en-
veloped in a cloud of smoke and steam, it appears that
this ship blew up. At 5.35 p.m. the course was changed
to N.N.E.,and then later to N.E., as the enemy, still about
14,000 yards away, was hauling to the eastward; and a few
minutes later the British Battle Fleet arrived.

Beatty had, in the meantime, informed Jellicoe of the
presence of the whole of the modern German Navy ; Jellicoe
at once proceeded on a S.E. course at full speed to meet
him. For two hours the British Fleet, comprising the 3rd
Battle-cruiser Squadron, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Battle
Squadrons, the 1st and 2nd Cruiser Squadrons, with the 4th
Light Cruiser Squadron and the three flotillas, had steamed
at their utmost, "the whole Fleet maintaining a speed in
excess of the trial speeds of some of the older vessels." On
nearing the scene of the chase Jellicoe detached Rear- Admiral
Hood with the 3rd Battle-cruiser Squadron (Invincible [flag],
Indomitable and Inflexible), which was leading the British
Fleet, to reinforce Beatty. At 5.30 p.m. Hood sighted gun-
fire flashes to the S.W., and sent the light cruiser Chester
ahead to investigate. This famous little ship was engaged
by three light cruisers for about twenty minutes, but though
suffering many casualties, she regained the Battle-cruiser
Squadron at 6.5 p.m.

The German battleships were now close astern their
battle-cruisers, so Beatty, seeing the much-needed reinforce-
ments arriving, altered his course to E. and, steaming at
the utmost speed, performed the well-known feat of crossing
the T, thereby bringing all his guns to bear on the head of
the enemy's line at a range of 12,000 yards. Had the weather
conditions been clearer, disaster would have befallen the
enemy, but only three of his ships were visible at one time.

Immediately this change of course was observed, Von
Hipper turned to starboard to the S.E. The destroyer
Onslow then spiritedly attacked a light cruiser which was

THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

endeavouring to discharge torpedoes at Beatty and beat
her off; she then attempted to attack Von Hipper with
torpedoes, but was struck heavily, and only one torpedo
was discharged. Thinking that all his torpedoes had gone,
her commander slowly retired, but learning that three still
remained, returned and torpedoed the light cruiser, and
discharged the two remaining torpedoes at the enemy's
line. Onslow was so severely damaged that she stopped and
was later taken in tow by the damaged destroyer Defender
under heavy fire, and the pair struggled on until midday
on June 1, when tugs arrived. The performance of the
crews was admirable.

Meanwhile Hood, with his three battle-cruisers, came up
and was ordered to take station ahead of Lion ; and at
6.21 p.m. " Rear- Admiral Hood, bringing his squadron into
action in a most inspiring manner, worthy of his great naval
ancestors," poured a hot fire into the enemy's leading ship
at a range of only 8000 yards, producing overwhelming
effects. The 1st and 2nd Cruiser Squadrons, being in ad-
vance of the Battle Squadrons, engaged the enemy cruisers
and destroyers which had rushed forward astern of Beatty
to interfere with Jellicoe's deployment into line of battle,
and Defence and Warrior sank a light cruiser. These enemy
light cruisers were also engaged by our light cruiser Canter-
bury as they were firing heavily upon three destroyers, of
which SJiark sank. In connection with this incident there
occurred a very brave and heroic act on the part of her
commander, who, seeing his ship badly hit, warned another
destroyer which was coming to his assistance to keep off,
as otherwise both ships would most certainly be lost. Com-
mander Loftus Jones was wounded in the leg, but went
aft to connect the after wheel, and seeing both the fore
and aft guns and their crews out of action, he went to
the remaining midship piece and kept it in action, the
whole time under a heavy fire. Very soon only three men
were left to man the gun ; and although a shell came and
took off his leg above the knee, he continued to give orders
until the end was near, when he ordered the survivors to put

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 103

on lifebelts. A torpedo finally sent the Shark to the bottom,
and unfortunately Commander Jones was not amongst the
handful of brave men who were picked up late in the follow-
ing night. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria
Cross nearly twelve months after, and the remainder of the
survivors were awarded the D.S.M.

A few minutes before Hood came in we have seen that
Defence and Warrior had successfully engaged the light
cruisers, and at 6.16 p.m. they were seen to be passing down
the line between our ships and the enemy. It is thought
that Rear- Admiral Sir R. K. Arbuthnot, in the chase of the
enemy, had not seen the close proximity of the main action
owing to the drifting mists, and before he could withdraw
he came under a heavy fire in which his flagship disap-
peared, whilst Warrior was disabled. Covered by a terrific
fire from the battleship Warspite of the 5th Battle Squadron,
which disabled at least two enemy battleships, this ship was
enabled to fall back to the rear, but after strenuous efforts
to keep her afloat by Engadine, who towed her for seventy-
five miles, she foundered at 8 a.m. next morning. Black
Prince of the same squadron was also sunk some time about
9 p.m., and although nothing definite is known of her fate,
apparently she feU a victim to torpedo attack and sank
with all her company.

Meanwhile the 1st Battle Squadron, under Vice-Admiral
Sir Cecil Burney, came up astern of Beatty and opened fire
at 6.17 p.m. on ships of the " Kaiser " class (their 3rd Battle
Squadron) at a range of 11,000 yards; Marlborough in
particular distinguished herself by her rapid firing, which
she maintained in spite of injury caused by torpedo, com-
pelling a " Konig " battleship to quit the line. The 2nd
and 4th Battle Squadrons then came up in the rear, all
these squadrons swinging into line in a most imposing
manner. This action between the two Fleets continued from
6.17 p.m. to 8.20 p.m. intermittently, and but for the enemy's
action in constantly turning away to the westward, more
damage would have been caused him ; for profiting by two
torpedo attacks and smoke screens he would alter his

104 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

course, though at th« game tima putting us between him
and his bases.

It seems that shortly after Beatty had ordered Hood to
lead our line, the flagship Invincible was caught by a broad-
side below the water-line as she listed on the swell, and a
fire ensuing, she blew up in a great cloud of steam and foam.
This gallant admiral and all but three of his company
perished, the survivors being picked up by the destroyer
Badger. Beatty thereupon ordered the Inflexible and
Indomitable to reduce speed to 18 knots and fall astern ; thus
the six battle-cruisers now led the van, followed further
astern by Admiral Burney in Marlborough, with the 1st
Battle Squadron. The whole head of the enemy's line had
crumpled up under the terrific fire from our ships whilst
crossing the T, and he was a demoralised foe. But for
the torpedo attacks and the failing light, his complete
destruction would have seemed assured.

That the enemy formation was completely gone was
evident when at 6.25 p.m. FalmoutJi and Yarmouth, of the
3rd Light Cruiser Squadron, discharged torpedoes at the
leading battle-cruiser and secured a hit, and then opening
fire, caused her (either Seydlitz or Derfflinger) to quit the
line. It was about this time that War spite narrowly escaped
destruction; her steering-gear becoming disabled, she
turned towards the enemy, and but for the splendid
handling of Captain Philpotts, would have inevitably been
battered to pieces. Later, when near the Firth of Forth,
she was attacked by submarines, but managed to elude
them.

It is on this period of the battle that certain criticism has
been made. Admiral Henderson has stated that " we
missed victory because at the critical moment, when a
torpedo attack was threatened on the rear squadron —
which was the only part of the Fleet in touch with the
enemy, the leading squadrons being in advance of it and not
engaged — the whole Fleet was turned several points away,
as stated by the Germans, instead of the squadron affected.
Precious minutes and touch with the enemy were lost, as

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 105

stated in our own dispatch, because Beatty, who kept in
touch with the enemy, was unsupported, although he asked
for support ; and because no detailed touch was kept with
the enemy Fleet during the night and its whereabouts was
unknown in the morning, although it had passed during
the night astern of our Fleet and was already inside it and
to the south of it at daylight." He also states that " it
was a victory for neither side, and only an inconclusive
action in which strategical and tactical honours fell to the
Germans " (Daily Mail, October 25, 1917).

That Beatty was unsupported may be true, but the speeds
of fast battle-cruisers and battleships differ considerably,
and if the pursuit was to be maintained, then inevitably the
battle squadrons \vould have been left behind. To those not
on the scene of the battle all the facts of the situation are
not known, and Jellicoe laid great stress on the advantage
the enemy took of smoke screens and torpedo attacks to
increase the range. We had experience of this in the Dogger
Bank action, and we have a very skilful opponent to deal
with. But it does not seem fair to rely on the German
reports for an apparent tactical error during the threatened
torpedo attack. Certainly the enemy managed his return
to port very skilfully, but we have no evidence as to how
many ships really did make port. Beatty himself was certain
that we should locate the Germans at daylight, and our
flotillas made several successful attacks during the night
on the enemy. It was impossible to maintain a " detailed "
touch with a scattered Fleet, and we know that several ships
returned via the Skagerrak.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Beatty hauled round to the S.S.W.
and again got into touch with two battle-cruisers and two
battleships. He increased his speed to 22 knots and opened
fire at 7.17 p.m., setting one ship on fire whilst another
dropped astern. Further success was again denied, as the
escorting destroyers emitted vast clouds of smoke, in which
the enemy disappeared into the dusk shortly before 8 p.m.
The 1st and 3rd Light Cruiser Squadrons were then ordered
to make a reconnaissance to locate the head of the line, and

106 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

at about 8.30 p.m. the battle-cruisers again engaged two
battle-cruisers and a battleship at a range of 10,000 yards.
Lion set the leading ship on fire, which turned away listing
heavily, Princess Royal set fire to a " Deutschland " battle-
ship, and Indomitable and New Zealand engaged and set in
flames the third ship, which heeled over; but the mist
coming down, they were lost sight of at 8.38 p.m. Two
minutes later all our ships felt a heavy explosion, and the
total destruction of one of these ships is assured. A S.W.
course was still held until 9.24 p.m., when it was deemed
advisable to break off the pursuit of the enemy, owing to
the darkness, when the enemy destroyers would prove such
a deadly menace. Beatty therefore returned to meet the
battle squadrons, which had now lost contact with the
scattered German Fleet and were disposed for the night for
security against torpedo attacks.

Our light cruisers and destroyers, however, did not leave
the enemy unmolested, and several thrilling attacks were
delivered by the 4th, llth and 12th Flotillas, and by the
cruiser squadrons. At 10.20 p.m. the 2nd Light Cruiser
Squadron was engaged with a battle-cruiser and four light
cruisers for fifteen minutes, and Dublin and Southampton came
under heavy fire and lost many of their crews, but returned
safely. The 4th Flotilla suffered particularly heavily and
lost the leader Tipperary, the Ardent and Fortune ; but two
torpedoes — one from Spitfire and the other either from
Ardent, Ambuscade or Garland — took effect on two of the
fleeing ships. The attack delivered by the 12th Flotilla,
on six "Kaiser" battleships and some light cruisers, was
made by surprise and the third ship blew up; and twenty
minutes later Mcenad also hit their fourth ship. The only
damage sustained was on board Onslaught. In the attack
by the llth Flotilla the leader Castor became heavily engaged
by two enemy ships, one of which was torpedoed by the
destroyer Magic, and this cruiser also sank at point-blank
range an enemy destroyer.

The other flotillas remained with the Fleet to secure it
from torpedo attack, and the 13th Flotilla, under Champion,

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 107

was stationed astern ; at 0.30 a.m. a large ship was observed
passing close to where Petard and Turbulent were stationed
in the rear. Suddenly switching on her searchlights, this
ship opened a heavy fire upon Turbulent, which at once
commenced to sink. Champion herself was engaged three
hours later by four destroyers ; and Moresby at 2.35 a.m.
sighted four " Deutschland " battleships, discharged a tor-
pedo, and as two minutes later an explosion was felt, both
by another destroyer and by Fearless, her loss or disable-
ment may be inferred. According to a German deserter
the Lutzow was sunk by her crew at about 3 a.m. to prevent
her capture ; and if this statement is correct it would appear
to be supplementary of Sir John Jellicoe's estimate of the
enemy's losses.

These, then, were the principal incidents of the night
actions. In the early hours of June 1, as the Marlborough
was losing her speed, Sir Cecil Burney transferred his flag
to Revenge, and his late flagship was detached to its base.
At daybreak the Battle Fleet, now S.W. of Horns' Reef,
proceeded northwards to collect the destroyers and cruisers,
but not until 9 a.m. did all join up, the weather being still
misty. The whole Fleet remained in this vicinity for two
hours, but their presence had been reported by a Zeppelin
at 4 a.m. and no sign was seen of any German ship. The
scene of the battle was then thoroughly searched and several
of the crews of the destroyers Ardent, Fortune and Tipperary
were picked up, whilst the destroyer Sparrowhawk, which
had been in collision, was sinking and its crew was also
taken off. Beyond these no sailors, British or German,
were seen. Shortly after 1 p.m. Jellicoe set his course for
home, " it being evident that the German Fleet had suc-
ceeded in returning to port," and the battle-scarred ships
arrived back on Friday, June 2. By 9.30 p.m. the Fleet
was reported " fuelled and replenished with ammunition,
and ready for further action." A cruiser squadron was
sent out to look for Warrior, but after searching in vain,
returned, and her subsequent foundering is evident.

So ended this tremendous battle, and it left us with the

108 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

command of the sea doubly assured. The enemy, after a
stay of twenty-two months in port, had emerged at last in
force for some unknown purpose ; in that purpose he failed.
He achieved nothing, and whilst causing us heavy loss he
suffered far more heavily himself, as is known only too well
by his Admiralty.

Admittedly Admiral Von Scheer extricated his Fleet from
a very serious position with considerable skill, by torpedo
attacks and by constantly manoeuvring, but these were
defensive tactics rather than offensive. Nevertheless, it is
evident that had the Germans been decisively beaten, their
ships would have been unable to regain port, and the enemy
was but carrying out his policy of avoiding battle. The
Germans fought with great gallantry, Admiral Jellicoe says,
and the fight was carried out to the bitter end, each side
giving no quarter, and of all the ships engaged not a single
warship hoisted the white flag.

Up to the time before Jellicoe arrived Beatty was very
hard pressed, and his whole squadron would have been
annihilated had he not been able to maintain a superior
speed. The lessons of the Dogger Bank action had been
well learnt, and whereas he in this case just failed to cut off
the enemy's retreat owing to the disablement of the Lion, in
this battle he had the enemy under control nearly the whole
time he was engaged. " The splendid qualities of leadership,
firm determination, and correct strategic insight," to quote
Admiral Jellicoe, were again very evident in this gigantic
conflict, and when Sir John Jellicoe several months later took
over the command of the Admiralty, it was felt that in
Sir David Beatty we obtained the best successor to the
most responsible post of Commander-in-Chief of the Grand
Fleet.

The main points about the action were the marked
superiority of our gunnery, and the terrible effects of heavily
concentrated fire upon one ship ; it also illustrated the
weakness of any but the thickest of armour from the effects
of modern shell fire; and finally, the futility of the sub-
marine in a naval battle. The value of the fast battleships

THE JUTLAND BATTLE 109

was strikingly shown, these ships having greater protection
than the earlier battle-cruisers, whilst their somewhat smaller
armament did not appear to affect the situation greatly.

The splendid discipline and order which prevailed at
several critical periods amply illustrated the qualities which
these two sailors, most ably supported by their vice-admirals
and rear-admirals, had been able to instil into their crews
in contrast to the rapid disorder and demoralisation of the
enemy. It is needless to say that all the various depart-
ments exerted themselves to the utmost, whilst Sir John
Jellicoe states that the work of the medical staff was " in-
valuable and admirable," many operations being performed
during the action. Numerous instances of heroism, of course,
occurred; the most notable perhaps was the splendid
bravery of the sixteen-year-old boy Cornwell of the Chester,
who stayed out under very heavy fire awaiting orders, with
all the gun's crew dead or wounded and himself mortally
injured. Like Commander Jones of the Shark, he was
posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Two other
V.C.s were awarded, one to Major Harvey of the R.M.L.I.,
who, also mortally wounded, saved his ship from destruction
by ordering the magazine to be flooded, and the other to
Commander Bingham of the Nestor for his dashing attack
on the enemy battle-cruisers, in which he was taken prisoner.
Another brave deed occurred during the transhipment of
the Warrior's crew to Engadine, when Lieutenant Rutland,
who had made the flight from Engadine' s deck, saw a
wounded man on a stretcher accidentally fall between the
two ships ; owing to the rolling of the ships the captain of
the Warrior was compelled to give orders that a rescue must
not be attempted, but this officer went overboard and worked
himself aft and managed to put a line around the man's body.
It was then discovered that the unfortunate man had already
been crushed, but Lieutenant Rutland, who narrowly escaped
a similar fate, was awarded the Albert Medal.

The loss of life was, unhappily, very heavy ; and on the
British side about 6000 sailors perished, whilst of the German
casualties we have no definite knowledge. In the death of

110 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Rear-Admirals Hood and Arbuthnot, Captains Prowse of
Queen Mary, Sowerby of Indefatigable, Cay of Invincible,
Ellis of Defence, Bonham of Black Prince, Wintour of Tip-
perary, and Commanders Kerr and Jones, the nation suffered
a grievous blow. Suffice it to say that they died doing
their duty, in the heat of battle for which they had made
such preparations during their lives. These officers, having
brought their crews to the highest state of efficiency, perished
gloriously with their men.

In appreciation of the great services rendered by the
Grand Fleet on this memorable day, His Majesty paid a
visit to and inspected the whole of the Fleet during June
14-17, when he said in conclusion of his speeches to them,
" For your splendid work, I thank you."

The material losses are appended below, but the German
losses are very difficult to arrive at, inasmuch as they
have never admitted half of their real losses, and the admitted
ones are mostly ships which had previously been lost. All
access to Wilhelmshaven was forbidden to practically every
one for several months, and there is little doubt that hardly
a German battleship escaped serious damage.

The German " victory " failed to alleviate the distress
at home caused by our blockade and to allow the German
ships to resume their trade.

BRITISH LOSSES

Ships.

Queen Mary.

Indefatigable.

Invincible.

Defence.

Warrior.

Cause.

Gunfire, concentrated.

foundered later at

Time.

Fate of Crew.
Lost. Saved.

Black Prince. Torpedo (?)

Tipperary. Gunfire.

Turbulent. „

Ardent. „

Fortune. „

Shark. „ and torpedo.

Sparrowhawk. Collision and foundered

Nestor. Gunfire.

Nomad. „

Other ships damaged.

About 4. 10 p.m.

1550

19, and 2 capt.

4-20 „

963

2 capt.

6.30 „

968

3 saved.

6.30 „

860

—

8 a.m.,

June 1.

—

—

9p.m.

—

—

9 „

175

5 capt.

0.30 a.m.

84

14 „

9p.m.

73

—

9 „

63

—

6.30 p.m.

78

7 saved.

,

9.30 „

6

Remainder.

4.30 „

—

80 capt.

4.30 „

—

72 „

165

THE JUTLAND BATTLE

111

GERMAN LOSSES

Ship.

Pommern. Battle -cruiser.
Kaiser ( ?). Battleship.
Kronprinz ( ?). „
" Deutschland." „

Large Cruiser.
Elbing. Light Cruiser.
Wiesbaden. „ „ ^|

Rostock. „ „ [

Frauenlob. „ „ J

— Destroyer.

V29.

V48.
S65.

— Submarine.

Time.

Torpedo attack by Moresby. 5.10 p.m.
One sunk by battle squadrons. 7 p.m.
One torpedoed by 12th Flotilla. Night.
Either „ „ Moresby at 2.37 a.m.

or sunk by Beatty at 8.40 p.m.

One sunk by Defence, Warrior.
b\

One sunk
pedo.

>y Onslow by tor-

6 p.m.
6 p.m.

Two sunk by torpedo attack. 4.15 p.m.
One sunk by Castor by torpedo. Night.

Rammed by Valiant. New
Zealand claims another,
whilst a third was reported
rammed by a destroyer.

Liitzow. Battle -cruiser. Destroyed by crew to prevent

capture. 3 a.m.

Probably the one attacked by

Beatty at 8.40 p.m.

Derfflinger. „ Torpedoed by Onslow. 6.5 p.m.

Reported sunk in tow off Wil-

helmshaven.
,, Torpedoed by Falmouth and

Yarmouth. 6.25 p.m.

(So badly damaged as to render their return improbable.)
Konig. Battleship. Attacked by Marlborough, 7.15p.m.

or attacked by Beatty. 8.40 p.m.

Destroyers.

On both sides many ships were damaged, the British ships
being Warspite, Marlborough, Colossus, Chester, Dublin,
Southampton, Defender, Spitfire, Porpoise, Onslaught, Onslow.

The Germans again suffered more heavily here ; the follow-
ing list is compiled from various neutral sources, and cannot
therefore be taken as correct. Their battleships include the
Konig Wilhelm (?), Markgraf, Grosser Kurfurst, Konig
(damaged by Warspite), Kaiserin, Thuringen, Ostfriesland,
Eheinland, Westfalen (reported sunk, probably extensively

112 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

damaged), Hessen ; the battle-cruisers Moltke, Seydlitz
(arrived at Hamburg via Fanoe badly holed), Hindenburg
(hardly possible for her to have been completed) ; the light
cruisers Regensburg, Stettin, Stuttgart, Munchen, and the
new Frankfurt and Koln. Ten destroyers passed through
the Little Belt to Kiel damaged, but most of the ships
arrived at Wilhelmshaven. where they were repaired.

CHAPTER V

THE DEATH OF LORD KITCHENER, THE MURDER OF CAPTAIN
FRY ATT, AND PATROLLING INCIDENTS, 1916-17

THE victory which was won by our Fleet off Jutland did
not receive its full share of recognition until several days
after, owing to the unfortunate wording of the first Admiralty
statement issued on Friday night, two days after the action,
which gave the impression that a serious naval disaster had
occurred. This was partially corrected in the early hours
of Saturday morning, but not until 9.50 p.m. on June 4
(Sunday) was any connected account published. In the
meantime Germany had issued a totally false wireless state-
ment to the world on the Thursday which, failing to receive
any report from our Admiralty, also gave the opinion that
the British Fleet had suffered a reverse. First impressions
always remain, and whilst there appears reason for the delay,
Sir John Jellicoe having to collect the many commanders'
reports, the victorious return of our sailors was not adequately
appreciated.

Perhaps the most remarkable fact about this conflict was
the immediate return to the former conditions; to all
intents the battle might never have occurred. Indeed, the
present condition does not differ greatly from the status in
1915. Such are the results of an indecisive battle.

Five days after the battle off Jutland had been fought,
the country suffered the terrible loss of her ablest soldier,
Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener. The exact circumstances of
the disaster are known to but few, but from the report of
the Inquiry issued by the Admiralty it is possible to learn
in what manner he lost his life. It appears that Lord
Kitchener with his staff left Glasgow on June 5 on board the

I 113

114 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

armoured cruiser Hampshire on a voyage to Russia; and
that whilst off the west coast of the Orkneys very heavy
seas were encountered, seas breaking over the cruiser, which
necessitated her being partially battened down. At about
7 p.m. the two escorting destroyers, Unity and Victor,
were detached " on account of the very heavy seas " and
the cruiser then proceeded alone. Between 7.30 p.m. and
7.45 p.m. she struck a mine and sustained such injury that
she immediately settled by the bows, until, heeling over to
starboard, she disappeared shortly before 8 p.m. On being
struck Captain Savill at once ordered the crew to their
stations, and attempts were made to lower the boats ; the
survivors state that the captain called Lord Kitchener to the
fore bridge to get into the captain's boat, but none of them
were able to say if he did get into it, nor if any boat left the
ship. Three rafts, carrying sixty of the crew, were launched
and cleared the cruiser ; but, suffering terribly from exposure
and exhaustion, they gradually dropped off, and only twelve
survived the ordeal. Four boats were seen to leave the
cruiser by those on shore, and patrol boats and destroyers
were at once dispatched, but, as no trace of them were found,
they do not appear to have been able to live in the seas.

Numerous suggestions of foul play have been put forward
in the House of Commons. Chief amongst these are the
presence of a Dutch vessel, suspected of minelaying, in the
vicinity ; the presence of acid on some of the bodies washed
ashore ; and the idea that the disaster was due to espionage.
Whatever the cause was, either accidental or due to the act
of a traitor or enemy, the loss to this country remains
unchanged; and perhaps the blow came as greatly to Sir
John Jellicoe as to any one, who in his message after the
Inquiry says : "I cannot adequately express the sorrow
felt by me personally, and the officers and men of the Grand
Fleet generally, at the fact that so distinguished a soldier
and so great a statesman should have lost his life whilst
under the care of the Fleet." It is a most anomalous fact
that this great man, winning world-wide fame on the Field,
should perish at Sea ; and that contrary to all likelihood, his

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 115

should be a watery grave. It is a remarkable fact that the
German Press was aware of the voyage to Russia several
days beforehand, and one cannot help suspecting the presence
of a waiting submarine ; for it seems incredible that the
enemy with this information in his possession would not
have attempted interference.

During the summer months the German torpedo craft
at Zeebrugge showed an increased activity, interfering with
the traffic between this country and Holland, and several
minor engagements resulted. The first of these occurred
on June 8 off Zeebrugge between our monitors and destroyers
and the enemy destroyers; and our monitors, forcing the
enemy to retire into port, also engaged the coast batteries.
Before the second of these encounters a few small incidents
have to be recorded. On the night of the 16th the old
destroyer Eden sank in collision with another ship in the
Channel, and three officers and several men were lost. An
enemy claim in the early days of July that one of our
submarine destroyers was torpedoed in the North Sea was
denied by the Admiralty, who stated that one of our mine-
sweepers had on the 4th been struck by a torpedo, but had
returned to port safely. The enemy claims made during
1916 are too numerous to repeat here; they were almost
entirely false ; and the only losses sustained during July
were the armed patrol trawlers Eva, Nellie and Onward,
sunk on the llth.

The second of these destroyer encounters took place in the
same vicinity at midnight on July 22, when our light cruisers
and destroyers sighted three enemy ships off the Noord
Hinder Lightship. They at once made off, but, reinforced
by three other ships, they were later again engaged off the
Schouwen Bank; and after a running fight reached Zee-
brugge with two ships damaged. The British ships escaped
damage, and our only loss was two wounded.

The purpose of these raids has already been stated, and
the enemy had recently seized two British steamers, the
Brussels and Lestris, on June 25 and July 6 respectively.
The subsequent cruel murder of Captain Fryatt of the G.E.R.

116 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Brussels ranks as one of the most diabolical murders th«
enemy has committed since 1914. Captain Fryatt had as
far back as March 28, 1915, attempted to ram the German
submarine U 35 near the Maas Lightship ; knowing full well
the treatment he would receive from the submarine if he
stopped in accordance with her orders, and having the lives
of the passengers and crew in his charge, he dashed at full
speed towards the submarine, which barely escaped destruc-
tion. His action was perfectly legitimate, and was the only
method of defence he could adopt; and for his brave act
he received a gold watch from the Admiralty. Since then
he had been a marked man by the ruthless foe, and several
attempts had been made to capture or sink the Brussels
by their submarines. As these proved unsuccessful, the
enemy resorted to his capture by torpedo boats, and one
of these succeeded on the afternoon of June 25 and brought
the cross-Channel steamer into Zeebrugge. The captain
was sent to Bruges, and the crew to the camp at Ruhleben.
Exactly a month later, July 27, the whole civilised world
was shocked to learn that the brave captain had been tried
by court-martial, sentenced to death as a franc-tireur, and
executed at Bruges. This was done in spite of the urgent
representations of Mr. Gerard, the American Ambassador
at Berlin, who endeavoured at the least to procure for him
a proper defence. There is undoubted evidence that his
death had already been decided on before the mock trial
began, and he was duly murdered before any steps could be
taken by Mr. Gerard because " it was impossible to detain
the German submarine witnesses." That this cold-blooded
crime will in due course be avenged is without the slightest
doubt, and one hopes that the time will not be far off before
his murderers are arraigned before their judges and sent
to their doom. The names of his murderers, the court
as well as the witnesses, are known to the Admiralty, and
they will not, let us hope, escape.

The armed steamer Eskimo, an ex-Wilson liner, was also
captured by the auxiliary cruiser Vineta on the 27th in the
Skagerrak and brought into port. Little of note occurred

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 117

during these months, but in August there was considerable
activity. On the 13th the new destroyer Lassoo was either
mined or torpedoed off the Dutch coast, but with the
exception of five of the crew, all were rescued by Dutch
torpedo boats.

On the morning of the 19th our light cruisers, supported
by part of the Grand Fleet, were " sweeping " the North Sea
off the enemy coast when they reported the presence of
several enemy ships on the horizon. Our light cruisers at
once went in search of the enemy, and Nottingham and
Falmouth were torpedoed by waiting submarines, and took
down with them forty-eight of their crews. The enemy did
not escape unscathed, for two of their submarines were
rammed, one being seen to sink, and the other in all proba-
bility being also lost. In addition our submarine E 23,
sighting the returning decoying squadron, torpedoed the
Westfalen and considerably damaged her, as she was escorted
home by five destroyers. Lieutenant-Commander Turner,
with great bravery, again attacked her in spite of the screen
of destroyers, with what result is very doubtful. For the
enemy state that she regained port under her own steam,
and she figured in the Mutiny in 1917. The Germans,
moreover, assert that a British battleship had been " heavily
damaged by one of our submarines, a column of fire rising
forty feet high from the aft funnel." This was absolutely
denied by the Admiralty, as was also the claimed destruction
of a destroyer. From these incidents it will be noticed
that there was an increased submarine activity on both
sides, and that the German Fleet did not feel equal to en-,
counter its " beaten " enemy. Since then up to recently
no German surface ships, other than torpedo craft and a
few raiders, have ventured far from their shores. The
German sailor from Lutzow who had deserted states that
on this same day the Grosser Kurfurst, Markgraf, Moltke,
Von der Tann ( ?) and the new Bay em left Germany to
bombard our coast, but on nearing it, they were warned by a
Zeppelin of the approach of the British Fleet and returned.
This may have been the decoying force, or it may have been

118 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

an entirely detached squadron. He also states that on the
27th the Grosser Kurfurst, Markgraf and Bayern unsuccess-
fully searched the seas for a lost Zeppelin. Whether his
accounts are true we cannot say, but that several attempts
have been frustrated is common knowledge.

A few days later the armed boarding steamer Duke of
Albany was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea with the
loss of two officers and twenty- two men. On October 23
the minesweeper Genista, after a fight with the enemy, was
torpedoed and sunk by a submarine with all but twelve
of the crew. On the other hand, one of our submarines
torpedoed and badly damaged the light cruiser Munchen
off the German coast on the 19th.

There then occurred the much-discussed raid on our cross-
Channel service, which absolutely failed in its object, but
caused us some losses. On the night of October 26 ten
German destroyers left Antwerp or one of the Belgian bases
to attempt to penetrate into the Channel and work havoc
on the numerous shipping likely to be found there. Profiting
by a stormy night with no moon, the destroyers managed
to reach the outer patrolling cordon which unceasingly
guards our transports to France. Here they met, and
presumably were challenged by, the old destroyer Flirt ;
failing to receive satisfactory replies, she promptly opened
fire and was engaged by four enemy ships. Our other
patrols were now roused, and measures were at once taken
to arrest the enemy's progress. The valuable destroyer
Nubian was struck by a torpedo and seriously damaged,
but was taken in tow ; owing to the heavy weather the rope
parted and she stranded. The empty transport Queen
was also attacked and was abandoned after the whole of the
crew had been taken off, though she remained afloat for six
hours after. Finally seven Allied armed drifters were sunk.

On the other hand, the Admiralty stated that two German
destroyers had been sunk; but this announcement was
modified a few days later by Mr. Balfour, who stated that
" there was ground for thinking that two German destroyers
struck mines, blew up, and probably sank. There was no

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 119

ground for thinking that any German destroyer was de-
stroyed by gunfire from British ships." But for the un-
necessary air of mystery with which this small episode was
enshrouded, the incident would speedily have been forgotten,
as the object of the raid, that of interrupting our traffic to
France, signally failed. The enemy had, aided by the bad
weather, succeeded in penetrating as far as Folkestone, but
once there he was immediately driven back; and as the
subsequent attempts proved, he was more unsuccessful and
not even passed Dover. The presence of the torpedo craft
at Zeebrugge and the other ports constituted a continual
menace, and as a result of this raid our cordon was drawn
still tighter in the Straits.

Up to the time of writing there has not been a single
soldier's life lost nor any stores, ammunition, etc., during
the whole forty months which have elapsed since the British
Expeditionary Force landed in France in August 1914.
This truly remarkable feat which has so successfully been
accomplished is in a locality only a few hours' steaming from
the enemy's bases, and on this occasion alone has he met
with any success.

A little incident in connection with these destroyers
occurred within a few days of the raid. The Dutch steamer
Oldambt was seized on the night of November 1 and a prize
crew was put aboard, who proceeded to take her into Zee-
brugge ; our patrols, however, arrived and at about 7 a.m.
recaptured the steamer together with the prize crew, and
on the way back five enemy destroyers appeared, but at
once retired, and the Oldambt was then towed into a Dutch
port. More successful were the enemy on the 10th when the
Dutch steamers Konigin Regentes and Batavier VI were
taken into Zeebrugge, but the former was released a few
days later.

With a view to fighting this menace a series of air raids
were undertaken on Ostend and Zeebrugge, and they have
been attended with considerable success.

On November 4 the German submarine U 20 stranded in
a fog near Harboere, Denmark, and a strong force of

120 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

destroyers, covered by several battleships, immediately
came to her assistance. They were, however, unsuccessful,
and she was blown up by the crew. Our craft off these
coasts were not slow to take advantage of this opportunity
afforded by the presence of the enemy's capital ships ; and
one of our submarines succeeded in torpedoing two
" Kaiser " Dreadnoughts, though owing to the numerous
destroyers about, the extent of the damage could not be
observed.

The destroyer Zulu was damaged by a mine on the 8th.

Two further attempted raids by enemy destroyers were
made on the nights of November 23-4 and 26-7, and
both utterly failed in their purpose. In the first case six
German destroyers, whilst endeavouring to pass through the
Downs, were sighted at 10.45 p.m. by the Ramsgate patrol,
and immediately made off before they could be engaged,
though their rearmost destroyer fired upon and slightly
damaged the armed drifter Acceptable. In the second raid
the armed trawler Narval, engaged off Lowestoft in mine-
sweeping, was sunk and the crew captured.

Beyond these two insignificant events little of importance
occurred at sea during the closing days of 1916, but the end
of November and the beginning of December witnessed
most remarkable alterations at Whitehall. On Novem-
ber 29 the whole country was amazed to learn from Mr.
Balfour that Admiral Sir John Jellicoe had been appointed
First Sea Lord in place of Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, who
was in turn appointed to the command of the Royal Naval
College at Greenwich. Sir John Jellicoe was succeeded by
Admiral Sir David Beatty as Commander-in-Chief of the
Grand Fleet. Rumour had anticipated these changes, as
it was felt that the Board of Admiralty was in need of a
" re-vitalisation " with a more forceful personality straight
from the actual warfare to take charge. There was no
reflection cast upon the late First Sea Lord, but this war
has amply shown the need for younger men fully acquainted
with the entire modern factors which ha\e presented them-
selves. Who, therefore, could fulfil this post without

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 121

seriously weakening the position afloat ? Admiral Sir
David Beatty had already shown his ability on the three
occasions when he had engaged the enemy, and in him there
was found the best successor. The choice apparently lay
between Sir Cecil Burney and the other admirals who had
so distinguished themselves in the Jutland Battle, but
Admiral Burney went with Jellicoe to Whitehall as Second
Sea Lord, and the country was well content that the security
of the Empire should rest in the hands of the gallant Beatty.

These primary changes were of course followed by a
general re-shuffling of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty and also at sea. The new Board of Admiralty
appointed under the great seal dated January 11, 1917,
comprised —

Rt. Hon. Sir E. Carson. First Lord. Succeeded Rt. Hon. A. J.

Balfour, now Foreign
Secretary.

Adm. Sir J. R. Jellicoe. First Sea Lord. Succeeded Adm. Sir H.

Jackson, app. to R.N.
College, Greenwich.

Adm. Sir C. Burney. Second „ Succeeded Vice -Adm. Sir

R. S. G. Calthorpe to
Adm. Comm. Coast-
guards and Reserves.

Rear- Adm. F. C. Tudor. Third „ Remained.

Capt. Comm. 1st cl. L. Halsey. Fourth „ Succeeded Commodore

Lambert.

Capt. Comm. 1st cl. G. M. Paine. Fifth „ New Air Lord.

Capt. E. G. Pretyman. Civil Lord. Succeeded Earl of Lytton.

Rt. Hon. Sir F. J. S. Hopwood. Addit. Civ. Ld. Remained.

Rt. Hon. T. J. Macnamara. Financ. & Parl.

Sec.

Earl of Lytton. Addit. Financ. Represented Admiralty

& Parl. Sec. in House of Lords.

On sea in February, Rear -Admiral Sir W. C. Pakenham
was appointed to the command of the Battle-cruiser Fleet,
and Vice-Admiral Sir C. Madden succeeded Admiral Burney
as second in command of the Grand Fleet.

Almost simultaneously there occurred the change in the
Government, and it was stated that the result of the new
Admiralty Board would be a stronger naval influence in
the War Cabinet, and a closer co-operation with the Allied

122 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Fleets. Illustration of this was forthcoming when on
January 25 it was announced that at an Imperial Conference
between the British, French, and Italian Admiralties
important decisions had been reached. The new Board
was at the outset confronted with a very formidable task,
that of the submarine campaign, which had during December
reached serious proportions. This is dealt with fully in
the following chapter.

Whereas there had been no change in the Administration
since the spring of 1915, during 1917 there have been many
alterations which have culminated in the great misfortune
of Jellicoe's resignation.

On December 21 two unnamed destroyers collided in very
heavy weather and foundered, six officers and forty-nine
men being lost. Just a month later a small engagement
took place between our destroyers and the Zeebrugge
flotilla. There had recently been a revival of activity of
these craft, and the Dutch steamers Prins Hendrik and
Oldambt were recaptured. About mid-January there set
in a very severe frost over all Northern Europe and, evidently
fearing to be frozen in, the Zeebrugge craft made a sortie
to return to Germany. On the night of January 21 the
division encountered our destroyers off the Dutch coast,
and during the subsequent engagement our ships accounted
for one of the enemy, whilst the remainder, heavily damaged,
were scattered. Whether it was these ships which were
again encountered off the Schouwen Bank has not trans-
pired, but later a sharp engagement ensued, in which one
of our destroyers was torpedoed and was later blown up
after the survivors had been taken off. Our losses were
three officers and forty-four men. One of the enemy ships
later put into Ymuiden with her steering-gear disabled;
her commander, two officers, and eighty men had been killed,
and ten severely wounded were taken ashore into hospital.
The sufferings of the wounded must have been terrible, for
it was stated that the dead had frozen to the decks. From
the survivors on board this ship, V 69, it Appears that a

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 123

collision with another destroyer could not be averted owing
to the derangement of her steering-gear, but the destroyer
still continued the fight and safely returned to Germany.
The crew openly stated that ten German destroyers had
been sunk, but this was doubtless an exaggeration, although
the enemy was severely punished. The V 69, enjoying the
right of asylum until her navigating machinery had been
repaired, left Ymuiden on February 13 and arrived at
Emden. Damage to her military parts could not, of course,
be put right.

On the night of January 25 a small unidentified vessel
fired a number of shells on Southwold, but caused no
casualties and hardly any damage. Whether this craft was
a destroyer or, more probably, a submarine, was not dis-
covered, but the raid in itself was insignificant. It closely
resembled a submarine raid near Whitehaven on August 16,
1915, when several shells were fired on some benzine works,
and another on Seaham Harbour on July 11 at 10.30 p.m.,
when thirty shells were fired, mortally injuring a woman
and damaging a house.

Another of these raids was made on the night of Feb-
ruary 25, when two destroyer divisions simultaneously
attacked. One force was sighted and attacked by a British
destroyer at about 11 p.m. and they were forced to retire.
At the same time other destroyers appeared off Broadstairs
and Margate and shelled the open towns for about ten
minutes, retiring just before the arrival of our patrols ; the
casualties were a woman and her child killed and her two
other children seriously injured.

Before following the later raids it will be necessary to
give an account of the loss of the auxiliary cruiser Laurentic.
This fine ex- White Star liner was patrolling off the North
Irish coast on January 25 when at about 6 p.m. she struck
two mines and sank an hour later. The weather was
bitterly cold, and the heavy death-roll of 349 included very
few killed by the explosion. Trawlers arrived on the scene
about two hours after the disaster, and fortunately Captain
Norton, formerly of the Hogue, and his boat's crew were

124 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

picked up at 1 a.m. Many were not so lucky, and one boat
was not sighted until twenty-three hours later, all its crew
being frozen to death.

Further misfortune followed when the transport Mendi,
carrying the last batch of the South African labour con-
tingent for France, collided in a fog in the early hours of
February 21 with the R.M.S.P. Darro. The disaster oc-
curred off the Isle of Wight, and the ship sank in twenty-five
minutes, with three officers, seven Britishers, and 615 natives.

Again, on February 8 an " old type destroyer " was mined
in the Channel at night, taking down with her all but five
of her crew. On March 1 another was mined in the North
Sea and all on board were lost; whilst a third was also
mined in the Channel on the 15th and twenty-nine of her
crew were lost.

Another raid on our Channel traffic was attempted on the
night of the 17th. Shortly after midnight enemy destroyers
appeared off Ramsgate and shelled the town, but caused
no casualties, and in a few minutes hurriedly withdrew and
escaped. Like the previous raid, two divisions of enemy
ships were employed, the second attempting to break through
into the Channel during the confusion. This division was
sighted by a British destroyer, which engaged them with
torpedoes and guns, but she was herself torpedoed and sunk.
Another destroyer, whilst picking up the eight survivors,
was torpedoed and damaged, and a steamer was also sunk
in the north end of the Downs.

Enemy ships again appeared on the night of the 28th off
Lowestoft and sank the patrol trawler Mascot, but hurriedly
retired from our ships.

On March 21 it was announced that two minesweepers
had been sunk by mines with fourteen of their crews ; and
on the 27th it was stated that another destroyer had been
mined in the Channel, of whose crew only four officers and
seventeen men were picked up. On this day another was lost
in collision with a steamer and one of the crew was killed.

The succession of hospital ship outrages is dealt with in
the following chapter.

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 125

During April and May mines and torpedoes claimed yet
further victims. An old minesweeper, with twenty-four
of her crew, was sunk on the 3rd ; a patrol was lost in the
Channel with sixteen lives on the 10th, whilst proceeding
to the assistance of a hospital ship ; and an old destroyer
was mined in the Channel on May 2, sixty-two of the crew
being lost. Another minesweeper was torpedoed on the 5th
with twenty-two of her crew.

On the other hand, an unofficial report from Holland
states that on the evening of May 16 a German torpedo boat
and an auxiliary cruiser both foundered off Schiermonnikoog,
after a loud explosion.

To combat the activities of the German Flanders flotillas,
the Dover Patrol instituted a series of heavy and incessant
bombardments from the air and sea, and these aerial attacks
have been continued right through the year. In one of
these on the night of April 17, after an aerial attack on the
mole, our flotillas torpedoed two destroyers, one of which
sank ; the other was badly hit. Five days later our seaplanes
attacked five destroyers off Blankenburge and secured a
good hit on one, whereupon the others instantly closed upon
it ; but two hours later only four destroyers entered Zee-
brugge, and it is presumed that the stricken ship, G 88,
subsequently sank.

It was on the night of April 20 that there occurred the
brilliant fight between the flotilla leaders Broke and Swift
and six German destroyers. Our two ships, whilst patrolling
at about 0.30 a.m., suddenly sighted the enemy flotilla
600 yards to port, steaming at high speed towards the
English coast. The night was pitch dark, but calm. In-
stantly both sides opened fire, and Swift, commanded by
Commander Peck, dashed at the leading destroyer to ram
her, but missed. He, however, shot through their line and
turned on his foe, torpedoing another boat in the meantime.
The leading destroyer, pursued by Swift, fled into the dark-
ness, but Broke, which was astern and had successfully
torpedoed their second destroyer, loosed all her guns on the.
five remaining craft. Commander Evans thereupon turned

126 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and rammed the third boat square abreast the aft funnel,
and locked thus, a hand-to-hand fight ensued between the
crews. In this position the other German boats poured a
very hot fire into the brave little ship, but the crew valiantly
drove back the boarders and, wrenching herself free,
attempted to ram the sixth and last enemy ship. She failed,
but hit her with a torpedo which broke her back. The
two remaining uninjured destroyers then hotly engaged
Broke, and all three ships followed the direction in which
Swift had disappeared. Broke was then hit by a shell which
disabled her engines ; she, however, managed to shake off
the enemy and made for a burning destroyer to rescue
the crew, who were crying for help. On drifting up they
suddenly opened fire, and Broke had to silence her with
four rounds, finally torpedoing her. Swift, on her return,
came across the rammed destroyer and, observing her heel
over, rescued the survivors. Thus ended an action lasting
only five minutes, in which the odds had been one to three,
but in which the enemy had been thoroughly beaten. The
two sunken ships were G 42 and G 85, and there is a possi-
bility of a third having sunk from torpedo injury. Com-
manders Evans and Peck were awarded the D.S.O. for their
conduct and several of the officers and crew were also
decorated, whilst His Majesty sent a special message of
congratulation to the crews of these little ships.

The German flotilla again emerged, and shortly after
2 a.m. on the 25th shelled Dunkirk; in the subsequent
action by the patrols and batteries the French torpedo boat
destroyer Etendard was sunk. Again, on the night of the
26th Ramsgate was revisited and two civilians were killed,
but the enemy was driven off.

Off the Dutch coast a small running fight occurred on
May 10 between our light cruisers and destroyers and eleven
enemy destroyers. The enemy fled to the south under cover
of dense smoke-clouds, and was pursued for over an hour by
our ships, when four destroyers chased them into Zeebrugge.
Unfortunately they were unable to engage them at close
range, but several of the ships were hit. Contrary to the

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 127

enemy assertions, no British destroyer was lost, and indeed
our only casualty was one wounded. Zeebrugge was also
heavily bombarded on the 12th by aircraft and monitors.

On the night of the 19th another engagement occurred
off Dunkirk, and four French torpedo boats engaged and
pursued an enemy flotilla, suffering only slight damage.

The activity off Flanders continued during June, and we
have seen a gratifying absence of destroyer attacks as a
result of these incessant assaults. On June 5, during a very
heavy bombardment on Ostend, six enemy destroyers
emerged to escape from the terrible fire of our monitors, but
they were immediately engaged by our waiting cruisers and
destroyers, and a running fight ensued in which S 20 was
sunk and another enemy ship was badly hit.

During the summer of 1917, beyond the inevitable
patrolling losses, the warfare has been almost entirely
confined to submarine hunting. There have been a few
encounters between surface ships, mostly off the German
or Danish coasts ; and it is a gratifying feature that only
once were our patrols interfered with off Flanders. The
numerous destroyer losses during the spring have also
been reduced, but no large ships have been in action since
the Jutland battle. Indeed, the enemy is relying solely
upon his submarines, and the menace absorbs all our energies.

There was much aerial activity during 1917 in addition
to the daily fights off Flanders, and our patrols have
accounted for a few German aircraft. Three Zeppelins
were brought down by our light forces off the German coast ;
L 22 was destroyed on May 14, L 43 on June 14, and another
on August 21. Also the drifter I.F.S. on June 5 attacked
five seaplanes and shot down two of them, and the armed
trawler Iceland brought down two more off the Tyne on
July 9, taking four prisoners.

In the patrol of the North Sea and in the destruction of
the enemy submarines we have lost several ships. In
some cases the locality and date are not given.

During May the auxiliary cruiser Hilary was torpedoed
and sunk in the North Sea, and a destroyer was lost in

128 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

collision without loss of life. Another auxiliary cruiser,
the Avenger, was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea on
June 13, and one of the crew was lost.

On June 27 the old French cruiser Kleber, returning from
African waters, was sunk by a mine whilst off Brest, and
three officers and thirty-five men were lost. On the same
day the transport Armadale was torpedoed and sunk in the
Atlantic whilst carrying a few troops, and this was the first
instance of a transport being sunk in this ocean. Fortun-
ately only eleven lives were lost. On July 4 it was announced
that an old destroyer had struck a mine in the North Sea
and had sunk with all but eighteen of her crew ; and a
newer craft was torpedoed and sunk on the 6th with the
loss of eight lives.

Far more terrible was the tragic loss of the fine Dread-
nought Vanguard on the night of July 9, whilst at anchor.
She was one of our first Dreadnoughts, and with appalling
swiftness blew up and disappeared with 804 of her crew,
only three survivors being picked up. The disaster closely
resembles the accident to the Bulwark nearly three years
ago, and like that catastrophe the internal explosion may
be attributed to gases generating amongst the ammunition.
The theory of an explosive amongst the coal finds consider-
able support, for many ships on proceeding to sea have
been found with bombs placed aboard.

Nearly a fortnight later our old submarine C 34 was sunk
in an action with an enemy submarine, losing all but one
of her crew. This little craft would have had little chance
against the modern enemy vessels, and she was presumably
engaged in coastal operations off Flanders.

In the far northern waters of the North Sea the auxiliary
cruiser Otway was torpedoed and sunk on the 22nd, and ten
men were killed by the explosion. This was the first loss
in this patrol since the sinking of the India in August
1915. On the 30th it was announced that the old cruiser
Ariadne had been torpedoed and sunk with thirty-eight of
her crew ; and on August 14 that a destroyer had struck
a mine and sunk with three officers and forty-three men.

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 129

From these bald official statements it is impossible to gather
any details regarding their losses.

On the other hand, one of our submarines had captured
the ex-Dutch steamer Batavier II (seized by the enemy)
on July 27, but the ship foundered before reaching port.
Our light forces had also captured four German steamers off
Holland on July 16 whilst endeavouring to carry on a
coastal trade, and two others were forced ashore. Again,
our light forces on August 16 sighted an enemy destroyer
near the Bight at 9.45 a.m., and in the pursuit damaged her.
Later they sighted several minesweepers and heavily hit
two, but these also escaped through the minefields ; our
ships were unsuccessfully attacked by submarines.

Another small encounter occurred on September 1 when
our light forces sank four minesweepers off Jutland, and
the enemy retaliated by shelling Scarborough from a sub-
marine on the evening of the 4th. A number of shells were
fired at the town, killing three people and injuring five others,
but the submarine was attacked and driven off by mine-
sweepers. On the 15th the French patrol Jeanne was lost
in collision, with twenty of her crew.

Off Flanders our aircraft, in the course of their daily
operations, bombed enemy destroyers and sweepers on this
day, and secured a good hit on a destroyer and broke a
minesweeper's back. Ostend was heavily bombarded on
the 22nd and again on October 21. In this area the Dover
Patrol lost a destroyer by torpedo at the entrance to the
Channel, with loss of life, the announcement being made on
September 23.

On October 2 the old armoured cruiser Drake was tor-
pedoed off the north coast of Ireland; she regained port,
but foundered in shallow water, and an officer and eighteen
men were killed. On the 5th it was announced that the
auxiliary cruiser Champagne had been torpedoed and sunk
with the loss of five officers and fifty-one men, and that the
minesweeper Begonia was considerably overdue. On the
19th the well-known auxiliary cruiser Orama was also
torpedoed and sunk, but fortunately all the crew were

130 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

saved ; and another destroyer was lost in collision with all
but two officers and twenty-one men.

Before following the patrolling incidents, it will be
necessary to describe briefly the amazing Mutiny in the
German Navy.

Most unexpectedly there was divulged in the Reichstag
on October 11 the news that a very serious naval mutiny
in the German Fleet had broken out on July 30, nearly
three months previously. From a very vivid account by a
German officer who escaped to Switzerland, published in
the Daily Mail in October, it appears that the rising had
been planned some time beforehand, and emissaries of an
Extreme Socialist Party had been sent to various centres
to commence a seditious propaganda. This officer had
charge of seven men and women at Wilhelmshaven, who
obtained positions in a huge hospital for terribly mutilated
soldiers. He stated that 9000 " repulsive " patients were
lying here awaiting death, and eventually they are buried
at sea, sometimes no fewer than 700 a day. It was on board
one of the ferry steamers employed on this gruesome task
that in June there occurred the original outbreak, for when
the Lutheran minister was about to consign the dead to the
waves with the words, " They have given their lives for the
Kaiser . . ," a mate defiantly interrupted with, " Not
willingly. They would have damned their souls before
offering them to the Kaiser." The crew hesitated to arrest
the man, so the captain himself stepped forward to do it ;
a struggle ensued, and the four men who sided with the
captain were thrown overboard with him, whilst the parson
was shot. The mutineers were tried and shot on June 24-5.
On the 29th the Socialist officer called a secret conference,
at which twenty-five naval officers attended, and the propa-
ganda was pushed forward. On July 29 news was received
from Kiel that eighty-one emissaries, entered as nurses, had
been arrested and taken away, and also that the crews were
now housed in barracks as the authorities could not trust
them afloat. This system was simultaneously commenced at

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 131

Wilhelmshaven, and on the next morning 8000 sailors and
marines were called to parade to listen to an old naval
officer employed on Government propaganda. Calling for
cheers, he was met with an uncanny silence, and the other
officers commenced to harangue the men angrily. They
were met with laughter ; the men were then ordered back to
the barracks, passing close to the orators, who made insult-
ing remarks to them. When one young marine sarcastically
smiled at the insults, an officer struck him on the face,
and there followed a terrible scene. Suddenly the men
became like mad beasts, and in a few minutes over fifty
officers were dead. The mutineers then wrecked the
Zeppelin sheds with four airships in them, others made for
the Observatory and wireless stations, and a few destroyed
the railway stations. The forts now opened fire upon the
Zeppelin wreckers, and the rebels tried to storm them.
The north arsenal fort, however, sided with the rebels and
opened fire on the other forts. A terrific din resounded
over Jahde Bay, and the authorities, in order to allay the
suspicions of the populace, ordered all the fortifications to
join in, and later announced that there had been an Army
and Navy practice ! At 2.30 p.m. the fire ceased and silence
reigned ; this was suddenly broken by a number of terrific
explosions, and it was learnt that four new warships on the
stocks had been blown up. The end came tamely, for,
lacking leadership, the rebels quietly made for their ships ;
before they reached them a heavy machine-gun fire was
poured into them, and although a few guns were stormed, the
rebels were surrounded by Oldenburg troops and captured.
The Socialist officer and his men escaped arrest by assuming
an innocent attitude in fighting the many outbreaks of fire.
Another account gives details of the revolt at sea. The
crew of the battleship Westfalen mutinied and threw the
captain overboard, and the crew of the new light cruiser
Nurnberg also seized their officers whilst at sea and made
for Norway. They, however, encountered a flotilla of
torpedo boats who, getting suspicious, wirelessed to Wil-
helmshaven and received orders to stop or sink her. These

132 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

rebels also surrendered. This report states that the Kaiser
visited Wilhelmshaven and desired the execution of every
seventh sailor ; but Michaelis dared not comply, and eventu-
ally only three were shot, many others receiving penal
servitude sentences aggregating 200 years.

Revolts amongst the submarine crews were also reported,
and there was an echo in the Austrian Fleet.

From the above account, it is clearly shown that the
temperament of the German is unfitted for a revolution.
The mutineers after an aimless outbreak of anger and
rioting were ordered back to their ships by one elderly officer.
Thus we have a concrete answer for those who place their
hopes on a revolution in Germany.

Passing by the first convoy attack for the present, we come
to a small incident of interest. On November 3 our patrols
off Flanders were attacked by an electrically-controlled
high-speed motor boat, but the craft was destroyed. A few
days later the Admiralty stated that in 1885 a craft similar
to this was experimented with by the torpedo school on
Vernon. This boat was partially closed in and carried a
drum of insulated wire about forty miles in length through
which it is controlled electrically from ashore. In the bows
over 300 Ibs. of high explosive are carried. For attacking,
the crew leave the ship after starting the engine, and it is
accompanied by a seaplane at a distance of three to five
miles. Thus she is able to signal to the operator the course
to be given. Whilst running the craft zigzagged, and on
colliding the charge is automatically exploded. She was
the third boat, the first running into a pier and blowing it
up, and the second was destroyed also in an unsuccessful
attempt on our patrols.

On this same day our destroyers attacked and destroyed
in the Kattegat the German raider Marie and ten patrol
trawlers without loss. This ship was evidently endeavouring
to gain the outer seas under cover of the smaller craft when
she was intercepted. We took sixty-four prisoners.

For the first time for months the Flanders flotilla emerged

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 133

on November 12 under cover of the land batteries to attack
our patrols, but they were forced to return immediately
without causing us any damage. When one compares the
activity of these destroyers during the winter months of
1917-18, it will be seen that the Dover Patrol had been
most successful in its task.

Five days later our light cruisers sighted and engaged four
enemy light cruisers and several destroyers and sweepers
in the Bight ; and in the pursuit our ships set their leading
ship on fire, badly damaged another, whilst a heavy explosion
was observed on a third. In addition a minesweeper was
sunk. The enemy was pursued through his minefields by
our destroyers until four battleships and battle-cruisers
appeared, when he retired. We suffered a few casualties.

On December 12 one of our destroyers was lost in collision,
and two of the crew were drowned.

Meanwhile there had occurred the first attack on our
convoying destroyers to Scandinavia. Since April no fewer
than 4500 ships had been safely escorted across the North
Sea along this route, but on the night of October 16 twelve
neutral merchantmen left the Shetlands under the protec-
tion of the destroyers Mary Rose and Strongbow and three
small armed ships, of which one only was equipped with
wireless. During the night one of the steamers fell astern
owing to shifting cargo, and this armed ship was detailed to
remain with her. Just before daybreak, 6 a.m., two ships
were sighted bearing down upon them and, failing to get
any satisfactory response, they were attacked. They
proved to be a couple of very fast and heavily armed raiders,
and Mary Rose was speedily blown up by a shell in her
magazine, whilst Strongbow had her wireless installation
wrecked by the first shot. Thus they were deprived of
communication with the armed ship to the rear. After a
short action lasting barely half an hour Strongbow, fighting
to the last with her colours flying, also sank, and the enemy
then commenced deliberately to shell the merchantmen
without giving any warning of their murderous intention.
During the action, which took place between the Shetlands

134 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and the Norwegian coast, three steamers made their escape ;
but five Norwegian, three Swedish, and one Danish ship
were thus sunk, and over forty of their crews were killed.
Our loss was the entire crew, numbering eighty-six, of the
Mary Rose, and forty-six on Strongbow, the patrol boat
Elise very bravely picking up under very heavy fire twenty-
nine Scandinavians. As neither this armed trawler nor
the other which was present at the action carried wireless,
the first intimation of the encounter was their arrival at
7 p.m., and thus the enemy had a whole day in which to
effect his escape.

The second attack was made simultaneously with a raid
on our fishing trawlers off the Tyne. At 4 a.m. on Decem-
ber 12 a group of six trawlers were suddenly surprised by a
flotilla of large enemy destroyers and a brisk fire was opened
on them. One trawler was sunk and another damaged,
and two neutral steamers were also sunk. Later in the
morning it appears that these destroyers were again sighted.
Sir E. Geddes stated that two convoys were being escorted
across to Norway when one was attacked by large enemy
destroyers at 11.45 a.m.; this convoy, consisting, of one
British and five neutral steamers, was escorted by the
destroyers Partridge and Pellew and four armed trawlers
as an anti-submarine protection, but another force had
been dispatched for security against any German ships.
This, however, did not arrive in time. Immediately the
ships scattered, but in a very few shots the four armed
trawlers, Lord Alver stone, Livingstone, ToTcio and another,
were disposed of. Partridge was also speedily set in flames
and blew up fighting to the last, and Pellew was badly
holed and had her engines partially disabled. Later she
was brought home safely. The convoy was then attacked
and sunk, 115 of their crews reaching the Norwegian coast,
and eighty-eight were rescued by British destroyers which
had come up in advance of the cruiser squadron. Pellew
had lost four killed and two injured, and all the crew of the
Lord Alver stone were saved ; fifteen were captured from
Tokio, eleven from Livingstone, and twenty-four of the crew

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 135

of the Partridge were landed at Kiel. There were also
reports that fourteen more had reached Bergen. The
enemy again successfully escaped; and it was announced
that an inquiry had been commenced into the circumstances
of the non-arrival of the reinforcements.

As with the first raid on our Channel traffic, a great
deal of unnecessary criticism has been expended upon these
incidents. What is much more remarkable is that there
have been so few attacks, for more now than ever is it easy
to make these dashes upon our convoys. As Sir E. Geddes
stated, the range of vision for even a light cruiser squadron
on a dark night is barely five square miles, and there are
140,000 square miles of the North Sea. Given a dark night,
some swift ships, and information as to the movements of
the convoys, nothing is more simple for the enemy. Since
this system of convoy commenced our losses in this manner
are only 1 in every 200, or *5 per cent. Had the submarine
losses not aggregated such a high total this incident would
have passed without comment.

On December 22 it was announced that the armed boarding
steamer Stephen Furness had been torpedoed and sunk in
the Irish Channel, six officers and ninety-five men perishing,
and on this day three of our destroyers were sunk off the
Dutch coast one after the other. It appears that after
the first ship had been struck either by mine or torpedo,
the others closed upon it and shared a similar fate. The
disaster occurred in a fog, and thirteen officers and 180 men
were thus lost. On the last day of the year it was also
announced that the minesweeping sloop Arbutus had been
torpedoed and had foundered in the following heavy
weather, two officers and seven men being lost; and that
the armed boarding steamer Grive had been torpedoed and
sunk in bad weather, but without loss of life.

Thus ended the year 1917 at sea. It had not been marked
by any incidents of importance, and all operations had been
confined to patrol craft. The New Year has commenced
under a new Administration, and of course the future alone
will show if better results will be obtained. In many

136 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

quarters there is the cry for more vigorous and energetic
policy, but prophecy is a dangerous practice. Suffice it to
say that under Admiral Jellicoe and his colleagues the Navy
has secured for us the safety of our coasts, the safe transport
of our soldiers to their respective theatres, and the supply
of not only England, but our Allies and their armies. It is
impossible not to have a feeling of regret that Admiral
Jellicoe was ever asked to leave the Grand Fleet, and that
his services should not be made the utmost use of would be
deplorable.

Since the reconstruction of the new Board of Admiralty
in the spring of 1917 many changes had been made in it,
but the existing Board prior to Admiral Jellicoe's resignation
was as follows —

Sir E. Geddes. First Lord. Appointed . . 17.7.17

Adm. Sir J. R. Jellicoe. First Sea Lord. App. Chief of

Naval Staff . 14.5.17

Vice-Adm. Sir R. Wemyss. Deputy First Appointed . . 10. 17

Sea Lord.

Rear- Adm. L. Halsey. Third Sea Lord. „ . . 14.5.17

Rear- Adm. H. D. Tothill. Fourth „ . .

Capt. Comm. 1st cl. E. M. Paine. Fifth „ „ . . „

Vice-Adm. Sir H. F. Oliver. App. Dep. Chief

of Naval Staff

Rear- Adm. A. L. Duff. App. Ass. Dep.

Chief of Naval
Staff, for anti-
subm. duties. „

E. G. Pretyman. Civil Lord.

Sir A. G. Anderson. Addit. Civ. Lord.

The former First Lord, Sir E. Carson, became a Member of the War
Cabinet.

The former Second Sea Lord, Admiral Burney, was appointed to Special
Duties.

The former Third Sea Lord, Rear- Admiral Tudor, was appointed to the
China Station.

This chapter would be incomplete without a brief outline
of the assistance which we have received from the United
States of America. Their first material help came with the
arrival of their flotilla under Vice- Admiral Sims on May 16,
and they immediately set to work on their task of assisting
us in our convoying operations and in submarine hunting.
In June during the temporary absence of Vice-Admiral

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 137

Bayly, commanding the Irish Naval Station, Vice-Admiral
Sims was appointed to take over his command, and he
says that it was the proudest moment of his life.

During June the first American contingent sailed for
France, but before leaving home waters they were the
object of a determined but unsuccessful submarine attack.
On the night of the 22nd a flotilla of submarines was sighted
and a very fierce fire was opened on them, to which they
replied with torpedoes ; one of the attackers was sunk.
A few days later the attack was repeated, but they were
avoided by steaming at high speed ; and the troops landed
in France on the 26th.

Again, submarines attacked a merchant convoy, escorted
by American destroyers, whilst off the French coast, but
apparently they lost one of their craft. Then on October 6
they claim the destruction of another by depth bombs.
On the 16th, however, one of these destroyers was hit by a
torpedo and damaged, one of the crew being killed and five
injured.

On the next day the homeward-bound transport Antilles
was torpedoed, and she sank with sixty-seven of those
aboard; and on November 6 it was announced that the
Finland had been attacked and damaged, and that eight
lives were lost.

On the previous day the patrol Alcedo was torpedoed and
sunk with the loss of one officer and twenty men ; and on
the 19th the destroyer Ckauncey collided and sank with
twenty-six of her crew.

During this month, however, the destroyers Fanning and
Nicholson sighted a periscope and fired a depth bomb ;
they were rewarded by the craft rising to the surface and
surrendering, but during the attempt to tow her to port she
foundered.

In the early days of December another destroyer, Jacob
Jones, was torpedoed and sunk off the Scillies, but forty-
three of her crew were saved. A small patrol was also sunk
in this month.

During the coming year we hope to receive very valuable

138 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

help from our Allies, both on land and sea, and Admiral
Benson is co-operating with the Admiralty to secure the
best results.

Mention should also be made of the aid which we are
receiving from our Eastern Ally. During 1916 the Japanese
relieved us of the guarding of the East Indian Ocean and
the North Pacific, and their flotillas in the Mediterranean
have already proved their value. In this last year their
squadrons are patrolling the South Atlantic for us, thereby
enabling us to concentrate our energies in defeating the
submarine menace in home waters. Since the siege of
Tsingtau our Allies have only lost one warship, and this loss
was due entirely to accidental causes. On January 14,
1917, an explosion occurred on board the fine cruiser
Tsukuba, which was lying in the harbour of Yokosuka, and
the subsequent fire blew up the magazine twenty minutes
later. About 400 lives were thus lost.

As we have been recently so often assured that we are
now entering upon the final phase of this terrible conflict, it
is again possible that the enemy will attempt some sort of
an invasion of these shores, and it will be well to examine
the question and the probability of success.

An invasion of a country, especially an insular country,
is very dissimilar to a raid. A raid is purely of a temporary
character, and where a few troops are landed they remain
ashore just long enough for them to complete the destruction
of their object, generally an observation or wireless station,
or some such naval or military post. An invasion, on the
other hand, is an operation in which troops, if successful in
making a landing, proceed to carry out a conquest of the
territory with the purpose of holding it. Now in our case,
with our superior Fleet, we have been able to carry out
several such invasions during the war, notably the subjuga-
tion of the German Colonies and the Dardanelles and
Mesopotamian campaigns. The enemy attempted the first
invasion of the Riga province by landing troops in the rear
of the Russian Army, and, although the German Fleet was

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 139

vastly superior to the Russian Fleet, because he did not use
his ships to the utmost advantage the undertaking was
unsuccessful. With the demoralisation of the Russian
nation he has been more fortunate.

With the increased stress which we hope will become more
manifest in Germany, there seems every likelihood that the
enemy will attempt an invasion of these shores, more as a
last death struggle than anything else. The projected
invasion was, we know, cancelled after the troops had left
their ports on the transports. Why ? The answer is
simple. In an invasion of a hostile island the troops have
to be conveyed across the seas in transports. Now it is
evident that to send these transports across the seas without
adequate protection is sheer butchery, and therefore a strong
force must either accompany the fleet of transports or first
proceed ahead and destroy or drive away all opposition
likely to be encountered. Should the warships be successful,
then the transports can proceed with their valuable cargoes
and arrive at their intended destination.

This might occur in the case of the stronger Naval Power,
but it is inconceivable where the inferior Navy is concerned.
Firstly, once the army of invasion had been embarked upon
the large liners and left port, the passage of such a large
Fleet could scarcely pass unnoticed across the North Sea,
either by our flotillas or our submarines off the enemy's
coast, or by the shipping which ceaselessly flows through to
the northern ports. (Of course, had the submarine campaign
been successful, it " should " have driven all commerce off
the seas.)

Secondly, should it be fortunate enough to pass these
obstacles unseen as their isolated raiders have done, there
remain our coastal patrols which would immediately flash
out the news of their appearance and bring down the battle
squadrons which are ever ready at a moment's notice. This
idea is practically inconceivable, as even in the Scarborough
raid the enemy made off in about forty minutes, and any
disembarkation would require considerable time.

Thirdly, there remains the question of " adequate "

140 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

protection for these transports. There are apparently two
methods of ensuring this : either for an action between the
Fleets to be sought, when the inevitable reduction in the
strength of both Fleets would lessen the superiority of the
stronger Navy, or first clear the course to be taken either
by drawing the battle squadrons away on a false scent, or
by torpedo attacks drive our ships away from this vicinity.

Now it is generally recognised that any German volun-
teering for the invasion of England is prepared never to see
his country again, save as a released prisoner of war. We
have kept a considerable force of men mobilised in this
country to combat this eventuality and this would be supple-
mented by the Volunteer Training Corps, while it is certain
that practically every one capable of bearing arms would
assist in the extermination of the invader, provided that
necessary arms could be obtained. Therefore it appears
that the object of the enemy's Fleet is not so much the
defeat of our Navy, but the rendering of it harmless for the
necessary period required for the disembarkation ; though
it is certain that our overwhelming destroyer force, together
with our submarines, would cause tremendous havoc on the
enemy transports either during their passage or whilst the
troops were disembarking. From this it will be seen that
the destruction of these craft would also have to be under-
taken, no easy task and certainly not possible before the
appearance of our Grand Fleet, even if it had been deluded
into following up a false scent. Even if our Fleet should
suffer disaster, or, what is equally improbable, be taken
unawares, the task of reducing the torpedo craft would take
up too much valuable time.

There seemed the probability of this eventuality after the
Jutland battle, but our Fleet remaining on the scene of
the fight destroyed any shadow of a chance ; we can rest
assured that should the enemy attempt this undertaking
he will be encountered and thoroughly beaten by our
" sure shield."

Although figures on the whole convey little to the average
man, yet one cannot but be impressed by the tremendous

PATROLLING INCIDENTS 141

success of the task of the Navy given to our sailors as set
forth in Mr. Lloyd George's speech on October 29, 1917.
He stated that the Navy had secured the safe transport
of 13,000,000 men, 2,000,000 horses, 25,000,000 tons of ex-
plosives, 51,000,000 tons of coal, oil fuel, etc., 130,000,000
tons of goods. In performance of this gigantic undertaking
we have lost at sea 3500 troops, of which 2700 were lost
through the action of the enemy. Earl Curzon also stated
that the personnel had risen from 145,000 to 430,000, and
the tonnage from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000, whilst our mine-
sweepers had risen from only 12 to 3300 craft. Our sub-
marines had made 40 successful attacks on enemy warships,
and 270 successful attacks on other enemy ships. These
largely consist of the haul in the Sea of Marmora.

This is the answer to the cry, " What is our Navy doing ? "

CHAPTER VI

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN, 1916-17

IN the early days of 1916 there came the announcement
that a far more formidable submarine warfare would officially
commence on March 1. Germany, profiting by her past
experience, had constructed a fleet of " super-submarines "
of greatly increased size, power, speed, and endurance. They
were reputed to be of 1200 tons, with a speed of 20 knots on
the surface, and an armament of 4" guns, whilst their radius
of activity was stated to be of 4000 miles ; thus they consti-
tuted veritable underwater cruisers. In addition they were
credited with having a very sharp prow constructed to cut
through the nets barring their entrance into frequented
areas. With their increased radius their operations could
be carried into far waters, or, on the other hand, could be
used on nearer stations for a far longer period before returning
home or meeting a supply ship. These details were never
officially confirmed, but they are probably correct. These,
then, were the craft which commenced this second campaign,
but at the present time very much larger and more powerful
craft are in existence.

The campaign became effective almost immediately, and
the list of shipping losses at once rose considerably, amongst
them being the usual proportion of outrages. The opening
haul, insignificant in itself, was disquieting, as it included the
French minesweeper Au Eevoir sunk off Havre. It will be
recollected that since the spring of 1915 there had been no
report of the presence of any submarines in the Channel,
as the nets and other devices had prevented their passage
through the Straits of Dover. It was therefore disturbing, as
it appeared that the new craft had overcome our obstructions.

142

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 143

More than ever the chief aspect of this new campaign
has been the utter disregard for the shipping of the smaller
neutral nations, until at the present time the list of neutral
losses often exceeds the Allied losses. As early as March 16
came the first flagrant violation in the sinking of the large
Dutch liner Tubantia off the Noord Hinder Lightship.
There was no excuse whatever for this attack, as the steamer,
outward bound from Rotterdam, was on its way to Buenos
Ayres and was only calling at Dover for mails or passengers.
The liner, one of Holland's largest, sank in three hours, which
fortunately allowed all on board, numbering 377, to escape to
the boats. This outrage, for which no satisfaction has been
forthcoming, was closely followed two days later by the tor-
pedoing of another Dutch boat, the Palembang, also in the
same vicinity, which resulted in the loss of a life. Here-
upon commenced a warfare conducted against the shipping
of the world, excepting for a time American ships.

Then came the torpedoing of the cross-Channel steamer
Sussex on the 24th. She was carrying 380 passengers and a
crew of 40, and at 3 p.m. was struck by a torpedo ; the
boats were immediately launched, but one capsized through
overcrowding, and fifty lives were thus lost, including many
American and other neutral subjects. The Sussex, however,
did not sink, and was later towed into Boulogne ; whilst
her assailant, understood to be U 28, was captured on April 4
off Havre. Germany made skilful attempts to repudiate
all responsibility, first by entirely " disavowing " the act,
then in May, when the United States refused to be taken in
by their bluster, presenting a Note to Washington promis-
ing " that vessels both within and without the area declared
as a naval war zone shall not be sunk without warning, and
without saving human lives, unless the ship attempts to
escape or offer resistance." This explicit promise has not
been kept at all, and only American ships were immune
from the continued ruthless barbarity. As a typical case,
the day following the anniversary of the Lusitania crime
was marked by the sinking of the White Star liner Cymric,
which was torpedoed without warning at about 4 p.m. on

144 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

May 8, off the south of Ireland. Five of the crew were lost,
but no passengers, as the liner had been converted into a
cargo boat.

During the summer months there occurred the sensational
arrival of the mercantile submarine Deutschland at Balti-
more, U.S.A. This craft arrived at that port on July 9,
after a passage of about sixteen days, if we are to believe
Captain Konig's statements, of which the greater part
was accomplished on the surface. She carried a valuable
cargo of dyestuffs, mails, and precious stones ; and she was
reported to be of about 1000 tons, measuring 300' long,
and 40' broad, and was capable of a surface speed of
14 knots. Her arrival caused a great impression, and it
seems to have been overlooked that several Canadian-built
craft had come over during 1915. A voyage across the
Atlantic was undoubtedly fraught with danger, especially
as the Deutschland had no escorting ship ; but the greatest
danger was when clearing home waters, after which all
would be comparatively plain sailing.

The Deutschland left Baltimore on August 2, and arrived
back at Bremen on the 24th ; and a sister ship, the Bremen,
also set out and presumably eluded our patrols, but as nothing
more was heard of her it seems that she was lost at sea.
More successful was U 53 who, after crossing the Atlantic,
destroyed seven steamers off Nantucket on October 8,
amongst which were a Dutchman and a Norwegian. Fortun-
ately no loss of life occurred, although the steamer Stephana
was shelled for some time before being sunk. U 53 arrived
home on October 31, simultaneously with the reappearance
of Deutschland at New London, U.S.A. Captain Konig
stated that this time he had come north of the Orkneys
instead of through the Channel, leaving Bremen on the llth.
He left America for the second time on November 21, and
again safely returned to Bremen on December 10.

The Deutschland obtained the status of a merchantman in
America, as she carried no armament, and could therefore
remain for some time in port. The U 53, on the other hand,
was a warship pure and simple, and only remained in Newport

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 145

for a few hours before she left to sink the steamers on her
return.

Meanwhile during August and September the submarine
campaign showed a slight slackening off in the rate of losses,
though the neutral countries suffered as much as we and our
Allies did, despite repeated protests. Spain and Norway,
in particular, were singled out for indiscriminate violations,
but a sharp protest from Spain resulted in a " guarantee "
for the safety of the Spanish fruit ships. Norway has
obtained no such satisfaction, and her losses continue to
mount up.

The principal feature of the campaign at this period
was the capture of several ship-captains, who were later
transferred to prisons in Germany and Austria ; apparently
they have been well treated. The reason for their capture
does not appear very evident, unless the enemy think that
by such a course we shall be deprived of officers to command
our ships. On October 19 the Cunarder Alaunia was sunk,
and this month saw an increase in the daily toll of our
merchantmen, as also in that of Scandinavian ships. Up to
the end of this month no fewer than 153 Norwegian steamers
and 58 sailing vessels had been lost, of which 97 were sunk
without warning, 45 were mined, and 21 sunk either by mine
or torpedo ; and thus 153 Norwegians had been killed. The
direct cause of Germany's hostility towards these neutral
countries was their prohibition of belligerent submarines
in their territorial waters, any submarine sighted being
liable to destruction.

During the months of November and December the
campaign assumed a formidable menace, and the daily toll
increased yet more. The majority of these losses occurred
in southern waters, either off Spain or in the Mediterranean,
and in addition several warships fell victims to these pests.
On November 6 the P. & 0. liner Arabia was sunk in the
Mediterranean, but by the splendid conduct of the passengers
and crew all were saved, with the exception of two engineers
who were killed in the explosion.

The most remarkable event in December was the appearance

146 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

of a submarine off Funchal in Madeira, which shelled the
town for two hours and torpedoed two steamers and the
French gunboat Surprise, with thirty-four of her crew. She
was heavily fired upon by the land batteries and was driven
off. This little piece of work strikingly illustrated the radius
of the " war zone." On the same day the armed steamer
Caledonia was sunk in the Mediterranean, despite a plucky
attempt by the captain to ram the submarine ; and he was
taken prisoner on the German craft. Grave fears were
entertained for his safety owing to the murder of Captain
Fryatt, but the Germans, unwilling to cause another out-
break of worldwide horror, decided that he should not be
shot as a franc-tireur as his ship was an armed cruiser, and
therefore justified in the attempt. The many naval losses
in the Mediterranean are recorded later.

On the other hand, there had been ample evidence that
many of the German and Austrian submarines had been
destroyed. The U 46 was destroyed by our patrols in the
Bay of Biscay, and there was another which foundered off
Norway on the 26th, whilst the Italians captured the new
U 12 and the minelaying UC 12 about this time.

During the first few days of February 1917 events followed
one another with extraordinary rapidity. On the 1st the
German Government announced that all hospital ships
would be sunk at sight owing to the " gross violation
of the Hague Agreement"; they declared that "they had
conclusive proof. that in several instances enemy hospital
ships had been misused for the transport of munitions and
troops." They particularly cited the case of the Britannic,
which had, according to " the sworn evidence of an Austrian
singer, transported 2500 troops to England in November
1916." Further, that several hospital ships had at various
times transported munitions from England to France, and
that our hospital ships had been systematically used for the
transport of troops and stores during the Gallipoli campaign.
All these allegations have been emphatically denied by the
Admiralty, and the only inference to be drawn from this
declaration is that they are endeavouring to destroy all

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 147

shipping in order to secure for themselves a monopoly after
the war.

The next step was the astounding announcement to the
U.S.A. that all ships found in a specified zone (roughly
encasing the British Isles from Norway to Faroe Islands,
and from these islands down to Cape Finisterre in Spain,
and part of the Mediterranean), irrespective of nationality,
destination, or cargo carried, would be sunk without warning.
Two American steamers were " allowed " to sail from
Falmouth once a week (one each way), provided that the
steamers should be bedecked and bedizened with colours
of German choosing — " a large chequered white and red flag
painted on their hulls " — to arrive at Falmouth on Sunday
and depart on Wednesday ; whilst a Dutch paddle-steamer
would be permitted to sail between Flushing and Southwold
once a week during daylight.

The impudence of this amazing declaration quite sur-
passes all previous German announcements, but the sub-
stance of the Note was really little different from the practice
hitherto maintained, though American ships had been more
or less immune. It was, it is true, a direct cancellation of
the conditions laid down in compliance with the American
demands after the Sussex outrage, and as such constituted
an open challenge to the United States. Therefore it was
but to be expected that America would break off diplomatic
relations two days later, February 3 ; and President Wilson
further announced that " if American ships and American
lives should be sacrificed by their naval commanders ... I
shall take any means that may be necessary for the protec-
tion of our seamen and our people in the prosecution of their
peaceful and legitimate errands on the high seas. I can do
nothing less. I take it for granted that all neutral Govern-
ments will take the same course."

Germany claimed that she " would not be able to answer
before her conscience if she left any means whatever untried
to hasten the end of the war," being forced by reason of
the Allies' rejection of her peace offer to fight for her exist-
ence and " abandon the limitations which she had hitherto

148 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

imposed on herself." Truly one of the most hypocritical
utterances which official Germany has ever made, considering
that the said " limitations " were bounded not by design
but by opportunity.

The German case in these pages has not been unfairly
presented, but surely there is not the slightest excuse for this
step. Germany, suffering from semi-starvation during the
winter months, desires her arch-enemy also to suffer priva-
tions. Whereas we can bring about our blockade without
endangering the lives of neutrals, the starvation of our islands
can only be ensured by the stoppage of all traffic to these
shores. In order to accomplish this Germany must destroy
every vessel bringing food to this country.

Thus far the German argument is plain, as it leaves out of
the line of reasoning the whole question of humanity, but
the German is never humane unless circumstances compel
him to be. It is when he declares war on the shipping of
the world in this zone that the argument becomes less clear.
Certainly with America and a few other neutrals against her
Germany can ultimately surrender without losing too much
prestige. It appears that she expected that with President
Wilson at the peace negotiations she would be able to obtain
more favourable terms than she would otherwise receive
from the long-outraged European Powers, or that should
America take up arms she would be able to cripple our
commerce before the effect would become apparent. If she
expected that America would refrain from mingling in the
strife and continue to derive vast profits from the Allies at
the expense of her honour, she was mistaken.

Immediately following the German declaration, some of
the German liners lying in the American ports and at Hono-
lulu and Manila were extensively damaged by their crews,
and in some cases rendered almost useless ; amongst these
was the interned gunboat Geier at Honolulu, which was
burnt by its crew. Fortunately the majority were seized
before the crews could commence their sabotage, and these
liners have now been renamed and are to be used as
transports.

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 149

The first neutral ship to be sunk was the Dutch Gamma,
from New York to Amsterdam, which was shelled and
finally sunk with bombs on February 1. An American
steamer, the Housatonic, was sunk on the 3rd, but she was
bound for England and was sunk after a warning. In the
sinking of the Anchor liner California and the Cunarder
Laconica on the 8th and 25th respectively, both without
warning off the Irish coast, several American lives were lost.
Since then numerous American ships have been sunk, and
all of their ships are now being armed with guns. Thus
war became a matter of time, and President Wilson's speech
to Congress on April 3 was the only honourable outcome to
the whole outrageous declaration. He truly stated that
" Right was more precious than peace," and it is impossible
to realise to the full extent the tremendous significance of
the World's greatest Democracy, a peace-loving nation,
entering this welter of blood and strife and suffering purely
for the future welfare of humanity. America being so far
removed from the conflict, had at times seemed indifferent
to the outrages against civilisation, but for this very reason
she had been able to judge with a greater clearness and cool-
ness the tremendous issues at stake. Her ultimate decision,
therefore, confirmed to the highest degree the righteousness
of the Allied cause. May our high ideals remain unsullied
in the hour of victory !

The material assistance which American intervention
brought will become apparent as time goes on. She immedi-
ately began with the seizure of the large German liners
interned in her ports, with a view to utilising them as trans-
ports for the Expeditionary Force to France. After the
formal declaration of war upon Germany on April 6, the
German crews were, of course, removed, and again much
damage was done to the machinery of these liners, in addition
to the blowing up of the interned gunboat Cormoran at
Guam with seven of her crew. On the other hand, the U.S.
guardship Scorpion at Constantinople was interned by the
Turks.

In addition America is constructing a huge fleet of wooden,

150 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

steel, and composite ships for food transport, and they will,
of course, be armed for defence against the submarines.
Mines, anti-submarine devices, and numerous chasers were
also sent over, and the arrival of the destroyer flotilla was
the precursor of further units from the other side. With
British and American ingenuity it may well be that the back
of this grave menace will ere long be broken.

In addition to the menace of the torpedo, mines are a great
source of trouble, as the enemy craft, specially built for
this purpose, strew the shipping lanes with large numbers,
generally in the wake of the minesweepers, and the task of
sweeping is unending. These mines have been sown in
far-distant waters, even off Aden and the Indian coast and
off the South African coast. Evidence of this came in the
splendid episode of the mining of the troopship Tyndareus ;
when off Cape Agulhas this ship struck a mine during a
gale at 8 p.m. on February 9, and immediately began to settle
by the head. She was carrying part of the Middlesex
Regiment and the troops behaved splendidly, putting on
their lifebelts and lining up as if on parade ; and when
ordered to " Stand Easy " they commenced to sing. The
ship was on the point of foundering time and again, but very
fortunately two steamers arrived in half an hour, and the
men were safely transferred to them and taken into Simon's
Town. The Tyndareus subsequently put in here under her
own steam, though very low in the water. Like the Birken-
head, the troops faced the probability of imminent death
with the greatest courage and discipline. The liner City of
Athens was also mined and sunk in this vicinity on August 10,
and seventeen lives were lost, sharks following in the wake
of the boats.

Two chief features of the campaign at this period were the
persistent attacks on the ships chartered by the Belgian
Relief Committee carrying food for the stricken Belgians
in the conquered territory, although under a promise of
safe conduct ; and the deliberate and murderous fulfilment
of the German threat to sink our hospital ships.

Of these the first victim was the Asturias, which was

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 151

illuminated and bore all the distinguishing marks ; she was
torpedoed without warning and sunk on the night of
March 20, and took down with her fourteen wounded
soldiers, nurses and R.A.M.C. staff, and twenty-nine of the
crew, whilst thirty-nine were injured. She was carrying
1000 sick and wounded troops at the time. Thus in the
second attempt the enemy was more successful.

Following this the Gloucester Castle, a converted Union
Castle liner, was torpedoed and sunk without warning in the
Channel on the night of March 30, but all the wounded were
saved. The ex-Moss liner Salta was mined in the Channel on
April 10, sinking during very bad weather ; no wounded were
aboard, but forty-two of the staff perished.

In consequence of these attacks our aircraft bombed the
open town of Freiburg on April 14, and unfortunately
killed ten women and children. The question of reprisals
is a difficult one, and whilst it is a tremendous trial to refrain
from actions which are rightly condemned by civilisation,
even if it prevents further outrages, the temptation ought to
be put aside if we intend to continue the fight against murder.
After all we are fighting against this sort of thing, and our
argument loses all force if we use these selfsame methods.

On the night of the 17th two further attacks were made.
The Lanfranc (Booth liner) and the Donegal (Midland Rail-
way) were both torpedoed and sunk at about 8 p.m. in the
Channel, and considerable loss of non-combatant life resulted.
The Donegal was carrying slightly wounded cases, and
29 of these as well as 12 of the crew were lost. The Lanfranc
carried 234 British, and 67 German wounded, a medical
staff of 52, and a crew of 123. Of these 13 British soldiers,
5 of the crew, and one of the staff were drowned, in addition
to 15 German wounded who displayed great cowardice in
rushing for the boats ; many of these were helped into the
boats by British wounded. Owing to the previous attacks
our hospital ships, in order to reduce the target for the
waiting enemy, no longer bore distinguishing marks or
brilliant lights, and were provided with escorts. One of
these ships, however, was distinguished ; both were escorted.

152 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

With the exception of the torpedoing of the Dover Castle
(Union Castle Line) in the Mediterranean on May 26, in
which six lives were lost, no further attacks were made during
1917; and in August it was reported that negotiations
between the Spanish Government and Berlin were proceed-
ing whereby hospital ships were to be safeguarded, provided
that a Spanish naval officer was on board. On the 16th
Lord Robert Cecil confirmed the report, but stated that
Germany had not acquiesced; and on the 31st a German
wireless displayed great distrust, inquiring how the German
submarine commanders would be safe against any repetition
of the Baralong affair. However, arrangements were satis-
factorily concluded on condition that our ships kept out
of the specified zone and disembarked their patients at a
western port ; and until early in 1918 there was no departure
from this contract.

April was by far the worst month for our shipping, for it
would seem that with the shorter days the new craft were
very successful. During the week ending the 22nd no
fewer than forty-one large and fifteen small steamers and ten
fishing craft were put down, and it is understood that our
losses during this month aggregated about 850,000 tons.
Whilst the Admiralty continued to refrain from publishing
the lost tonnage, the enemy, on the other hand, made very
serious claims, his record being —

January .... 439,000 tons

February . . . . 781,500 „

March ' 861,000 „

April .... 1,091,000 „

May 869,000 „

June 1,000,000 „

July .... 500,000 „

August .... 808,000 „

September .... 672,000 „

But Sir Eric Geddes on November 1 stated that for the
last two months the British losses were only about 200,000

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 153

each. He said that the enemy would dearly like us to pub-
lish our tonnage losses, as he was completely in the dark
as to the identity of his victims. In many respects the
weekly returns are undoubtedly misleading, for a coasting
steamer putting in at three ports close together registers
six in the traffic return. That the number of ships lost has
not reduced the in and out traffic to any degree is explained
by the better use of our ships. There are very few fishing
craft and not many small steamers now put down, but the
recent big ship losses are barely two below the average.
Certainly the losses are now lighter than a year ago, but
it must be remembered that from February 5 to Decem-
ber 29 no fewer than 750 large and 269 small steamers and
168 fishing craft were sunk, and as time goes on there are
less and less ships left to carry on the trade. For Sir E.
Geddes has stated that our rate of construction does not
equal the rate of destruction, and that the enemy is building
submarines faster than we are destroying them. It is
understood that their rate is about two or three a week;
they have now reached the large dimensions of 5000 tons,
and they carry 6" weapons. The existence of depot sub-
marines such as the Deutschland has greatly facilitated their
operations.

The average French losses are about two large and three
small ships, with a weekly traffic of about 1800 ; Italy's
average is also about two large ships, but only one small
ship, and her traffic is about 825 in and out sailings. Nor-
way's losses are stupendous for a neutral, now aggregating
324 ships sunk.

In spite of these obstacles our anti-submarine system has
resulted in the destruction of over 50 per cent, of the enemy
craft in the Arctic, Atlantic and North Sea; and during
the period from August to October we had accounted for
as many as we had destroyed during the whole of 1916. We
know that the practice of employing seaplanes as escorts
has met with success ; and that the system of convoy,
whilst possessing many disadvantages, has resulted in losses
equalling only 1 in 200.

154 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Quite a number of theories have been put forward when
the weekly returns show a fluctuation either one way or the
other, but there does not seem really any certain rule as to
adverse conditions. Those who based their hopes in the
spring on better things on the grounds that during the longer
days our patrols would have a longer hunting day, forgot
that this same factor meant that our ships were thus in
danger for a longer period, and that the submarine could
observe the surface of the seas for a greater distance in the
calm weather. Again, the theory that shorter days would
mean less daylight for the submarine commanders, similarly
overlooked the fact that stricken ships would have less
chance of regaining port in foul weather. Perhaps the best
reason for these fluctuations is that, as in everything, there
are more successful men engaged, and these more skilful
German commanders are quite well known to our sailors ;
thus they know when they have returned home for overhaul-
ing, and when they are again preying upon our commerce.

The complaint that ships, notably the meat ship La
Blanca, have been torpedoed after leaving one British
port en route for another is a very serious fact in these times.
In this particular case engine trouble had caused this ship
to put into the nearest port, and she had then been sunk
whilst proceeding to her destination. It has been officially
stated that only unforeseen circumstances have been the
cause of such mishaps.

The enemy continues to commit foul murders on the seas,
and the sinking of the steamer Belgian Prince on July 31
was a typical case of German cruelty. After this steamer
had been torpedoed the captain was taken into the submarine
as a prisoner, and the crew, divested of their lifebelts and
much of their clothing, were placed on the submarine's
deck. Suddenly without the slightest warning the craft
dived and left the struggling men to drown in the water.
Thus only three out of a crew of thirty-eight survived and
were picked up.

Then the Elder-Dempster liner Apapa was torpedoed
shortly after 4 a.m. on November 28, and commenced to

THE SECOND SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN 155

sink on an even keel. The passengers were taking to the
boats when another torpedo came along which immediately
blew up the sinking liner, and she fell over to starboard,
thereby taking down all the starboard boats which had not
yet been launched. Over eighty lives were lost through
this inexcusable act, and there was no approaching British
patrol or ship to warrant the firing of the second torpedo.

There has been considerable activity in the Irish Sea,
but on the whole the majority of the losses occur in the
Mediterranean; and off the East Coast the losses have
almost been reduced to nil.

In spite of these formidable obstacles the spirit of the
seamen remains undaunted, and no tribute can be too high
for these men who " carry on." Torpedoed crews sign on
directly they arrive back in port, and many have been tor-
pedoed five or six times. The case of the skipper of the fish-
ing smack Nelson is but typical of the dogged spirit of them.
One August afternoon a submarine was sighted and shells
were fired on the little ship ; Skipper Crisp, however, ordered
his fire to be withheld until the craft was but 100 yards away.
The enemy's fourth shot unfortunately mortally wounded
the brave skipper, and his son took the tiller ; when only
five rounds of ammunition were left he ordered the survivors
to " abandon the ship and throw the books overboard."
He refused to be taken into the boat, and said to his son,
" Tom, I'm done. Throw me overboard." He could not
be moved, and when his little ship sank fifteen minutes
later, he went down with her. Two days later the few sur-
vivors were picked up. Skipper Crisp was posthumously
awarded the Victoria Cross.

ADMIRALTY RETURNS OF SHIPPING LOSSES, 1917

All Nationalities.

Date.

Excluding Fishing and Qver
Local Craft. 1,600

Under
1,600

Unsuc-
Fishing cessful
Craft. 1 At-

Total
Sunk.

Total
At-

Arrivals.

Sailings.

MWB.

tons.

tacks.

tacked.

Feb. 25 . .

2,280

2,261

16

6

5

16

27

43

Mar. 4 . .

2,528

2,447

15

8

2

14

25

39

„ 11 . .

1,985

1,959

12

3

3

12

18

40

,, 18 . .

2,528

2,554

17

8

21

21

46

67

„ 25 . .

2,314

2,433

20

7

14

11

41

52

Apr. 1 . .

2,281

2,399

18

14

3

21

35

56

,, 8 . .

2,406

2,367

17

2

7

12

26

38

„ 15 . .

2,379

2,331

19

9

11

13

39

52

,, 22 . .

2,585

2,621

41

15

10

29

66

95

„ 29 . .

2,716

2,690

39

12

7

29

58

87

May 6 . .

2,374

2,499

19

22

15

30

56

86

„ 13 . .

2,568

2,552

17

5

3

15

25

40

„ 20 . .

2,664

2,759

19

9

3

12

31

43

„ 27 . .

2,719

2,768

18

2

2

22

22

44

June 3 . .

2,693

2,642

15

3

5

15

23

38

„ 10 . .

2,767

2,822

24

11

6

20

41

61

„ 17 . .

2,897

2,993

25

5

—

37

30

67

„ 24 . .

2,876

2,923

21

6

—

19

27

46

July 1 . .

2,745

2,846

16

5

12

14

33

47

„ 8 . .

2,898

2,798

13

3

6

16

22

38

„ 15 . .

2,828

2,920

15

4

8

11

27

38

„ 22 . .

2,791

2,791

19

3

1

16

23

39

„ 29 . .

2,747

2,776

22

3

—

12

25

37

Aug. 5 .

2,673

2,796

20

3

—

12

23

35

„ 12 . .

2,776

2,666

15

1

3

9

19

28

„ 19 . .

2,838

2,764

15

4

2

14

21

35

„ 26 . .

2,629

2,680

20

6

—

8

26

34

Sept. 2 . .

2,384

2,432

19

2

_

6

21

27

„ 9 . .

2,744

2,868

11

15

4

10

30

40

„ 16 . .

2,695

2,737

9

11

1

11

21

32

„ 23 . .

2,775

2,641

12

2

2

12

16

28

„ 30 . .

2,680

2,742

10

4

—

11

14

25

Oct. 7 . .

2,519

2,632

13

2

5

4

20

24

„ 14 . .

2,124

2,094

14

5

—

6

19

25

„ 21 . .

2,648

2,689

19

8

7

27

34

„ 28 . .

2,285

2,321

13

4

4

17

21

Nov. 4 . .

2,384

2,379

6

4

—

3

10

13

„ 11 . .

2,125

2,307

1

5

—

5

6

11

„ 18 . .

2,531

2,463

11

7

—

3

18

21

„ 24 . .

2,058

2,122

13

7

—

10

20

30

Dec. 1 . .

2,179

2,133

16

1

4

11

21

32

„ 8 . .

2,426

2,384

14

7

—

9

21

30

„ 15 . .

2,461

2,499

13

3

2

11

18

29

„ 22 . .

2,341

2,460

12

1

1

12

14

26

„ 29 . .

2,111

2,074

18

4

—

7

22

29

TOTALS

113,950

115,114

749

271

168

602

1,190

1,792

Total traffic

229,064

(Excluding a large ship sunk during November,
and another and a fishing vessel sunk during
raid on convoy, December 12.)

AVERAGES . . . 2,532 2,558 16'6 5.97 3'73 13'28 26'3 39'6

Average total traffic for the 45 weeks: 5,090-31

PART II

CHAPTER I

THE SIEGE OF TSINGTAU, AND THE CAREERS OF THE GERMAN
CRUISERS AT LARGE

THE German settlement of Kiao-Chau dates from 1898,
when Germany demanded from China the lease of this area
in compensation for the murder of two German missionaries
by the natives. Since that date this undeveloped tract of
land with the fine natural harbour at Tsingtau has grown
almost out of all recognition, for the Germans were not slow
to realise the immense importance of establishing a base
or colony whence Teutonic affairs in the Far East could be
controlled. The only European Power of any importance
without settlements in this quarter, beyond a few scattered
islands in the Pacific, it behoved Germany ta obtain a
naval base to uphold her prestige in the impressionable East.

She commenced by constructing very efficient landworks
to guard the harbour and anchorage, and from time to time
several warships have been based upon this port to fly the
German flag in these distant waters. In 1914 there was a
very powerful squadron at Tsingtau under the command of
Vice-Admiral Graf von Spee, consisting of the two armoured
cruisers Scharnhorst (flagship), Gneisenau, the light cruisers
Emden, Leipzig, Nurnberg, and the Austrian Kaiserin
Elisabeth, the old large gunboats Oeier, Cormoran, the smaller
river gunboats Iltis, Jaguar, Luchs, Tiger, Ruchin (minelayer),
the destroyers Taku, S 90, and finally a few liners, one of
which, the Prinz Eitel Friedrich, escaped with the cruisers and
put to sea. In addition there were the two small river craft
of the type used by the Powers for suppressing Chinese
piracy in the numerous creeks and rivers, the Tsingtao and
Vaterland, based upon Canton and Nankin respectively.

157

158 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

When war broke out, with the exception of the two
armoured cruisers and Nurnberg, which had been at Ponape
in the Carolines since July 20, the remaining ships were
lying in Tsingtau.

The Anglo -Japanese Alliance was founded upon the
understanding that Britain would safeguard Japanese in-
terests in the West, whilst Japan was to guarantee ours in
the East should they become at all jeopardised. Never-
theless we always kept a considerable squadron (detailed
in the first pages of this book) based upon Hong-Kong to
counterbalance the growing European forces in this region ;
there were also the East Indies and Australian squadrons
to reinforce it if necessary, and in 1914 there were in
addition the French cruisers Monicalm and Dupleix and a
few destroyers at Saigon, and the Russian Askold, Zhemtcbug,
and a few torpedo craft at Vladivostock. With these forces
the containment of the German squadron seemed assured,
but unfortunately this was not the case, for two days after
Britain's declaration of war the Emden, Leipzig, Cormoran,
Geier, and the Hamburg-Amerika liner Prinz Eitel Friedrich
succeeded in eluding our China Squadron and gained the
outer seas, where they rejoined Von Spee at a rendezvous
at the Marshall Islands on the 19th.

Though they had forestalled the intervention of Japan,
which would have rendered their escape practically an
impossibility, our Ally very soon ranged herself with the
Entente, and on August 15 presented an ultimatum to
Germany requesting the disarming of her warships and the
surrender of the colony, seven days' grace being given. There
was, of course, no answer forthcoming, and war was declared
on the 22nd. A blockade of the coast was announced on
the 27th, and preparations were commenced for the reduction
of this stronghold.

In the meantime a very daring reconnaissance of the
fortifications was made by the destroyer Kennet on the 24th,
but coming under heavy fire from the forts, she lost four men
killed. Not so fortunate were the Japs, for on the night of
September 4 the destroyer Shirotaye was patrolling the coast

THE SIEGE OF TSINGTAU 159

and had the ill-luck to run aground, the crew being compelled
to abandon her. This was followed a fortnight later by the
loss of their torpedo boat No. 33, which was shelled and sunk
by fire from the German gunboats in the harbour.

On September 19 the Anglo -Japanese Expeditionary
Force left Tientsin for Lao -Shan Bay, accompanied by
Triumph and Usk, and arrived on the 22nd. Minesweeping
then commenced, attended by the loss of a Japanese mine-
sweeper, and on the next day the troops landed and began
the siege of the German base. Heavy fire was opened on
the forts and gunboats, the destroyer Taku being destroyed,
and on October 6 two others were also sunk and Iltis
damaged.

Our ships greatly assisted the troops in the investment
and frequently came under fire whilst operating in the bay.
On the 14th Triumph was struck by shell fire and lost three
men killed and wounded, and on the night of the 17th our
Ally suffered the heavy loss by torpedo attack of Takachiho.
This ship was patrolling Kiao-Chau Bay when out of the
darkness the destroyer S 90 loomed in sight and discharged
a torpedo at her, which sank her with all but one officer and
nine men.

On the night of November 6 the Austrian cruiser Kaiserin
Elisabeth was blown up in the roadstead, and on the next day
the Governor surrendered to the troops. All the vessels
were found to have been destroyed by their crews or sunk by
gunfire with the exception of S 90, which had endeavoured
to escape from the doomed base three days after her success-
ful attack on the cruiser, but had stranded sixty miles to
the south and become a total loss. In addition two auxiliary
cruisers were discovered and one blew herself up, whilst
the other was captured.

So ended an episode which was neatly carried out with
comparatively small loss of life. Japan had thus punished
the second of the Powers which had robbed her of the fruits
of her victory against the Chinese in 1894r-5, and though the
importance of the capture of Kiao-Chau was overshadowed
by the dark days which we were experiencing nearer home,

160 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

yet the removal of this fortified base had a considerable
influence on the subsequent events ; it deprived Von Spee
of any adequate base and at the same time released many
Allied warships to scour the seas for the German cruisers
at large.

Before following Von Spee, it will be convenient to take
the case of the German warships in the Mediterranean, as
they were the first of Germany's cruisers to be run to earth.
These were, of course, the fine battle-cruiser Goeben, the fast
new light cruiser Breslau, and the old Panther, notorious
in the Agadir incident in 1911; they were based upon
Austrian ports; the two former ships were reputed to be
amongst the fastest warships afloat, and arrived in the
Mediterranean in 1912 after their completion.

The latter days of July 1914 in the Mediterranean were
full of complications, for the Entente Powers were in the
perilous position of not knowing who were their secret
enemies. In agreement with the treaty with France we
were bound to protect the northern seaboard of France,
whilst she had to guarantee our interests in the busy Medi-
terranean; but as well as this France had to transport her
Algerian army to Marseilles at a time when the attitude of
Italy was an uncertain factor, and the two enemy cruisers
were at large.

We had in the Mediterranean at this time a powerful
squadron based upon Malta, consisting of the battle-cruisers
Indefatigable, Inflexible and Indomitable, the armoured
cruisers Defence, Warrior, Black Prince, Duke of Edinburgh
of the First Cruiser Squadron, Chatham, Dublin, Weymouth,
Gloucester of the Second Light Cruiser Squadron, and the
Fifth Destroyer Flotilla comprising sixteen " G " craft ; finally
there were three old submarines, six old torpedo boats, and
three auxiliary ships. Taken collectively it will be seen that
the Allies had a very powerful force in these waters, although
France did not possess a single fast cruiser, and it seemed
that the capture or destruction of the two swift enemy ships
was purely a matter of time.

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 161

It seems that we contented ourselves with merely
" shadowing " them ; but it must be borne in mind that the
bulk of the French Fleet was engaged in transporting the
French troops, which they accomplished without the loss
of a single life, and that Rear- Admiral Troubridge with the
Second Battle-cruiser Squadron was stationed in the Straits
of Otranto, containing the Austrian Fleet and preventing
the return of the cruisers. Also that doubtless a con-
siderable part of the Allied Fleet was at hand in the event
of Italy declaring war.

On August 1 the Breslau met the Ooeben off Brindisi and
they were joined by the supply ship General , with the
evident intention of seriously deranging the French trans-
portation. Arriving at Messina, they were informed that
coaling by belligerents was prohibited by the Italian author-
ities, and were therefore obliged to coal from the German
steamers in port. They left during the early hours of
August 3, and at 6 p.m. Admiral Suchon was informed of
France's declaration of war, at the same time being ordered
to " make for Constantinople with all speed." It is highly
significant that Germany had even then determined to
embroil the Turk in the war. Suchon was, however, fully
resolved to get in the first shot, and made for the ports of
embarkation of the French troops. Arriving off Philippe-
ville at 4 a.m. on August 4, he shelled the town whilst
Breslau fired upon the towns of Bona and Bougie, but failed
to cause any serious damage; returning to Messina, they
met at 10.45 a.m. Inflexible and Indomitable, which were later
joined by WeymoutJiy and knowing that England's declara-
tion of war was only a matter of hours, Suchon again entered
the port where the German liner General was awaiting him
and coaled from her.

This was a most audacious move, but Suchon fully ex-
pected that Italy would adhere to the Triple Alliance,
although not bound to such a course unless an Ally was
unprovokedly attacked ; much to his astonishment he was
informed that "on the ground of neutrality" Italy gave
him twenty-four hours in which to leave. Ooeben therefore
M

162 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

left at 5 a.m. on the 5th, nearly six hours after Britain de-
clared war, followed at a distance of five miles by Breslau,
who was ordered to close up at night, both steaming at a
speed of 17 knots. General was ordered to work along the
coast to Santorin, and she eventually reached Turkey.

Thus they left Messina, with bands playing and flags flying,
and so fully determined to fight their way through that the
officers left their wills in the hands of the German Consul.
It was commonly supposed that the British battle -cruisers
were at the southern exit to the Straits, and that a strong
French squadron awaited the enemy in the northern entrance ;
but this was only partly true, as Rear- Admiral Troubridge
was fulfilling the important dual role of containing the
Austrian Fleet and barring the return of Suchon. At the
Court of Inquiry into the circumstances his course was
upheld, and he was acquitted of any blame. His fine work
in Serbia later is recorded further on.

On reaching the open seas Suchon received the following
message from the Kaiser : " His Majesty fully expects the
Goeben and Breslau to break through." Shortly afterwards
Gloucester was sighted wirelessing that they were making for
the Straits of Otranto, and as this admirably suited their
plan she was unmolested. At 10 p.m. Breslau closed up and
immediately came the signal, " Make for Cape Matapan "
(Greece), and simultaneously Gloucester's wireless was
jammed for two hours, thereby preventing their change of
course becoming known, and thus gaining the precious time
on which the whole plan of escape depended.

Now commenced the famous flight of these cruisers which,
steaming at their utmost speed, eluded the outlying cruisers,
the pursuing Gloucester and a few destroyers, which were on
their track. Only when the ^Egean Sea was reached were
these destroyers, headed by Gloucester, shaken off for a time
amongst the many islands. Goeben could have sunk her
small pursuer with a few shots had she known that there
was no support at hand, but by this bold pursuit a contrary
impression was created, and the German ships were unable
to cause any damage to our shipping in the busy lanes.

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 163

The conduct of the Gloucester's captain has rightly been
described as " a model for the Navy."

Once in the ^Egean, they were able to gain time enough to
coal from transports sent out by King Constantine in direct
contravention of the wishes of M. Venezelos, the Premier.
With the 1000 tons of coal, they were able to enter the
Dardanelles on August 1 1, just five days after leaving Messina.
The excessive strain put on the Goeben's boilers resulted in
the furnace crowns collapsing, and the damage has never
been satisfactorily repaired.

Turkey had now these two warships on her hands, and
supported by Germany, considered herself justified in
" purchasing " the cruisers to replace the Reshadieh and
Sultan Osman I (building in England and acquired by us
for £4,000,000); she also stated that the crews had been
landed and the Star and Crescent hoisted. That this state-
ment was a falsehood was soon known, and the Turks'
duplicity led to the recall of the British Naval Mission under
Rear- Admiral Limpus on August 14.

The gunboat Panther, after being erroneously reported
sunk, arrived at Smyrna on the 24th. Little is known of
her career, but one would not be far wrong in supposing
that her escape was facilitated by the doubtful attitude of a
neutral Power.

The remaining episodes in the careers of the two cruisers
will be dealt with in the chapter on the Black Sea campaign.

In addition to Von Spee's squadron there were several
other cruisers and gunboats scattered about the globe.
Representing the German flag in Indian waters was the
small squadron based upon Dar-es -Salaam, the capital of
German East Africa, consisting of the light cruiser Konigs-
berg, and the two gunboats Eber and Mowe. The Eber was
at Cape Town on the outbreak of war, but hurriedly put to
sea and reached Bahia in Brazil during September, where
she lay interned until that country declared war on
October 26, 1917, when her crew set her on fire and destroyed
her. The destruction of the two other ships was accomplis hed

164 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

quite early, for on September 9 Dar-es- Salaam was shelled
by our old cruiser Pegasus, and amongst the shipping
destroyed was the Mowe and the floating dock. Retribution,
however, soon followed, for ten days later, whilst Pegasus
was cleaning out her boilers and repairing her machinery
in Zanzibar Harbour, Konigsberg suddenly appeared and
at about 5 a.m. opened fire on the British cruiser. Although
taken at such a disadvantage and completely outranged by
her antagonist's newer 4" guns, Pegasus put up a gallant
if ineffectual fight, but was very soon completely disabled,
and she had to be beached on the following day. She had
lost seven killed and thirty-seven wounded, but she does
not appear to have caused Konigsberg any damage, as the
latter steamed away to the south. The heroism of the party
of Marines, who continued to hold up the colours when they
had been shot away, will long be remembered.

As a result of this attack, combined with the serious
depredations of the Emden in the Indian Ocean, a vast
concentration of Allied cruisers was organised to run these
raiders to earth. On October 30 the Goliath, Chatham, and
Weymouth discovered the Konigsberg lying up the Rufiji
River in German East Africa, hidden by the dense foliage.
Being of greater draught, the pursuers were unable to reach
her, and though she was attacked by gunfire the results
could not be observed. The three British ships lost two men
killed and one officer and one man wounded. Colliers were
then sunk in the only navigable channel to " bottle her up,"
although to all appearances she was aground, and her crew
were entrenched on the river banks ; pending her actual
destruction Dartmouth, and later Weymouth, were left on
guard.

Though prevented from committing further damage to our
shipping (her only exploit had been the sinking of the City
of Winchester, value £275,000, off Socotra on August 6), her
total destruction would not only release any guarding ship,
but remove any uneasiness as to her possible escape. The
Admiralty, therefore, sent out two monitors in June 1915 to
complete the task, as they would be able to close up nearer

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 165

owing to their shallow draught. At 4.15 a.m. on July 4
Mersey and Severn, accompanied by Weymouth, Hyacinth, and
Pioneer, arrived off the mouth of the Rufiji. The position
of the cruiser was first located by seaplanes, and at 6.30 a.m.
fire was opened ; the reply was rapid and accurate, and
Mersey was hit twice and lost four killed and four wounded.
Spotting was very difficult for our ships, whilst the enemy
had in all probability the ranges worked out beforehand.
At noon Konigsberg's masts were still standing, but when a
salvo burst aboard, fires broke out and her reply ceased. In
the meantime Weymouth engaged the batteries on the banks,
whilst Pioneer shelled the guns at the mouth of the river.

A further attack was delivered on the llth, and it was
during this day that everything aboard the monitors, in-
cluding even the faces of the crews, was painted green, while
boughs were plentifully strewn about the decks to give the
impression of a floating island, common in those parts. Being
thus able to drift quite close to the cruiser, they suddenly
opened fire and set her ablaze fore and aft, completing her
destruction. Mersey lost two more wounded on this day.

Subsequently the guns of the Konigsberg were brought
ashore and were used against our forces in the German
East African campaign, whilst her gunners were employed
on the great lakes on armed steamers and gunboats, whose
exploits are described further on.

The few remaining gunboats were speedily destroyed or
rendered harmless, and none of them had any destructive
careers. Soden was captured by our forces in West African
waters on September 30, Komet was discovered by the
Australian gunboat Nusa at Rabaul, New Guinea, on October
15, where she was sending out wireless messages about the
movements of our cruisers, and became an unit of the
Australian Navy under the name of Una ; Planet was scuttled
by her crew in the Caroline Islands during September, and
finally the Tsingtao and Vaterland were disarmed on
September 26 and August 18 at Canton and Nanking.

Returning to the Far Eastern Squadron, we find that on

166 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

escaping from the besieged base Emden, Leipzig, Cormoran,
Geier, and Prinz Eitel Friedrich (now armed) rejoined Von
Spee on August 19 at the Marshall Islands. He had left the
Carolines after the declaration of war and sailed northwards
to an island where he coaled and provisioned, then turning
southwards, he arrived at the Marshall Islands with the
whole squadron. Emden almost immediately parted com-
pany and sailed westward to carry out independent opera-
tions in the busy Bay of Bengal, where victims would be
numerous ; Nurriberg also left for Honolulu, and the remain-
ing ships set their course for Fanning Island. Here Nurn-
berg met them on September 6, and cut the cable to
Bramfield Island on the next day. From thence the squadron
sailed for Tahiti, where on the 22nd they found and destroyed
the disarmed and dismantled French gunboat Zelee, and they
also shelled Papeete. Meanwhile Leipzig had on the 18th
sunk the oil-tanker Elsinore and landed her crew on Gala-
pagos Island.

In following the course of these cruisers one has to depend
to a great extent on the letter of a German sailor, but its
authenticity seems indubitable. Leaving the Polynesian
Archipelago behind him, Von Spee started across the Pacific
for Easter Island, where he found the Dresden awaiting him.
This cruiser had been operating in the South Atlantic and
had sunk the steamers Hyades and Holmwood off Pernambuco
on August 16 and 26 respectively, but when these waters
had become too hot for her she left for the Pacific, and on
her way sighted and chased the steamer Ortega into the
uncharted Nelson Strait in Southern Chile. Ortega's captain
brought his ship safely through, was specially complimented
by the Admiralty for his skill and bravery, and was later
awarded the D.S.O. in addition to French decorations.
Captain Kinneir was later granted a commission in the
R.N.R., but died recently.

The two gunboats were presumably left behind, as they
turned up at two American ports some time later, Cormoran
at Guam in the Marianne Islands on October 7, and Geier
at Honolulu on November 6, where they lay interned until

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 167

America finally declared war upon the world's enemy.
The latter was set on fire by her crew on February 3, 1917,
when diplomatic relations were severed, and the Cormoran
was blown up on April 7, with the loss of two officers and five
men, when war was declared.

Von Spee continued his course across the Pacific with
either the intention of bombarding the British Columbian
seaboard, or making a dash up the Atlantic home, or both.
It was whilst on the way to the Canadian coast that the
fight off Coronel happened.

In order to take the whole of the circumstances into
consideration it is necessary to go back to the late summer
of 1913. On September 28 Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher
Cradock left Devonport in command of the newly con-
stituted West Atlantic Squadron (Fourth Cruiser Squadron),
which comprised Suffolk (flag), Essex, Berwick, Lancaster
and Bristol. This fact is important as it constitutes an
emphatic denial of the charge that this admiral was sent
out with an entirely inferior squadron to fight Von Spee's
powerful squadron. At that time these two admirals with
their squadrons were at totally different sides of the world,
and no one could foresee that they would be pitted against
one another in a death-struggle, especially as our China
Squadron had been strengthened to counterbalance the
German Eastern Fleet.

As it was, the vast concentration of Allied warships, com-
posed of as many ships as we could spare and divided into
small squadrons, prevented Von Spee from attacking our
Canadian ports. Unfortunately one isolated squadron, con-
sisting of (rood Hope (the new flagship of Rear-Admiral
Cradock), Monmouth, Glasgow and the auxiliary cruiser
Otranto, encountered the enemy off the Chilean coast on
November 1. Cradock had passed the Straits of Magellan
on October 1, and had vainly sought for the enemy ; sweeping
up the coast in another attempt to locate Von Spee, he
was about to receive reinforcement in the old battleship
Canopus, a slow ship of 17 knots at its best, but carrying
heavy guns. Cradock decided that his duty lay, rather than

168 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

in retiring before the superior foe and leaving a course open
for the Canadian coast, in endeavouring to inflict enough
damage on the Germans to necessitate the temporal post-
ponement of their project long enough to allow other
pursuers to converge upon them. This unselfish decision
ended in the sacrifice of this noble officer and his men.

The best account of the battle is given in a letter of Von
Spee's to a friend, as the report of the Glasgow, the survivor
of the action, is necessarily vague owing to her hasty retire-
ment at the end. His squadron was composed of Scharn-
horst (flag), Gneisenau, Leipzig and Dresden, as Nurnberg had
been detached to San Francisco some time previously and
only returned just at the end, whilst Prinz Eitel Friedrich
had sailed for the Atlantic.

November 1 was bright and clear, but there was a high
wind and occasional showers, accompanied by heavy seas.
Learning from espionage sources that a British cruiser had
put into Concepcion to coal, Von Spee decided to intercept
her on the twenty-four hours' grace expiring ; he sent Leipzig
on ahead to reconnoitre, and was informed that two cruisers,
Monmouth and Glasgow, were leaving the port ; these were
then joined by Good Hope and Otranto. Von Spee then came
up and was sighted by our cruisers, who attempted to close
in on the coast and engage the enemy whilst the sun was
still high. In this they were unsuccessful, for Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau worked up to 20 knots and delayed the action
until 6.10 p.m., when his light cruisers, which were longer in
raising full speed, closed up. The light was now very much
in his favour, the glow silhouetting the hulls of the British
ships, whilst his ships were becoming almost invisible in
the darkening east.

Just after the sun set Von Spee closed in to 10,000 yards
and opened fire. Good Hope was engaged by his flagship,
Monmouth by Gneisenau, and the plucky little Glasgow
fought the two light cruisers as Otranto was ordered to escape,
being absolutely unfit to fight regular warships.

With rapid and effective fire Good Hope and Monmouth,
whose main-deck guns were rendered practically useless by

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 169

the heavy seas which continually swept over them, were soon
set ablaze. Less heavily gunned, the British fire was reduced
to such an extent by the weather that the only guns capable
of reaching the enemy were the pair of 9-2" weapons of Good
Hope, whilst the two German armoured cruisers could bring
a dozen 8-2" guns to bear on them. Von Spee rightly did
not allow the action to be fought at a range in which the 6"
guns of Monmouth could have proved useful.

A tremendous explosion on Good Hope occurred, the fire
reaching the magazine, " but," says Von Spee, " she con-
tinued firing for a short time." Game to the last, Cradock
held out supremely.

Darkness coming on, the range dwindled down to 5000
yards, but the Germans ceased their fire when the gunners
could no longer see their targets ; only fires were discernible,
and then these too vanished. Von Spee says that he
thought that the cruisers had managed to subdue their
flames, and he was strengthened in this belief when at
8.40 p.m. he heard firing about ten miles away. This, we
know, is incorrect, as there is no doubt that Good Hope
foundered almost immediately after the explosion ; Monmouth,
on the other hand, apparently drifted away completely
disabled, as Von Spee learnt on steering to the spot from
whence the firing came. Here he found the returning
Nurnberg, who was finishing off this cruiser ; but not being
acquainted with the position, she dared not stay to rescue
the crew, as she stated that she had sighted a four-funnelled
cruiser in the vicinity ; this was probably the approaching
Scharnhorst. Von Spee has been accused of inhumanity
for not rescuing the crews of these ships, but the heavy seas
had prevented any boat from being launched to save the
Monmouth' s crew when the misunderstanding was cleared up ;
and in the case of the Good Hope he never discovered that
she had foundered until the next day when he steamed into
Valparaiso to enforce her internment, fully expecting that
the crippled cruiser had put in for repairs. In this connection
it must be noted that Cradock had during the morning
forbidden a boat from Glasgow to be launched, regarding

170 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

such an action as highly perilous ; how much more so must
it have been at night when the conditions had not improved !
I emphasise the denial of these charges because Von Spee
had never shown any lack of courtesy or humanity; he
was in fact a brave sailor, and when he met his death a
month later he went down fighting to the last. An instance
of his respect for his dead antagonist was forthcoming at a
dinner given in his honour a few days later ; when a German
rose and proposed the toast " Damnation to the British
Navy," he and his officers rose also and walked out.

The Glasgow, though severely damaged on the water-line,
was fortunate in escaping her consorts' fate ; she had pluckily
fought both Dresden and Leipzig.

Thus terminated an action gallantly contested against
vastly superior odds, and it was the only action, excepting
the disablement of Pegasus, up to the Jutland battle in May
1916 in which a British warship was sunk by gunfire from
the enemy. The only chance of success Cradock had was to
close rapidly and bring his quicker-firing 6" pieces to bear,
but this Von Spee would not allow.

The news of this reverse was definitely known by the
Admiralty on November 3, and two days later Vice- Admiral
Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee was appointed to the command
of the battle-cruisers Invincible and Inflexible. His orders
were to proceed with all haste to the South Atlantic, where
it was anticipated that Von Spee would resume his activities,
and picking up any cruisers on his way down, seek out and
destroy the enemy. Leaving Plymouth on the 1 1th, Sturdee
avoided the busy shipping lanes and, collecting the cruisers
Carnarvon, Cornwall, Kent, Bristol, Glasgow and the auxiliary
cruiser Macedonia, he carried out a sweeping movement
across the South Atlantic without success, and arrived at
the Falkland Islands to coal at 10.30 a.m. on December 7.
The secrecy with which this dramatic move was carried out
is wonderful considering the network of German spies, and
no hint was given Von Spee of the presence of these two
powerful cruisers. At the same time nearly ninety Allied
cruisers were closing down from the Pacific, including the

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 171

released Japanese Fleet, and the Australia, which up to the
battle off Coronel had been employed in the work of convoy-
ing expeditions to the various German colonies. Von Spee
was therefore caught between two fires, but his appearance
came surprisingly soon.

At the Falkland Islands Sturdee divided his squadron —
the two light cruisers coaling at Port Stanley, and the
battle-cruisers and armoured cruisers at Port William, whilst
Macedonia and Kent were posted as guardships respectively
at the two ports ; Canopus, which had been in port already
for a few days, was stationed outside, but did not take any
part in the action.

At 8.30 a.m. next day the signal station on Sapper Hill
reported that two cruisers, later found to be Gneisenau and
Nurnberg, were coming up with their guns trained on the
signal station. Kent, the only ship with steam up, was
ordered to weigh at once, and steam was ordered to be raised
for full speed in the other ships. Twenty minutes later
another column of smoke was sighted from the south, the
Falkland Islands having evidently been the prearranged
rendezvous for the enemy. Kent then proceeded to the
entrance of the harbour, Gneisenau and Nurnberg being then
eight miles off and the other two ships still about twenty
miles away, but further smoke was sighted and this was
observed to come from a light cruiser and two supply ships,
Baden and Santa Isabella.

The first two ships approached to within six miles and
were about to shell the wireless station when Canopus
opened fire on them ; they then hoisted their colours and
turned away, and it appears that they had perceived the
tripod masts of the two battle-cruisers in Port William, for
with increased speed they steamed towards their consorts
to warn them of the danger.

Half an hour later the British squadron left harbour and
sighted the enemy hull down in the E.S.E., the day being
bright and clear. The pursuit began at 10.20 a.m., when the
two battle-cruisers and Glasgow went in stern chase after the
fast-retreating foe. Speed was eased to 20 knots at 1 1 . 15 a.m.

172 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

to allow the other cruisers, Carnarvon, Cornwall and Kent,
to get into station, the enemy at this time just showing above
the horizon ; as they still kept their distance the armoured
cruisers were again left behind, and Invincible, Inflexible
and Glasgow again proceeded at high speed. At 12.55 p.m.
fire was opened on Leipzig, who was falling astern, at a range
of 16,500 yards, and becoming too accurate, the three light
cruisers Dresden, Leipzig, and Nurnberg left Von Spee and
turned to the S.W. Cornwall, Kent and Glasgow were then
detached to pursue them.

The battle now became, as Admiral Sturdee says, three
separate actions ; the primary one between the battle-
cruisers and Scharrihorst and Gneisenau, the secondary one
between the light cruisers and our two armoured cruisers
and Glasgow, and the third and subsidiary the destruction
of the two supply ships by Bristol and Macedonia, which was
accomplished after their crews were removed to the latter.

To begin with the first, Invincible and Inflexible concen-
trated on the two cruisers at a range of 13,500 yards, but
Von Spee opened fire and, as Sturdee intended taking no
risks with his valuable ships, speed was eased to 24 knots,
the range increasing to 16,500 yards. The enemy then turned
away and another chase ensued; at 2.45 p.m. fire was re-
opened, and with such effect that shortly afterwards Scharn-
horst was set on fire, and Gneisenau also appeared to be hit
heavily. Von Spee's flagship was soon seen to be in a bad
way, and clouds of steam and smoke escaped from huge
holes in her sides, from whence a dull red glow could be seen
from time to time. A few minutes after 4 p.m. she took a list
which rapidly increased until she plunged beneath the waves,
a huge furnace. Nevertheless Gneisenau continued the
unequal fight in a manner bearing striking resemblance to
her victim, the Monmouth, but at about 5 p.m. her forward
funnel fell ; although terribly battered she still kept firing
gamely, and a shell struck Invincible. Sturdee, seeing her
enveloped in a cloud of steam and smoke, gave orders for fire
to cease, but before they could be complied with, she re-
opened fire in a last spurt with her one remaining gun.

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 173

Fire was finally stopped at 5.50 p.m. by the three cruisers,
Carvarnon having come up, and the Gneisenau lowered her
flag, heeling over five minutes later before sinking.

Both these cruisers had fought to the last round of ammuni-
tion, and with great bravery continued the unequal fight to
the death, fully knowing that there was no chance of success,
j ust as Cr adock had done a month previously. On Gneisenau
alone 600 of her crew were killed and wounded, her decks
being described as a shambles, and when she capsized many
of the 200 survivors died from the shock of the cold
water after the terrible heat aboard before they could be
picked up. Thus perished Vice- Admiral Graf von Spee, a
gallant and courteous foe, and it is with a feeling of regret
that one reads of his end ; his record was unstained, unlike
that of other officers of the Imperial German Navy, and
there is no charge which can be brought against him such
as those with which the foul marauders around our shores
have familiarised us.

Returning to the chase of the light cruisers, Glasgow, being
the fastest ship, drew ahead of Kent and Cornwall, and opened
fire at a range of 12,000 yards at 3 p.m. on Leipzig (which with
Nurriberg was astern of the newer and faster Dresden), hoping
to outrange her with her newer guns and sufficiently damage
her until Kent or Cornwall could come up. In this she was
successful, for at 4.17 p.m. Cornwall opened fire on her and
set her in flames after an action lasting three hours, when
they ceased fire. She heeled over at 9 p.m. and sank with
all but seven officers and eleven men, who were rescued.

Meanwhile Kent, which had not been able to coal but had
at 3.36 p.m. been ordered to pursue Nurnberg, had with
the greatest credit to her engine-room staff been able to
raise her nominal speed of 23 knots up to 27 knots ; every
available article on board was used for fuel, and she was
able to come into action at about 5 p.m. An hour and a half
later fires broke out aboard the German and Kent ceased
fire, closing in to 3300 yards. As, however, the colours
were still flying she reopened fire for five minutes, when they
were lowered by the survivors, numbering only twelve;

174 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

they were taken aboard when their ship sank at 7.27 p.m.
Unhappily it transpired later that the remaining members
of the crew had lined up ready to be taken off, but having
neglected to haul down the flag, the last few shots had killed
nearly all of them ; Kent lost in the action four killed and
twelve wounded, but further loss of life was avoided by the
splendid conduct of one of the crew who at great personal
risk threw a piece of burning cordite overboard.

The remaining cruiser Dresden, being in the van, made
good her escape by her superior speed whilst Glasgow was
busily engaged with Leipzig ; the weather conditions changed
later, and she steamed away out of sight.

Though the credit lies with Vice- Admiral Sturdee, who so
ably destroyed the squadron, yet it must not be overlooked
that the combined sweeping movements of numerous cruisers
in the Pacific had driven Von Spee on to his guns. Indeed,
had Von Spee learnt of the presence of the battle-cruisers
and doubled back into the Pacific, he would have undoubtedly
encountered Australia and several Japanese cruisers which
were then sweeping down the South American coast.

Leaving Dresden for the present, it will be necessary to
follow the light cruiser Emden, which had parted company
with Von Spee during August. This raider caused us far
heavier losses to our shipping than any other of the cruisers,
although her destructive career came to an end shortly after
the Coronel battle.

Emden, it will be remembered, left Tsingtau on August 6
with Leipzig and the two gunboats, together with Prinz
Eitel Friedrich, and is credited with the destruction of a
Russian Naval Volunteer steamer on the same day. From
the time of her parting with Von Spee on the 19th until
September 15 her movements were shrouded in complete
mystery, and it has never transpired what she did during
these four weeks. The delay in setting to work on our
commerce was amply made up when on the above date it
became known that she had made her first haul. This batch
consisted of the steamers Indus sunk on the 10th, Lovat

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 175

on the llth, Kabinga captured on the next day, Killin and
Diplomat on the 13th, on which day the Italian Loredano
was held up but released later, and finally the Trabboch,
sunk on the 14th. All the crews were then put on board
the Kabinga, which put in at Calcutta on the next day;
they stated that the raider was accompanied by the H.A.L.
Markomannia and the Grecian steamer Pontoporos, which
were acting as colliers. During the night of the 13-14th
the cruiser lost her bearings during heavy rains and at
daybreak found herself off Pun, so her course was changed
and a few hours later she escorted Kabinga, with the 417
members of the crews, to seventy-five miles off the Sandheads.
Clan Matheson was sunk on the next day, and the crew were
landed at Rangoon by Dover Castle.

Exactly a week later Emden appeared off Madras and
shelled the oil tanks, setting them ablaze and killing two
men, but no damage was done to the town. Next day
Pondicherry was visited, but the cruiser disappeared in a
S.E. direction. The news of her second raid was brought by
s.s. Gryfedale, which brought into port the crews of King Lud,
Foyle, Riberia, Umeric, and Buresk, which was captured.

Her hunting-grounds becoming unhealthy owing to the
presence of the Allied cruisers, Emden sent her colliers towards
the Straits of Malacca in the hope of deluding her pursuers
into the belief that she had escaped into the Pacific . The ruse
was partially successful ; the two ships were discovered off
Sumatra by Yarmouth on October 15, Markomannia being
sunk and Pontoporos captured ; the crews, numbering sixty,
were taken prisoners. Profiting by this blind, she made
her last haul whilst our cruisers were searching Eastern
waters ; these were Chilkana, Clan Grant, Benmohr, Troilus
and the dredger Ponrabbel, whilst Exford and St. Egbert were
captured, all off Cochin in the Arabian Sea. The crews
arrived at Colombo on the 25th on board the latter steamer,
and this last raid brought the total damage wrought by this
cruiser up to £3,500,000. In every case the utmost regard
for human life was observed, and no charge was brought
against Captain Miiller for uncourteous conduct ; indeed he

176 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

refrained from sinking the Kdbinga as this would have
necessitated the captain's wife having to tranship in rough
weather.

In her last desperate effort to escape from the slowly
encircling ring of pursuers, Emden arrived off Penang in the
early hours of October 30, making for the Pacific. When
seen off this port she was mistaken for Yarmouth, owing to
a fourth funnel which had been rigged up, and she had a
Japanese flag flying.

There was at this time anchored in the roadstead the
Russian cruiser Zhemtchug, in a state of general unprepared-
ness ; and it afterwards transpired during the court-martial
of Captain Baron Tcherkasoff and Lieutenant-Commander
Kulibin in August 1915, that although warned by Admiral
Jerram that the Emden was in the vicinity, no precautions
were taken. The captain was in the habit of sleeping ashore
and receiving visitors aboard contrary to orders ; no watches
were set, the guns were unmanned, the torpedo tubes
unloaded, and the fires drawn ; and in this deplorable con-
dition she was discovered by the raider. The captain and
lieutenant were sentenced to three and a half and one and a
half years of imprisonment, dismissed the service, and
deprived of their decorations and rank.

With the greatest effrontery, when challenged by the
look-out on entering the harbour, Emden replied, " Yarmouth
proceeding to harbour " ; the look-out, however, observed
something amiss with the canvas funnel, and was about to
give a warning when the cruiser, on turning out, let go a
terrific broadside, together with a torpedo, at the Russian.
The officers and men aboard put up a brave but hopeless
defence, but the torpedo had done her work well, for a heavy
list rendered her guns useless, and all her shots passed high
over her foe although the two ships were but 200 yards apart.
Her disablement was terribly swift; shattered and sink-
ing, a third torpedo blew her up, and she sank like a stone.
Of her complement of 355, only 143 escaped unjury, and
85 went down with her.

The raider, however, had not finished her work, and the

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 177

little French destroyer Mousquet, returning to harbour, was
suddenly discovered and sunk almost immediately, after
an heroic defence.

This was her last exploit, for whilst the Australian and
New Zealand Army Corps was being transported to Egypt
in thirty-eight transports, escorted by Minotaur, Melbourne,
Sydney, Pyramus and the Japanese Ibuki, news was received
by Minotaur that Emden was about to attack the wireless
installation on Cocos-Keeling Island, with the intention of
destroying one of the many stations which were so retarding
her escape.

This message was received from Singapore in the early
morning of November 9, and Melbourne was ordered to
proceed at once to the island and engage the enemy. As
the whole convoy covered a large area, the nearest cruiser
was Sydney, also of the Royal Australian Navy, and
Melbourne unselfishly passed on the order to her sister.
Sydney came up with her at 9.40 a.m. just after the enemy
had landed a party to destroy the plant.

A stiff fight ensued, the Emden' s fire at first being rapid
and accurate, and Sydney lost four killed and thirteen
wounded ; like that of most German ships it soon deterior-
ated, and the heavier metal of the Australian ship soon began
to tell. After two and a half hours Emden was run ashore,
burning furiously; seeing her disabled, Sydney left her to
pursue her collier (Buresk), which she sank. On returning
she found the German colours still flying, so was reluctantly
compelled to reopen fire for a few minutes, when at 4.25 p.m.
Emden surrendered. She had lost 120 killed and 50 wounded,
but Captain Miiller was taken prisoner, and it is of interest
to note that he was the leader of twenty-three German
officers who temporarily escaped from Sutton Bonnington
Camp during October 1917, and was imprisoned. He was
later repatriated. The landing party made good their
escape during the day on the yacht Ayesha, and eventually
reached Germany via Arabia and Constantinople after many
adventures.

Tenders were called for by the Australian Government for

178 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Emden's salvage in June 1915, but it was found impossible to
proceed with the work of refloating her, and in February 1916
operations were abandoned.

The Eastern Seas were thus rid of these raiders, as the
destruction of Konigsberg was brought about simultaneously.

In the Western Seas Germany had three light cruisers —
the new Karlsruhe and Bremen sent out to Mexico during
the civil wars, and Dresden based upon South American ports.

Of the Bremen little is known, and indeed her only exploit
was the holding up of the Dutch liner Gelria, a day out from
Monte Video, in the latter part of August. The next that was
heard of her was her arrival in January 1915 at Wilhelms-
haven, badly damaged by a mine. If she was ever on the high
seas after war broke out, she must have slipped past our
patrols in the North Sea during the long nights, being the
sole survivor of Germany's High Seas Fleet stationed abroad
with the exception of Goeben and Breslau.

The Karlsruhe had a very fruitful, though brief, existence,
and confined her operations to the middle Atlantic, off
Brazil. In August she was sighted off Venezuela steaming
eastwards in company with a collier, and during this month
and September she accounted for several of our merchantmen,
including Bowes Castle on August 18, Cervantes, Highland
Hope, Lynrowan, Niceto da Larringa, Maple Branch, Pruth,
Eio Iguassu, Strathroy, and the Dutch Marie bound for
Belfast; Cornish City was sunk on September 21, and she
captured Condor, Indriani and Farn. (The latter arrived
at San Juan in Porto Rico on January 24, 1915, in charge
of a lieutenant for provisions, but failing to clear she was
interned on the next day.) The crews of all these ships
were landed at Teneriffe by the German steamer Crefeld on
October 23.

Following this, another German ship, Asuncion, landed at
Para in Brazil on November 2 the crews of the sunken
Glaston and Hurstdale, and the captured Vandyck ; this last
steamer was captured on October 26, and the passengers,

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 179

who were treated well, state that the raider had been in
action with Bristol and had had her steering-gear smashed.
Her stern was screened with canvas until the damage
could be made good from one of her victims, and they were
informed that when she had at last managed to throw off
her pursuer she had but one ton of coal on board, having
used all her wooden fittings.

Since the arrival of these passengers and crews nothing
more was heard of her, and rumours became prevalent of
her destruction in the West Indies ; these reports, combined
with the entire absence of news, prompted the Admiralty
to announce on March 20, 1915, that " there is every reason
to assume the destruction of the Karlsruhe last November "
in that vicinity. This we know was true, for Captain Aust,
her second officer, in his book on her adventures gives a
graphic account of her end.

It appears that the cruiser was lying off the north-eastern
coast of South America on the evening of November 4,
and the crew were having their supper. The officers were
in the after part and were about to rise, when at about 8 p.m.
there was a heavy explosion, accompanied by a grinding
and crashing, in which the lights went out, and the ship
rocked violently. She immediately heeled over, and whilst
in this position Captain Aust states that he saw what he
thought was the hull of a ship drifting past; this was in
reality the forward half of the cruiser. The Karlsruhe had
been completely blown in two. The bows sank at once with
the majority of the crew, but the stern remained afloat long
enough (twenty minutes) to enable two of her consorts,
Indriani and Rio Negro, to take off the survivors. The latter
arrived in Germany some time later, whilst Indriani landed
the remainder in an American port on the 29th, from whence
they reached Norway.

Captain Aust considers that the disaster was due either
to an internal explosion or a submarine. Whilst the former
theory is probably correct, yet the torpedoing by a submarine
should not be dismissed entirely; we were told soon after
the outbreak of war that Canada had already placed at the

180 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

disposal of the Admiralty two submarines building at Van-
couver, and it would not be inconceivable that others
building at Atlantic Canadian ports should travel down to
the West Indies and there lie in wait for the enemy.

There now remains only one regular cruiser at large to
be dealt with ; this was the elusive Dresden which, it will be
remembered, escaped from Sturdee during the Falklands'
battle. Closely pursued for several days, she at last managed
to gain time to put in at Punta Arenas on December 12 to
coal, but learning of the approach of one of our cruisers,
she continued her course through the Straits of Magellan
with the indefatigable Glasgow on her track. Still eluding
this tenacious little ship, she buried herself amongst the
numerous islands and creeks of Southern Chile ; whilst here
she captured the collier North Wales and obtained the much-
needed fuel, the crew being landed by her supply ship
RJiakotis. Remaining in Chilean waters, she coaled at
Sandy Point, staying there for thirty-two hours, thus doubly
violating Chilean neutrality as she had coaled at Valparaiso
after the Coronel battle ; for international law prohibits
a belligerent warship coaling twice within three months in
the same country's ports. On February 27 she sank the
Conway Castle off Mocha Island, but in an endeavour to
break away she reached Juan Fernandez island on March
9, where she coaled from the German liners Alta and Sierra
Cordoba.

Five days later she was discovered here by Kent, Glasgow
and Orama, an auxiliary cruiser, and was summoned by
Glasgow to surrender. She refused and Glasgow opened fire,
but five minutes later Dresden hoisted a white flag and a
parlementaire was sent to the British to expostulate against
the attack whilst in neutral waters. The party was informed,
however, that although she had been there for five days her
flag was still flying and she had her guns trained, and that
she must either surrender or come out and fight. Seeing
no escape, her captain gave orders for the ship to be blown
up, which was accomplished after the crew had been dis-

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 181

embarked. Her casualties were fifteen wounded, which
Orama conveyed to Valparaiso.

Chile subsequently presented a protest to Great Britain
against the Glasgow's attack in her territorial waters ; but
when our apology was tendered it was pointed out that
Dresden had been at Juan Fernandez island for thirty-two
hours before our cruisers arrived (there is evidence that
she had been longer) but was uninterned, that she had twice
coaled in Chilean waters within three months, and that when
found her guns were trained and ready for action with her
colours flying, there being no necessary force on the spot
to insist on her disarmament ; and in view of these irregular-
ities Glasgow's course was upheld.

Thus ended the last of these cruisers, and a touch of the
dramatic was given by the presence of Glasgow, which had
been engaged off Coronel with her, again at the Falkland
Islands' battle when all excepting Dresden were sunk, and
since then had been in continual search of her, finally
running her to earth.

In addition to these warships, Germany always intended
to supplement the cruisers with a number of fast liners,
fitted with mountings for 6" and 4-7" weapons. These
ships were to put to sea immediately from wherever they
happened to be lying, and assist the regular cruisers to prey
upon the enemy's commerce. In status they were similar
to the privateer, and each captain carried with him a
commission already signed by the Kaiser. There had been
much discussion during 1913-14 in naval circles, and we
had replied by arming a few of our liners ; after the out-
break of hostilities numbers of our large ships were com-
missioned by the Admiralty and have done a great deal of
valuable work in supplementing the patrol force, both in
the home waters and on the oceans. Reference has already
been made to three such ships in the foregoing account.

About half a dozen German armed liners managed to put
to sea, but with the exception of two their careers were
short and harmless.

182 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

A few days after war broke out the Nord-Deutscher-Lloyd
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was seen racing down the River
Hudson painted black from top to bottom, armed with ten
4" guns, and loaded with coal in bags, presumably to recoal
the light cruisers in the Atlantic. Thus equipped she left
New York to prey upon our shipping.

Finding the North Atlantic lanes too well guarded, she
carried out her operations further south in conjunction with
Dresden, Karlsruhe, and Bremen, hoping to interrupt our
South African and South American trade. On August 15
the Union Castle liner Galician sighted a large liner bearing
down upon her, which ordered her to stop. Scenting some-
thing suspicious, she began to send out a call for help, but
was instantly stopped by the peremptory message, " Stop
message or we sink you." Sailors then boarded her and,
purchasing a supply of cigars and wines, ordered her to
follow. At midnight the passengers were ordered to abandon
the ship, but before the order could be complied with the
raider hurriedly steamed away with the welcome message,
" No more orders. Good-bye." Next day she arrived at Las
Palmas and destroyed the wireless of the R.M.S.P. Arlanza,
which was lying in harbour, and, sailing away to the south,
sank the steamers Kaipara and Nyanza a few hours later.

Her brief career terminated on August 26, when she
was attacked by Highflyer, close inshore off the West
African Coast, and after a brief action was set on fire and
sunk, the survivors escaping to the shore. Our losses were
one killed and five wounded.

Following this loss came the capture of the armed Hamburg-
Amerika Spreewald by Berwick in the West Atlantic on
September 12, together with two colliers which had 6000 tons
of coal and 180 tons of provisions aboard, doubtless for
the cruisers infesting these seas, to obviate the necessity
of disclosing their movements by putting in at a port to
re victual.

The next raider to come to an end was the Hamburg-
Amerika Cap Trafalgar, armed with eight 4" guns. Whilst

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 183

coming up the Atlantic she was attacked by our auxiliary
cruiser Carmania off Trinidad on September 14. Thereupon
commenced a most interesting duel between the two con-
verted liners ; both narrowly escaped destruction, for with
their very thin hulls a few well -aimed shots are enough to
send a ship of this type to the bottom. After an equal fight
lasting one hour and forty-five minutes, Cap Trafalgar, now
a blazing furnace, capsized and her crew was picked up by
an empty collier near by. Carmania lost nine killed and six
wounded, which amply illustrates the fierceness of the action,
and a fire breaking out on board was only just got under
control.

Meanwhile the armed liner Bethania was captured on the
15th, the Preussen was interned at Sarang Bay during
August, and the Berlin (more fully described in Part I) was
also interned at Trondhjem on November 11.

The two raiders which caused us serious damage were the
N.D.L. Kronprinz Wilhelm and the Hamburg- Amerika Prinz
Eitel Friedrich. We have already followed this ship across
the Pacific with Von Spee up to the time when she parted
company with him, after leaving Easter Island. Her first
victim was the Charcas, which was sunk in December off
Corral in Chile ; the crew was landed at Valparaiso ; how-
ever, she soon left for the Atlantic Ocean, where she secured
many victims, mostly small sailing vessels. On January 27
she sank the Russian and French barques Isabel Browne and
Pierre Loti, and the next day the United States sailing
vessel W. P. Frye and the French barque Jacobsen, ninety-
five prisoners in all being taken.

During February further victims were claimed : the barque
Invercoe sunk on the 12th, the steamer Mary Ann Short
on the 18th, on the next day the French liner Florida, and
finally the steamer Willerby on the 20th, 242 additional
prisoners being captured. These state that whilst at sea
the Prinz Eitel Friedrich presented a remarkable appearance,
being painted black on one side and white on the other ;

184 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

probably when these crews were captured she was being
transformed into a less conspicuous ship, and her white
hull was being painted warship black. Her armament
consisted of three 8" and ten 5" guns which had been received
from Von Spee, and she had a crew of 350, being quite a
formidable opponent.

She arrived at Newport News (Virginia) on March 11,
badly in need of repairs and a thorough overhaul after her
long cruise. She was given a month in which to effect her
repairs, but as she made no attempt to leave she was interned
on April 8.

The last of these raiders was the Kronprinz Wilhelm,
which, like her sister Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, was at New
York on the outbreak of war. She had arrived on July 30,
and left a few days later with clearance papers for Bremen,
but with the intention of harassing our overseas trade.
Painted grey and armed with two guns, she left with a
large supply of coal aboard.

Choosing the busy Atlantic as her hunting-ground, she did
not secure any success for some time, but on September 25
the German steamer Prussia put into Santos with the crew
of the Indian Prince. The Houlder liner La Correntina, with
a cargo of frozen meat, was sunk 200 miles off Buenos
Ayres, and the crew landed at Monte Video by the Sierra
Cordoba on November 23, together with the crew of the
French barque Union sunk on October 28. The former ship
carried a gun, but unfortunately had no ammunition aboard.

Not until December 4 did she secure any further victims,
when on that day she sank the French steamer Mont Agel
in ballast, and captured the British Bellevue ; from this latter
she replenished her much-depleted bunkers and took aboard
3000 tons of coal, after which she sank the vessel on the 20th.
This was followed by the loss of the French barque Anne
de Bretagne on the next day, all the crews being landed by
the German Otavi at Las Palmas on January 3.

On February 18 the German steamer Holger arrived at
Buenos Ayres with a large haul of prisoners numbering 243,

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 185

the crews of the steamers Highland Brae, Potaro, Hemisphere
(captured on December 28 and her cargo and stores tran-
shipped, and sunk on January 8), and the Norwegian and
Canadian barques Simantha and Wilfrid, all sunk off the
north coast of Brazil. The total damage was estimated at
£250,000. The Holger was interned as an auxiliary on the
21st, as she failed to clear after being given twenty-four
hours' notice.

The last two victims were the Tamar sunk on March 25,
whose stores were transhipped before the seacocks were
opened, and Coleby sunk two days later. After her long
cruise the Kronprinz Wilhelm's condition, together with the
Allied cruisers on her track, necessitated her putting into
a neutral port for repairs ; being advised by wireless from
Prinz Eitel Friedrich, she ran for Newport News, where she
arrived on April 11, with only twenty- five tons of coal
left. Her condition was very bad and there was little food
left; she had also sixty-six cases of beri-beri aboard. The
prisoners were subjected to much hardship, although not
treated harshly. She was interned later.

Both of these raiders were seized when America broke off
diplomatic relations with the Central Empires on February
3, 1917.

With the return of this raider the seas were once more
clear. They caused us the loss of the cruisers Good Hope,
Monmouth, Pegasus, Zhemtchug, the destroyer Mousquet
and the gunboat ZeUe, in addition to fifty British, six
French, and one Russian ships sunk, and seven British ships
captured. An American, a Dutch, and a Norwegian ship
were also sunk. To achieve this the enemy lost two armoured
cruisers, six valuable light cruisers, seven gunboats, two
small river craft, and six armed liners, excluding two interned.
When it is borne in mind that the whole of the famous
Anzac contingent was transported during their careers, as
well as numerous expeditions to German colonies, it will
be seen that relatively little was accomplished by the first
High Seas Campaign.

186 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

THE SECOND CAMPAIGN ON THE HIGH SEAS, 1916-17

It has been shown that with the internment of the Kron-
prinz Wilhelm at Newport News, during the spring of 1915,
this campaign terminated. This warfare against our shipping
was followed by the inauguration of the first submarine
campaign in our home waters ; in due time this also failed.
Germany then resorted to yet another plan, pending the
commencement of her second submarine campaign; this
was to send out raiders disguised as neutral merchantmen
from her ports, and prey on our trade in a similar manner to
that of her lost cruisers. She had already lost too many of
these valuable ships to detach any more on a comparatively
subsidiary operation, and our strong patrols would prove
difficult to elude and a great deal more so on a return
journey, for once the presence of the raiders on the ocean
was reported they would be diligently sought for and their
ultimate fate assured.

Germany therefore hit upon the plan of either building
or converting several ships to appear like harmless tramps,
which would stand a greater chance of slipping into the
Atlantic undetected. Moreover, if these ships were painted
with a neutral country's colours and flew a corresponding
flag, there was a good chance that the majority would be
successful in their enterprise. We know that a dozen such
ships were constructed, but only a small part of these have
come into prominence, and the fate of the remaining ones
has not been disclosed. These raiders were very heavily
armed both with guns and torpedo tubes.

The first to come to grief was torpedoed by our submarine
E 5 on September 25, 1915, near Borkum Island, and a second
was also torpedoed in the same vicinity on December 22 by
E 16 ; but beyond that their tonnage was given as about
4000, no particulars were published of these auxiliary craft.
They were presumably engaged in minesowing.

On January 22, 1916, the fine new Elder-Dempster liner
Appam, overdue at Plymouth, was posted four days late,
and as the weather had been stormy, fears were entertained

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 187

for her safety. She had been sighted by the steamer Palma
on the 18th in fine weather, but no further news of her was
forthcoming and the worst was feared; the supposed loss
of the liner was inferred when one of her empty lifeboats
was picked up at sea off Morocco on the 16th, and corrobor-
ated by the knowledge that German submarines had laid
mines in the Bay of Biscay. The Appam had on board
the ex- Governor of Sierra Leone, a number of German
prisoners, and much bullion.

The dramatic arrival of this liner at Norfolk, Virginia, is
well remembered. She arrived at that port on February 1,
flying the German flag and in charge of German sailors com-
manded by a Lieutenant Berg ; and it is possible to recon-
struct the greater part of the raider's career from information
given by the passengers and crews of her many victims.
Captain Harrison of the Appam states that his ship was
captured in fine weather on January 16 ; he was steaming at
a fair speed when he sighted a tramp off the Canaries. On
drawing nearer the ship's company was amazed to see a shot
fired across her bows; being completely taken unawares,
they had no time to get their 3" gun into action, and were
compelled to heave to. Simultaneously the supposed tramp's
forecastle, which was nothing more than a canvas screen,
fell away and a battery of guns was revealed to the astonished
victims. In the face of this formidable armament Captain
Harrison surrendered and a prize crew came aboard under
cover of their guns, disarming the passengers and crew and
locking them in their cabins. The twenty German prisoners
were of course liberated, and assisted the prize crew. The
Appam' s company were daily exercised in small numbers,
rendering it quite an easy task for the few Germans to control
several hundred prisoners, none of whom have any complaint
to make against their captors, even the liberated prisoners.

With the arrival of the raider, which was named Mowe,
they learnt that several ships, offering no resistance, had
already been taken. These were the collier Corbridge,
captured on January 10 and taken over by a prize crew, and
the Farringford which was sunk, followed three days later

188 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

by Dromonby, Autfior, Trader, and on the 15th by Ariadne
with a cargo of wheat, all the crews being subsequently
transferred to Appam.

On the day following the capture of the Appam a very
thrilling encounter took place between the Mowe and a
merchantman, which she was about to capture. This was
the Clan MacTavish, which, scenting something suspicious,
opened fire with her little 3-pounder at the approaching
raider without the slightest warning. Unfortunately the
shots missed, and before she had time to reload Mowe
dropped her screen and poured a full broadside into the
plucky steamer. For half an hour this unequal combat
raged and fires broke out aboard the Clan MacTavish ; two
torpedoes were then discharged from tubes on the raider's
deck, and the steamer heeled over and shortly sank. She
had lost fifteen killed and four wounded, and boats from
Mowe and Appam picked up the survivors. In recognition
of this brave defence Admiral Jellicoe sent a telegram to
the owners, expressing the admiration of the Fleet and
sympathy for the relatives. This little action typically
illustrates the spirit of our mercantile marine ; it was not
the outcome of an impulse, but the fulfilment of a resolve
made seven months previously. The ship had been attacked
by a submarine, and Captain Oliver and his officers made a
vow never to surrender their ship should they be attacked,
but rather go down fighting to the last. They had heroically
kept their promise.

Soon after this, Appam parted company from Mowe and
Corbridge, and by extremely good luck safely arrived at
the American port without encountering any ships ; all the
prisoners were released on February 4, with the exception
of thirty- two officers and men who had been taken away on
Mowe. A formal demand for the release of the ship on
behalf of the owners was presented by the British Ambas-
sador, and this has been successful.

Great mystery surrounded the identity of the raider, for
the captains of the Corbridge and Trader, who were taken
aboard her, discovered a nameplate bearing the name Ponga,

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 189

and declared that she was built at Bremerhaven quite
recently as a commerce raider of 6000 tons. The crew, who
wore cap-bands with the names of Mowe and Taula, were
very large and were armed with rifles. Sir E. Mereweather,
the ex-Governor of Sierra Leone, thinks that she was
originally a fruit ship of 4000 tons and 17 knots, having
escaped from the Canaries. According to his statements
her armament consisted of two 6-7 " guns mounted forward,
four 4-1" pieces mounted aft, and a 3-pounder on her after
deck. In light of the subsequent events there is little doubt
that she left a German port about December 27, laid mines
off the East Coast, and then passed out into the Atlantic
over the north of Scotland.

For about three weeks nothing more was heard of her, but
on February 23 the steamer Westburn arrived at Teneriffe,
likewise flying a German flag and with a German prize crew
in charge. She brought 206 prisoners from the sunken
steamers Flamenco, Horace, Beige, Luxembourg, and the
sailing vessel Edinburgh. At the time there was a British
cruiser lying in port, and seeing the Westburn clear after a
stay of twenty-five hours, she prepared to follow and capture
her ; however, in sight of land her crew abandoned her and
blew her up with dynamite, and returned to harbour. The
prisoners state that she had been used as a convoy to carry
the crews, and that after all the coal had been transhipped
to Mowe, the collier Corbridge had been sunk in the mouth
of the Amazon. Only in one case had loss of life occurred,
and that was when Flamenco sent out a S.O.S. message
and was fired on; she sank immediately with one of her
crew.

The Mowe's return to Germany was undoubtedly a clever
piece of work, but, as her victims could testify to their cost,
she was perfectly disguised as a Swedish merchantman.
She made the return journey via the north of Iceland, and
with favourable weather reached Copenhagen on February 29,
and arrived at Wilhelmshaven on March 4. On this date
the German Admiralty announced that after a successful
cruise lasting several months, Mowe had returned with

190 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

4 British officers, 29 marines and sailors, and 106 Indians
as prisoners, together with 1,000,000 marks in gold (from
Appam). In addition to the foregoing steamers she had
sunk the French Maroni and the Saxon Prince (600 miles
off the south of Ireland on February 25). Commander
Count von und zu Dohna-Schlodien claims to have laid the
mines which sank the battleship King Edward VII on her
outward journey.

Thus ended a singularly fruitful raid, but the German
luck did not hold. Simultaneously with the arrival of
Mowe a>t Copenhagen, the enemy sent out another raider
to replace her, hoping also to elude our patrols. Experi-
ence is priceless, and on this day, the 29th, the Greif was
well out when she was sighted by our auxiliary cruiser
Alcantara (R.M.S.P.) in northern waters. Painted in
Norwegian colours and flying a similar flag, she was well
disguised. Our patrol would have probably passed her had
she not made off ; scenting something suspicious Alcantara
went in chase, and after a two hours' steaming brought her
to. A boarding party was then lowered and was about
half-way between the ships, when Greif dropped her fore-
castle, lowered the Norwegian flag, hoisted the German flag,
and opened fire at a range of only 800 yards, blowing the
boarding boat out of the water, and killing three of its crew.

Thereupon commenced an action lasting for forty minutes,
in which Andes, a sister ship, arrived and joined. At the
end of this time the Greif was set ablaze fore and aft, but
still kept up a good reply, all the ships travelling at a fair
speed. She then discharged three torpedoes at Alcantara,
two of which struck her, and, listing heavily, she sank.
She was closely followed by her foe, who was steadily pounded
by Andes until a violent explosion occurred, in which she
disappeared. Our losses were 5 officers and 69 men killed,
whilst of Greif s crew of 321, only 5 officers and 115 men
were picked up.

This was the answer to the German boast that our patrols
were a failure. The action was fought at an unfavourable
range for the British ships, the main action being at a range

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 191

of only 600 yards, but up to the end Alcantara wrought
great havoc on the heavier armed raider.

The fifth raider was reported to be at large on December
4, 1916, in the Atlantic, but not till the arrival of the Japanese
steamer Hudson Maru at Pernambuco on January 16, 1917,
did any definite news transpire. This steamer was captured
on January 12, and brought 237 officers and men from
the steamers Georgic, Radnorshire, Mount Temple, Voltaire,
Netherby Hall, Dramatist, King George, Minieh, and the two
French barques Asnieres and Nantes. In addition to the
Hudson Maru she captured the steamers St. Theodore and
Yarrowdale. The former was converted into a raider on
December 28 for independent operations, after serving as a
convoy for the crews, but was sunk later when the return
journey was about to be made. Yarrowdale arrived at Swine-
munde in the Baltic on January 19 with 469 prisoners.

All the above steamers were sunk between December 12
and January 10 ; but excepting in the case of Radnorshire,
sunk on January 8, the dates were not published. On
January 30 it was reported that Cambrian Range had been
sunk by a raider some time before the 17th. The captured
crews complained of harsh treatment and bad food, and
the British and French crews were all herded together with
the numerous Lascars.

Not until March 23 was any further news forthcoming,
when Berlin reported that Mo we had safely returned after
a cruise lasting several months, and again under the same
commander. Her bag consisted of eighteen British steamers
sunk and one captured, of which eight were armed, and
five on Admiralty service, also four sailing craft sunk,
including two French, one Canadian, and one Norwegian.
She brought 593 prisoners back. The later prizes were
Brecknorshire, Esmeraldas, French Prince, Otaki, Rhodanthe,
Katherine, Demerton, Governor, Eddie, and the Canadian
and Norwegian sailing vessels Jean and Staut. Several of
these were sunk on her return voyage, which was again
skilfully managed.

192 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

The captured crews state that the Mowe was of 12,000
tons gross and had a speed of 16 knots, measured 500' by
50' ; she was armed with two 5" guns mounted forward,
two 8" amidships, two 5" after, several quickfirers and
torpedo tubes. She was painted black, and had one
telescopic funnel and two masts.

The only consoling fact about these serious losses is the
comparative safety of the crews, who had not been left to
drift about on the wide seas.

A further development came to light on January 22, when
the Danish steamer Hammerhaus arrived at Rio de Janeiro
in charge of a German crew. This ship had fallen in with
a raider bearing the name of Puyme, and had been used
as a supply ship and later as an auxiliary cruiser. On
attempting to leave by night after taking on board a
quantity of stores and ammunition, she was ordered to stop
by the port authorities, but refused; she was fired on by
the forts, and was then interned.

The arrival of the French barque Cambronne at Rio de
Janeiro on March 31 with 200 British, French and Italian
sailors from the sunken steamers Gladys Eoyle, Horngarth,
Lady Island, the sailing vessels British Yeoman, Pinmore,
Perce (Canadian), the French sailing vessels Antonin,
Charles Gounod, Dupleix, La Rochefoucauld, and the Italian
Buenos Ayres, revealed the fact that a captured American
barque named Pass of Balmaha had been converted into a
raider and named Seeadler, fitted with motors, armed with
two 4'2" and sixteen machine-guns, and equipped with
wireless. She had been operating off Trinidad.

On March 13 Tokio announced that a Japanese steamer
had been sunk in the Indian Ocean by a raider. Also from
the fact that on July 30 it was stated in the House of
Commons that the P. & O. liner Mongolia had been sunk by
mines laid off the Indian coast by a raider named Wolf, it
appeared that there were several raiders at large.

The Seeadler herself, after leaving the Atlantic presum-
ably via Cape Horn, arrived in the Pacific ; definite news

CAREERS OF GERMAN CRUISERS AT LARGE 193

of her transpired later, but in the House of Commons on
August 8 Dr. Macnamara stated that " the Admiralty were
not without knowledge of the whereabouts and fate of these
vessels (Puyme, Ritz, Seeadler, Vineta, and Wolf), and that
any disclosure would be injudicious."

Soon after, news was received of the fate of the Seeadler.
This raider had escaped from Germany in December 1916
disguised as a Norwegian merchantman, loaded with timber ;
she had been boarded by a destroyer, but as her papers were
in order and nothing suspicious was observed, she succeeded
in gaining the Atlantic. After sinking the shipping in the
South Atlantic she made for the Pacific, and Captain von
Okner claims to have destroyed in a short period £8,000,000
worth of shipping here. Her victims remained unidentified,
with the exception of three American schooners, A. E.
Johnston, R. C. Slade, and Manilla, from which she obtained
much-needed supplies of explosives.

As his ship was becoming foul the captain made for Mopela
in the Society Islands, where he beached her, and her over-
haul was proceeding satisfactorily until a tidal wave lifted
her right on to a reef, upon which she broke her back. Her
crew then completely destroyed her and camped ashore
with their captives. Captain von Okner and five officers
then decided to endeavour to seize another ship, and went
away in the motor launch on August 21, nineteen days after
the accident, but they were captured on October 6 at
Lantoa Island, Fiji.

Meanwhile a French auxiliary schooner arrived off Mopela
to take off the American sailors, but she was seized by the
remaining Germans, who, having armed her, put to sea on
September 5 and continued the Seeadler's career. After
their departure, Captain Smith of the Slade and three men
also put to sea in an open boat, and after a journey of 1000
miles arrived at Pago-Pago, in Samoa, on September 29.
They made no complaint against their treatment by the
Germans, and the remaining forty -three American and French
sailors were rescued by a naval expedition during October.
Of the captured French Lutece nothing was reported.

CHAPTER II

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN

THE entry of Turkey into the European conflict has been
one of the most criticised events of the war, and it cannot
be said that that criticism has left the credit of the Govern-
ment unshaken ; indeed, throughout all the Mediterranean
and Balkan policy it is impossible to be satisfied with our
diplomacy. It must be borne in mind before forming a
hasty judgment, that in such countries as Turkey and the
Balkan States they only go on the principle that Might is
Right, and when war is brought to their very borders and
they are threatened with Armageddon in its worst form by
a Power who knows no Right, the baser nations take the
side of whomsoever seems to them to be the stronger. We
cannot pretend that our policy with Serbia and Montenegro
favourably impressed the hesitant nations, and it was
therefore all the more to the credit of Rumania when she
took the plunge.

Turkey has for several years been slowly but surely per-
meated with German influence and intrigue, and amongst
other matters the sale of the two old German battleships
Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm and Weissenburg, together with
the four destroyers S 165, S 166, S 167, and S 168, in August
1910, significantly showed the extent to which this influence
had penetrated. No absolutely independent Power would
have wasted its none too plenteous money upon a pair of
obsolete warships ; it would have rather bought or built
light cruisers of more modern design. To Germany Turkey
owed her salvation in the Balkan Wars in the shape of
funds and help, as it was not Germany's intention that a less
amenable nation should interrupt a through German passage

194

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 195

to India. It was Germany's aim to keep her unmolested
until " Der Tag " should dawn, when she would have a clear
road to the East via Austria and Turkey, eliminating the
obstacle made by Bulgaria and Serbia either by swift blows
at them or by intimidation. Herein lay the joint in the
plan ; Germany never dreamt that the Powers, least of all
England, would take up the cause of Serbia. Should Russia,
and consequently France, intervene, she counted upon a
swift stroke against the latter, whom she believed to be
thoroughly disorganised, and then meant to return and
attack Russia before she had time to arm her millions. How
she would have succeeded in this plan, but for England's
intervention, we now know. Furthermore, with the two
great Powers hors de combat, she could have finished off
England later and have become undisputed Mistress of the
Seas. This then was the general plan in 1914.

On the declaration of war on Germany on August 4, the
Admiralty took over the two Turkish Dreadnoughts com-
pleting in this country, the Reshadieh and Sultan Osman I ;
Germany on her part acquired the Greek battle-cruiser
Salamis. The transactions were perfectly legal, and the
purchase-money was paid immediately. It proved, however,
a lucky stroke for Germany, who exerted her energies to
produce a feeling of distrust between the two nations ; and
on the arrival of the Goeben and Breslau in the Darda-
nelles a few days later, the Turks were induced to " buy "
these fugitive warships, ostensibly to replace the two
Dreadnoughts taken over by us.

Their German crews remained aboard despite protests
from the Allies, and it was stated that lack of trained per-
sonnel to man them was the reason, though we know that
they were retained in reality to assist in the fortification of
the Dardanelles defences. Owing to its anomalous position
the British Naval Mission under Rear-Admiral Limpus,
which had done good work in reorganising the Turkish
Navy, was recalled on September 14, the decision of the
Admiralty being hailed with relief by the Mission themselves.

The Dardanelles were closed on October 3, and the British

196 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

squadron, waiting outside for the two warships to become
in a true sense Turkish ships, was shut out. From this
time it became evident that Turkey's entry into the war
was only a matter of time, and the breach was made on
October 29, when Turkish warships raided Odessa, and
Breslau shelled Theodosia and Novorissik on the next day.

On November 1 the Allied Consuls applied for their
passports and left Constantinople ; and hostilities com-
menced next day with the sinking of the gunboat Burak Reis
off Smyrna. On the 3rd a bombardment by an Allied
squadron at long range on the outer forts of the Dardanelles
caused an explosion, accompanied by dense volumes of
smoke, in Helles Fort, and Goeben was reported holed whilst
lying in the Straits. On the same day Minerva, supported
by the destroyers Savage and Scorpion, finding the town of
Akaba occupied by Turkish troops under the command of a
German officer, shelled the fort and, landing a force, evicted
the garrison with considerable loss to the enemy. On the
7th there was a further bombardment of Smyrna ; but after
this the Turks were left alone, as all our available forces
were employed in rounding up the commerce raiders.

On December 14 came the news of Lieutenant Hoi brook's
wonderful feat in B 1 1 ; taking this old submarine up the
Dardanelles in spite of a difficult current, he safely dived
under five rows of mines and torpedoed the old battleship
Messudiyeh, which was guarding the minefield. Before diving
again he observed her to be sinking, but was chased by
torpedo boats and shelled by the forts ; happily he returned
safely after an arduous journey, and was awarded a well-
merited V.C. on the 22nd for his brave and skilful feat.
This was but the first of a long series of splendid submarine
activities in these waters (described at the end of this
chapter), but whilst subsequent attacks were performed by
our latest craft, B 1 1 was obsolete and its offensive capacity
very limited. Of course the Turks, once warned, did every-
thing in their power to increase the difficulties attending a
voyage up the Straits, but it is impossible to give sufficient
praise to Holbrook's remarkable success.

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 197

A further bombardment of the forts on December 20,
and several shellings of the Syrian coast, where Turkish
troops were concentrated, kept the enemy in a state of
unrest ; on the night of January 6-7 Doris landed a party
at Alexandretta, and the subsequent operations here are
dealt with in Chapter VI.

The first Allied loss in connection with this campaign was
sustained on the 17th, when the French submarine Saphir,
in an attempt to emulate the feat of B 11, stranded in the
Straits; to prevent her capture she was blown up by her
crew, who were tajsen prisoners.

On February 2 it was reported that in a surprise attack
by the Allies, four of the forts had been destroyed and two
ammunition depots set on fire by four destroyers ; and this
was followed by another attack on the 7th. It was not
until the 19th that any serious attempt was made to force
the Dardanelles.

It is as well to review the general situation in Europe at
this time. Russia had been forced to retire along the whole
front through lack of ammunition and arms to equip her
uncounted millions of manhood. It was impossible to get
any supplies through to her, as the Arctic was frozen over
and Japan had not then been able to send any appreciable
quantity. If once the Dardanelles could be forced we could
send her what she so much needed, whilst the enormous
quantities of wheat lying at her Black Sea ports would have
been very welcome to us ; and finally the effect the forcing
would have upon the hesitant Balkans, and even upon
Italy, would be very favourable.

The first few months were extremely critical for us, both
on land and sea. On land Russia, by her most unselfish
conduct, was able to prevent the capture of Paris, but she
was now paying the price, and it was stated that her soldiers
were without ammunition and were fighting entirely with
the bayonet, owing to the totally inadequate supply of
ammunition due to the inefficiency of the Army authorities.
On sea we had managed to hunt down the raiders, transport
a huge army from across the ocean, keep an incessant watch

198 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

off the enemy's coasts, and maintain our vast overseas trade.
It was now the time to repay the debt to Russia.

Now that almost the last of the raiders had been destroyed
we could devote the use of the naval forces thus employed
to another purpose ; and owing to the efforts of our ship-
building yards in speeding up the construction of our new
ships, we were able to dispatch a small squadron, assisted
by a French squadron under Rear- Admiral Guepratte, to
Eastern waters. This Allied Fleet could be reinforced from
time to time by the China and East Indies Squadrons. It
was well known prior to the war that the Straits were
very heavily fortified with a large number of 28 centimetre
Krupp guns, mounted upon disappearing turrets, and all
the ranges had been worked out. Since then the work
had been continued by the Goeben's crew.

Now that the findings of the Dardanelles Commission's
Report have been published, little need be said about the
arguments for and against the campaign. Put briefly, it
appears to the average man that it ought never to have been
commenced unless it could have been backed up immediately
by a military expedition. It appears that the naval and
military advisers were one and all of the opinion that the
forts could be reduced by a naval attack, although Lord
Fisher was not in sympathy with the idea. Greece was then
under M. Venezelos, who had promised assistance. The
immense advantages to be derived from a success seem
to have obscured the thorough investigation which such an
enterprise demanded ; it must be remembered that a purely
naval attack on land fortifications has always been held
to be unsatisfactory. We had at that time no men to
spare for another campaign, as all our available resources
were urgently needed in France.

Two points appear very prominently in the whole affair :
that the landing should not have been attempted unless
success had been more assured, this being possible before
the enemy had time to make any elaborate preparations,
but not very certain in the case of a naval attack, as the larger
element of risk entered in unless a combined attack was
delivered. Secondly, that, as Lord Fisher proposed, the

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 199

campaign should be abandoned when it was seen that all
surprise had been anticipated and our troops were encounter-
ing a stubborn defence. This course would undoubtedly
have had a damaging effect on our prestige, but surely this
was not to be weighed against the thousands of brave lives
which were sacrificed on this blood-drenched peninsula.
However, those who have the most to say in denunciation
of the War Council would have been the first to give praise
if the whole campaign had been successful. Still, one feels
that when this country is fighting for her very existence,
such gambles are out of place.

The attack was ordered to commence on February 19,
and was duly begun by Vice-Admiral Sir Sackville Garden
with a fleet of battleships, a battle-cruiser, and flotillas, and
aided by the French squadron. The outer forts were shelled
at long range, and Cape Helles and Kum Kale were hit with
considerable effect. At 2.15 p.m. Vengeance, Cornwallis,
Triumph, Suffren, Gaulois, and Bouvet, supported by In-
flexible and Agamemnon, engaged the forts at closer range
with their secondary armaments, the forts replying ; but
on being subjected to fire at moderate range, the forts on
the European side were apparently silenced, and only one
continued to reply from the Asiatic shore.1 Operations were
suspended when the light failed, but we had sustained no
casualties. On the next day the seaplane carrier Ark Royal
was in attendance for scouting purposes.

1 The following are the various forts with their armaments, herein referred
to by their letters : —

A. Cape Helles Battery . . . Two 9-2" guns.

B. Seddul-Bahr Six 10-2" „

C. Orkhanieh Tabia .... Two 9-2" „

D. Kum Kalossi Tabia . . . Four 10-2" and two 5-9" guns.

E. Fort Dardanus Four 5-9* guns.

F. Suandere — ,

J. Rumilieh Medjidieh Tabia . Two 1 T, four 94" and five 4" guns.
T. Tabia Namazieh .... One 14*, one 1O2", eleven 9-4",

three 8-2" and three 5-9" guns.
U. Hamidieh Tabia .... Two 14" and seven 9'4" guns.

V. Hamidieh 3 Two 14", one 9-4", one 8'2" and four

5*9" guns.
Kum Kale (Asiatic side) . . Four 5-9" guns.

200 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Until the 25th the weather was unfavourable, when
Queen Elizabeth, one of our latest Dreadnoughts, rendered
great service in the reduction of the outer forts A, B, C and
D, and with Agamemnon silenced A, whilst Irresistible and
Gaulois engaged C and D ; during this action Agamemnon
lost three killed and five wounded from a shell fired from A.
Vengeance and Cornwallis then ran in under cover of long-
range fire and engaged A, reducing it, whilst C and D opened
a slow and ineffective fire. These were then engaged by
Charlemagne and Suffren at 2000 yards range, which ceased
when it was seen that they were in no condition to offer
effective resistance. Vengeance, Albion and Triumph then
completed the destruction of A, B, C and D, and minesweeping
operations commenced and were continued, until by the
next morning the Straits had been swept four miles up. The
attack on the next forts was then undertaken, and proceeding
to the edge of the mines wept area, Majestic and Albion
entered the Dardanelles, and at 9.15 a.m. opened fire upon
E and some new batteries on this side, the reply being
ineffective and the damage to the ships slight. The outer
forts were evacuated after a shelling, and demolishing parties
landed at B and Kum Kale from Vengeance and Irresistible,
one party even penetrating as far as Krithia. A, B and C
were completely, and D partially demolished, and twenty-
four concealed and four Nordenfelt guns were also destroyed.
Our casualties were one killed and three wounded.

Operations were again interrupted by the frequent gales
experienced at this season in the Mediterranean ; on March 1
the attack was resumed, and Triumph, Albion and Ocean
entered the Straits and again attacked E and White Cliff
Battery, their fire being returned ; an aerial reconnaissance
disclosed several new gun positions without the weapons
yet mounted. Minesweeping continued under heavy fire,
and the Straits were swept clear to within one and a half
miles of Cape Kephez, with the loss of six wounded. Mean-
while the French squadron shelled some batteries at Bui air,
in the neck of the peninsula.

Next day Swiftsure, Cornwallis and Canopus attacked E, but

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OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE DARDANELLES FORTIFICATIONS.

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THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 201

they were heavily fired upon by Fort No. 9 and howitzers ;
No. 9 was damaged and ceased firing at 4.50 p.m., but
all three ships were hit, yet the only casualty was one
wounded. On this day the Russian Askold arrived from the
East and did good work both here and later off the Bulgarian
coast. Demonstrations were also carried out further up the
coast, Dublin destroying an observation station, whilst
Sapphire shelled troops and guns in the Gulf of Adramjti,
and the French squadron bombarded the Bulair forts and
wrecked the Cavack Bridge. On this day six modern field
guns were destroyed near B ; these concealed batteries gave
a great deal of trouble, as the rugged character of the
Peninsula rendered the location of them by aircraft very
difficult.

On the next day, the 3rd, Irresistible, Albion, Triumph
and Prince George resumed the attack on E and concealed
guns in its neighbourhood, and the reply was less active.
The weather was unfavourable but improved on the 4th,
and the attack, mines weeping and demolishing work con-
tinued, four Nordenfelts being destroyed. The ships landed
a party as the enemy was holding the villages in force, and
in the skirmishing we lost nineteen killed, three missing and
twenty-five wounded. Prince George also shelled Besika,
and Sapphire in the Gulf of Adramjti silenced the guns, and
on the following day shelled troops and a military station
at Tuzburna.

On the next day a larger attack was delivered on the inner
forts. By indirect fire Queen Elizabeth fired twenty-nine
shots on J, L and T, the magazine of L blowing up and dis-
abling the fort ; she was supported by Inflexible and Prince
George, who dealt with the howitzers. J and T were damaged,
and the effects were observed by Cornwallis, Albion, Irre-
sistible and Canopus from inside the Straits. Heavy fire
from the concealed batteries was ineffective.

On this day the East Indies squadron under Vice-Admiral
Sir R. Peirse, flying his flag on Euryalus, bombarded Smyrna ;
fire was concentrated upon Fort Yenikale, and after thirty-
two hits two of its magazines blew up, Euryalus firing with

202 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

particular accuracy. As there was no reply, the bombard-
ment was then conducted at a closer range. On the next day
Peirse swept in through the minefields and drew fire from
subsidiary batteries up the hillside containing 6" and 4' 7"
weapons, and from three field-guns, all of which were silenced
in an hour ; other batteries were silenced in the afternoon.
Euryalus and a battleship were struck by a 6" shell and a
few casualties resulted; in addition several minesweepers
were hit, and during later operations in the Gulf of Smyrna
the Okino was blown up with the loss of ten killed. The work
of the minesweeper is ever a hazardous task, but when under
heavy fire, as the trawlers in these operations were, it is
rendered doubly so, and no praise is too great for their
devotion to duty.

Meanwhile at the Dardanelles the general attack was
continued on the inner forts; Queen Elizabeth, supported
by Agamemnon and Ocean, opened an indirect fire at a range
of 21,000 yards on forts U and V, and was struck by three
shells from howitzers and field-guns, but escaped damage.
Inside the Straits Vengeance, Albion, Prince George and
Majestic, and the French Suffren, attacked E and F, and were
replied to by concealed guns. J, which previously had been
attacked, opened fire, but was hit with the 12" shells and
ceased fire. Most of our ships were struck, but no damage
or casualties were reported, and during the night mine-
sweeping continued under cover of Majestic.

On the next day the attack was resumed, and the French
squadron, covering Agamemnon and Lord Nelson in a direct
bombardment of the inner forts, engaged E and the concealed
batteries and silenced the fort at last. The two large battle-
ships then engaged the Narrows Forts at about 14,000 yards
range, and several explosions were caused by the heavy shells,
both J and U being silenced. Gaulois, Agamemnon and
Lord Nelson were each hit three times but not seriously
damaged, and the latter had three men wounded. Dublin
remained off Bulair, and was shelled.

It was whilst covering the minesweepers that Amethyst
made her spirited dash up the Straits as far as Nagara, the

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 203

furthest point any surface ship reached ; it was made on the
night of March 9 amidst a perfect hail of shells from the forts,
and a shot striking her, it killed twenty-six of her crew and
wounded thirty-four others. Fortunately the other two
shells which struck her did no further damage, and she
returned safely. On the night of the 16th the minesweeper
Manx Hero was blown up with the loss of three killed and two
wounded, but the work continued for ten days until the
Straits had been cleared up to a distance of eleven miles.

On March 16 Vice- Admiral Garden, who was incapacitated
by illness and was leaving for England, was succeeded by
Rear- Admiral John Michael de Robeck to the command of
the Mediterranean Fleet, and the attack, which had been
ordered to be made with practically all our forces at hand,
was postponed until the morrow. It will have been noticed
that whilst the outer forts speedily succumbed, the inner ones
and the numerous batteries had put up an unexpected
defence. The attack on this day, the 18th, was by far the
largest yet undertaken, and at the close of it it was apparent
that a purely naval attack had been unsuccessful. Whether
Admiral Garden already recognised the fact we have not been
told, but as he resigned on the day before the original attack
was to be delivered, namely the 17th, it seems possible. He
had been ordered to force the passage immediately if possible,
despite the cost it would entail ; and reinforcements had
already been sent out in anticipation of losses. Against
the forts great damage was undoubtedly done, but in the
light of subsequent events the damage to th'e concealed
batteries and howitzers remains a doubtful factor.

The tremendous attack commenced under Admiral
Robeck on March 18 at 10.45 a.m., and the violent assault on
the forts in the Narrows began. Queen Elizabeth, Inflexible,
Agamemnon and Lord Nelson opened a very heavy fire
on forts J, E, T, U and V, whilst Triumph and Prince George
attacked the batteries at F, E and H ; all of the ships were
heavily fired upon by the field-guns and howitzers, as they
were lying about six miles up the Straits. Soon after, above
the terrific din, a yet louder explosion was heard, and it was

204 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

seen that Inflexible had been struck by a floating mine, and
was considerably damaged in the bows. She quitted the line
and eventually reached Tenedos. At about noon the French
squadron under Rear-Admiral Guepratte, consisting of
Charlemagne, Suffren, Gaulois and Bouvet, advanced up the
Straits under a terrific fire and engaged the forts at closer
range ; E, F, J and U replied strongly, but were nevertheless
silenced at 1.25 p.m. by the ten battleships in the Straits,
all of which were hit several times.

Shortly afterwards the French squadron was relieved
by Swiftsure, Vengeance, Albion, Ocean, Irresistible and
Majestic. As they were turning out, the leading ship,
Gaulois, struck a mine and was badly damaged; far more
terrible a few minutes later was the blowing up of the
Bouvet, which had also struck a mine and sank in three
minutes in thirty-five fathoms of water, with practically
all of her crew. Her destruction was hastened by an internal
explosion which immediately followed. Suffren too was
badly hit and had to be beached later.

The British relief squadron opened fire at 2.36 p.m., and
a veritable inferno began, for the large British ships were
now firing over the older ships, and the blowing up of the
magazines ashore and the strong reply made a deafening din.
At about 4 p.m. it was seen that Irresistible had been struck
by a mine and commenced to sink; she quitted the line
listing heavily, and made for the beach. Happily most of
her crew were rescued by the destroyer Wear, which in a very
gallant manner ran alongside under very heavy fire, enabling
the crew to jump aboard. A few men remained aboard
the sinking ship and fought her guns to the last, and she was
very heavily shelled by the Turks until at 5.30 p.m. she
foundered. Shortly after this disaster Ocean, which had
closed in to her assistance, was struck by a mine and heeled
over ; she was also struck by a rain of Turkish shells,
and commenced to sink, but fortunately practically all of
her crew were taken off under heavy fire by the destroyers.
She sank at 6.5 p.m. in deep water.

Though these casualties were attributed to floating mines,

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 205

it would perhaps be more correct to say torpedoes, as
considerable doubt existed as to the character of the mines.
Turkey had secured a new invention in mines, through
Germany, whereby these mines are discharged from a torpedo
tube, and in shape are similar to a small torpedo. They are
particularly adapted to these waters, and rise and fall to
specified depths at various intervals. They are not drifting
mines in the sense of those which Germany indiscriminately
strewed in the North Sea, as these are never lost. The
current in the Dardanelles is twofold, one on the surface
flowing outwards into the Mediterranean, and the other
sixty feet deep flowing inwards to the Sea of Marmora to
counteract the vast evaporation. Thus by sinking after
drifting down for a prearranged distance, they return by
the lower current, and by their mechanism rise again at
their point of starting. They presented a very difficult
problem to grapple with, for an area which was considered
swept clear would be just as dangerous when the engines
floated downstream. We may presume from the fact that
no further losses were recorded from this cause, that our
sailors, with their characteristic thoroughness, overcame the
difficulty.

These were the losses sustained upon this memorable day.
The serious damage to Inflexible was not made public for
some time afterwards, the Admiralty report merely stating
that her forward control position had been damaged and
required repair ; in reality she was only just kept afloat by
the prompt action of her engine-room staff in immediately
closing her watertight doors. At Tenedos she was tem-
porarily repaired and later arrived in England, and fourteen
months later participated in the tremendous naval battle
off the Jutland coast. Beyond the two battleships which
were sunk, no other British ship suffered severely, but the
French squadron appears to have been more unfortunate.
Only the Charlemagne escaped injury, and Gaulois remained
ashore until the 20th, when her repairs had been completed.
In personnel we had lost sixty-one killed, wounded and
missing, but the French loss was very heavy.

206 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Operations terminated at about 6.30 p.m. The damage to
the forts could not, of course, be ascertained, and the enemy
only reported trifling damage. When the landing was made
a month later it was found that it was not half as serious
as was at first thought. Certainly Queen Elizabeth and the
other large ships had done great havoc to the masonry, but
more than this we do not know.

The Admiralty also stated that the battleships Queen and
Implacable were due to arrive to replace any casualties.

The attack was not followed up on the 19th, and next
day the weather turned stormy. The Admiralty, however,
stated that operations were continuing, though what pre-
cisely was meant by " operations " was not apparent. As
it cannot be supposed that the loss of two old battleships
was the cause of the suspension of the assault, it appears
it had at last become obvious that without a combined
naval and military attack the whole plan was doomed to
failure.

Sir Ian Hamilton, who was present at the attack on the
18th, cabled to London that such was his opinion, at the
same time estimating the strength of the Turks on the
Peninsula at about 30,000 men.

Preparations for the great attack were then commenced.
It will be remembered that M. Venezelos, when in power,
had expressed the opinion that should the attack promise
to be successful, his country would set aside its neutrality
and dispatch a force of 20,000 men to co-operate with us ;
indeed, he even went so far as to grant us the use of the island
of Lembros as a base, and later Mudros became the port for
the arrival of the Anglo-French Expeditionary Force.
Unfortunately, a strong German influence at the court at
Athens resulted in his fall, and consequently his promises
became worthless. We were threatened with the refusal of
the Greeks to continue to allow us to use Lembros, but this
danger was averted.

These were a few of the difficulties which faced General
Hamilton, and the whole of our plans had to be recast ; the
deficiency of troops had to be made good from England,

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 207

though we could ill afford them, but the Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps was still in Egypt, and the immortal
29th Division was sent out to reinforce them. France also
sent out a force under General D'Amade.

The enemy was not slow to take advantage of the delay
thus created, and he strongly fortified all points of command
and repaired the damage sustained. Troops were concen-
trated for the attack which they knew was impending, and
every effort was made to resist the landing in every possible
manner.

Whilst these preparations were in progress a few minor
events were taking place. During this period our ships
were, of course, actively patrolling the Turkish coast, and the
destroyer Renard had a particularly exciting trip. Covered
by London she made a spirited dash ten miles up the Straits
on a scouting mission on April 13, and although heavily
fired on, both ships escaped any injury or casualty. There
was also an unsuccessful attack on our arriving transports
four days later, in which fifty-one lives were lost. The
transport Manitou, whilst in the ^Egean Sea, was attacked
by the Turkish torpedo boat Demir Hissar, out from Smyrna,
and after giving the troops eight minutes in which to abandon
their ship, she discharged three torpedoes at her, all of which
missed. The cruiser Minerva, with the destroyers Jed,
Kennet and W ear, then came up and chased her until she
was forced ashore on Khios Island. The loss of life occurred
owing to the davits breaking and upsetting one boat, whilst
another boat swamped through overcrowding.

On the 17th, also, our submarine E 15, whilst attempting a
difficult reconnaissance of the Kephez minefield, had the
misfortune to strand ; worse still, her crew were captured
before they had time to disable their craft, and the Turks
made great efforts to refloat her. Seeing that there was a
chance of her falling into their hands, picket boats from
Triumph and Majestic, under the command of Lieutenant-
Commander Robinson, put off at night, and, under very
heavy fire from Fort E close by, they managed to blow her
up with a torpedo. One of the picket boats was holed and

208 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

sank just as its crew was picked up by the other, and the
only casualty was one killed. It was afterwards stated that
the task had been made possible by a reconnaissance by
the old submarine B 6. The officer in command was
specially promoted to the rank of Commander on the next
day, and later gained the V.C. for other services.

The plan which was carried out on April 25, when the
British troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, cannot be
told in detail, but a general idea of what took place on that
memorable day may perhaps be gathered from the following
account. No pen can tell of the splendid heroism of our
troops and our sailors, and the deeds which are already
well known are but a few among many actions of dauntless
courage.

The idea was to throw ashore the troops on five beaches at
the toe of the Peninsula, namely S, V, W, X, and Y, while
the French made a temporary landing at Kum Kale on the
Asiatic side as a diversion, all under cover of heavy gunfire
from the Fleet. The character of the terrain was such that
there were but very few places suitable for troops to be
landed, the coast line being generally composed of precipitous
cliffs. Little wonder that the Turks had strongly fortified
these shores with machine-guns, entrenchments, barbed wire
entanglements which even extended some distance under
the sea, and large holes at the water edge with spikes placed
in them. The country was covered with dense scrub and
provided admirable protection for the numerous machine-
guns, and later for the snipers who made themselves almost
invisible in these bushes.

On the five beaches, the landings at S and Y were to prevent
the arrival of reinforcements and to protect the flanks of
the troops at V, W and X, as these were the main landings ;
the former were to be made at dawn, and the others at
5.30 a.m. after half an hour's bombardment by the Fleet.
Further up the coast the famous Anzacs were to land at
Gaba Tepe ; and finally a demonstration was to be made in
the Gulf of Xeros.

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 209

The only unstable element was the weather, but fine
weather was generally prevalent towards the end of the
month. This, then, was the general plan, but it is impossible
to describe fully the varying failures and successes during
this day and the ensuing night.

Taking first the Australian landing, of which Rear- Admiral
Thursby had charge, this was supported by the Queen,
Prince of Wales, London, Triumph, Majestic, Bacchante, the
destroyers Beagle, Bulldog, Chelmer, Colne, Foxhound,
Ribble, Usk, the seaplane carrier Ark Royal, the balloon
ship Manica, and fifteen trawlers. The first three battleships
were to land the troops at 4.20 a.m. and the three other
ships were to cover their landing by gunfire, and supply
boat crews for the troops ; further troops were landed later
from the transports, but this operation was delayed owing
to their inability to sail in closer, as the howitzers and field-
guns and the Turkish ships in the Narrows prevented this.
The landing was successfully accomplished, and stores and
ammunition were disembarked next day under heavy and
incessant fire, both from the concealed batteries and from
the warships. The wounded were taken off at the time
the troops were landed in case of a retirement, and this
work called for great determination and coolness.

The landings at the tip of the Peninsula were under the
charge of Rear-Admiral Weniyss with Lord Nelson, Swiftsure,
Implacable, Cornwallis, Vengeance, Albion, and Prince
George, and the cruisers Euryalus, Talbot, Minerva, Dublin,
and twenty minesweepers. At Y Beach the King's Own
Scottish Borderers were embarked on Amethyst and Sapphire,
and the transports Southland and Braemar Castle, and left
for Cape Tekeh ; the troops then disembarked into the
boats, which pulled for the shore, covered by Goliath. They
landed at 5 a.m. unopposed, so rapidly were they put ashore ;
but encountering later severe opposition on the top of the
cliffs, they were forced to retire, and re-embarked, together
with the Plymouth Battalion of Royal Marines which had
reinforced them, on Goliath, Talbot, Dublin, Amethyst and
Sapphire.

210 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

The landing at X Beach was described by Vice-Admiral
de Robeck as " a model operation." The RoyalvFusiliers
were landed at 7 a.m. from Implacable without a single
casualty.

W Beach. At 5 a.m. Euryalus opened a heavy fire
on the beach and it was continued until the troops were
landed ; unfortunately it did not create the damage which
was expected on the entanglements. On the Lancashire
Fusiliers landing at 6 a.m., they were met with severe opposi-
tion from machine-guns, pom-poms and rifle fire, and found
the wire entanglements scarcely damaged. The defensive
character of this beach added greatly to their difficulties, and
some troops had to be landed on the rocks on the flanks to
put out of action machine-guns which were greatly harassing
our landing. When this was accomplished, the landing
was established, but at a great cost.

V Beach. It was foreseen that at this beach the greatest
difficulties would be encountered, as it was guarded by
the village of Seddul-Bahr and high cliffs on either side,
with entanglements stretching under the sea. Here it
was that the collier River Clyde, which had had plates cut
out of her sides and a gangway built to enable the 2000 troops
to land from a bridge of lighters to the shore, was run ashore.
The beach had been subjected to a heavy shelling, but as
the troops in the first trip were about to land they were
suddenly met with a murderous fire, and not a single man
escaped death or injury; the boats themselves were so
riddled with bullets that they sank. Seeing this, Commander
Unwin ran his ship ashore, and attempts were made to place
the lighters in position, but they failed to reach their allotted
stations, leaving a gap too big to be jumped over. Neverthe-
less some soldiers jumped into the sea and waded ashore,
but this method proved too costly, and the disembarkation
was ordered to cease.

Commander Unwin, with two midshipmen and two sea-
men, then left the collier and, waist-deep in the water and
under a perfect hail of bullets, got the lighters into position.
It was impossible, however, to disembark the troops until

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 211

nightfall, as the bridge was swept by shell and rifle fire, and
the troops had to remain in the collier. At nightfall they
found some shelter on the beach and in the village, where
severe resistance was encountered ; but assisted by fire from
Albion, they carried the village at 1.45 a.m. on April 26.
For their heroic task, Commander Unwin and his four men
all received the coveted Victoria Cross ; and it was typical of
the glorious deeds which were performed during these days.

S Beach. Here the landing, covered by Lord Nelson and
Cornwallis, encountered little opposition, and the troops
were firmly established by the next day.

At Kum Kale the French landing was entirely successful
and, covered by Askold, the troops re-embarked without
serious loss next day, the operation being of a purely
temporary character. These troops then took up a position
on the right flank of our Army on the Peninsula.

Mention should be made of the work carried out by
the destroyers on this day : Grampus, Pincher, Rattlesnake,
Renard, Scorpion and Wolverine, assisted by French sweepers,
performed minesweeping in the Straits under heavy fire ;
and the destroyers at Gaba Tepe were responsible for the
quickness of the landing, the second party being thrown
ashore with the greatest rapidity.

The Turkish Fleet lying in the Narrows was prevented
from seriously interfering by fire from Queen Elizabeth,
who also sank a large transport of 8000 tons in the Straits
with three shots. Triumph also shelled Maidos, which was
in flames on the 29th.

Sir Ian Hamilton described the Royal Navy as " the father
and mother of the Army " — a singularly apt phrase. In
all these operations the Navy was in charge until the troops
were ashore, and thus all confusion was avoided, and the
two services worked together in the greatest harmony.

Thus was the Expeditionary Force firmly established on
the Peninsula, but at what a cost ! During the five days
ending April 30, we lost no fewer than 177 officers and 1990
men killed, 13 officers and 3580 missing, and 412 officers and
7807 men wounded, of which the Navy only lost 27 killed

212 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and 52 wounded. The only ship seriously damaged was the
old Prince George, which was rather badly holed.

By the 27th the various landings had joined up and formed
a continuous front three miles in length and two miles from
the toe of the Peninsula, and the next few days were spent
in consolidating the gains, and in landing artillery, ammuni-
tion, stores, animals, etc.

The work of the Navy now concentrated on the adequate
transport of reinforcements, the re-embarkation of wounded,
and the maintenance of the supplies. This arduous work
was carried out with the greatest skill and bravery, although
all the landing-places were under incessant fire from the
enemy right up to the end of the campaign. Yet in spite of
these difficulties quays were constructed, and the Army was
supplied with the greatest regularity. In addition the
larger ships guarded the flanks of the Army until the arrival
of monitors.

On April 30 we lost the Australian submarine AE 2, which
was endeavouring to penetrate into the Sea of Marmora,
and her crew were captured. The French also lost their
Joule by mines on the following day. It will be shown later
what an immense success our submarines achieved in the
Sea of Marmora, and how they ultimately succeeded in
practically cutting off communication between the Peninsula
and Constantinople by sea.

For several days the task of shelling the Turkish flanks
was continued without incident, although on May 9 both
Agamemnon and, Cornwallis were hit and somewhat damaged,
incurring a few casualties. This comparative immunity was
broken on the night of May 12-13, when Goliath was sup-
porting the French from inside the Straits. Shortly after
1 a.m. she sighted a small ship bearing down on her and
hailed it ; receiving an indistinct reply, she was about to
repeat a challenge when she was struck by three torpedoes
from the craft, which was later found to be the Turkish
destroyer Mauvenet-i- Millet ; and rapidly heeling over, she
disappeared beneath the waves three minutes later. Such
was the swiftness of the disaster that over 300 of her crew

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 213

perished. This attack was of interest, in that it was the
first of the much-discussed night torpedo attacks with which
the Japanese had made us familiar in their attack on the
Port Arthur Fleet in 1904. The enemy destroyer apparently
made a dash down the Straits from Nagara, and by good
luck managed to get quite close before her presence was
detected, when she successfully discharged her torpedoes,
and made her escape at full speed. It was quite a neat
piece of work, but, provided our destroyers were busily
employed, comparatively simple. After this our battleships
were only employed by day as flank ships.

About this time (May 10) German submarines made their
appearance in the Mediterranean, and a reward of £2000
was offered for information leading to their destruction;
from this one can judge the serious aspect which the authori-
ties took of their presence ; it necessitated the whole of our
plan of transport being recast. One of these craft, U 23,
left Wilhelmshaven on April 25, and arrived off the Darda-
nelles on May 25, according to her commander. After the
first hint of its presence our more valuable units were
immediately sent home, until by this date only one or two
battleships remained. Their place was taken by monitors
and the "blister-ships"; these latter were cruisers of the
" Edgar " type. They presented a most unwieldy appearance
and were said to be torpedo proof. The monitors were
armed, some with two 14" guns, others with a 9*2" piece fore
and a 6" gun astern, yet others with a couple of 6" guns.

Unfortunately they did not arrive until the submarines
had commenced their activities. Directly they arrived,
practically all the battleships and cruisers left, and their
work was continued by the monitors, " blister-ships," and a
few destroyers. According to the German commander,
U 23 arrived on May 25, and on this day our ships were sub-
jected to many attacks. At about 8 a.m. Swiftsure, flying
the flag of Rear-Admiral Nicholson, was unsuccessfully
attacked, and about two hours later Vengeance had a torpedo
fired at her. More unfortunate was Triumph, who, in com-
pany of two destroyers, was supporting the Anzacs off Gaba

214 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Tepe ; at about 12.30 p.m. two torpedoes struck her amid-
ships and she immediately listed, capsizing nine minutes
later ; in this position she remained for over twenty minutes,
when at 12.53 p.m. she disappeared beneath the waves.
Unfortunately about 200 lives were lost, but the destroyer
Chelmer ran alongside and took off the survivors. Though
hotly pursued by cruisers and destroyers, U 23 escaped, and
even discharged a torpedo at Talbot. Shortly afterwards
Rear-Admiral Nicholson transferred his flag to Majestic,
and detached Sivijtsure to Mudros.

Two days later the old Majestic was supporting the troops
from inside the Straits. At about 5.30 a.m. she was also
struck by a torpedo which blew a large hole in her bows, and
listing she turned right over, and later sank. Fortunately
all but forty-nine of her crew were rescued, mostly by the
sweeper Reindeer. Singularly enough she, with Albion,
had been the first battleship to enter the Straits, and she
was the last to remain. Both this ship and Triumph had
been hammering at the forts since February, and had a
proud record.

Meanwhile the town of Gallipoli had been shelled and set
in flames by our guns on the 22nd, whilst the gunboat Hussar
shelled the ports of Tchesme, Sidia, etc., opposite Khios.

In the advance on Krithia by the Anzacs on June 28,
Talbot, Scorpion, Wolverine succeeded in keeping down the
enemy's fire by their very accurate shooting ; and on the
next day Pincher, Chelmer, and Humber (one of our original
monitors) engaged the enemy's heavy guns for half an hour,
Wolverine at night getting her searchlights on some troops
and causing great execution by her fire. Four days later
she repulsed an attack by her " accurate fire." Of course,
Krithia was the key to Achi Baba, which hill dominated
the Nagara Forts, and the importance of its capture
would have been inestimal&e. Unfortunately we were never
destined to take it, though later on in a great attack some
of our troops pushed forward far enough to see the Helles-
pont shining below, but they were compelled to fall back
before superior forces.

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 215

During July the French lost two ships ; on the 4th, the
empty transport Carthage was torpedoed and sunk off Cape
Helles, with the loss of six lives ; and on the 26th, their
submarine Mariotte was sunk in the Straits and her crew were
captured, after an action with an enemy submarine.

On the Peninsula tremendous efforts were being made, and
a general feeling of optimism prevailed, only proving the
disillusionment the more bitter. A great attack was ordered
to be delivered by the Anzacs, with the object of breaking
out from Anzac with a rush and cutting off the bulk of the
Turkish Army in the southern end of the Peninsula ; and
further to gain such a command for our artillery as to cut
the sea communications to Constantinople, and incidentally
secure Suvla Bay for a winter base.

This famous attack failed through inability to develop
it rapidly enough ; the supports, having lost their way, did
not arrive to time when the slopes of Sari Bair had been
carried. After the landing at Suvla Bay had been effected,
the divisional commanders stated that the men were ex-
hausted through lack of water, and the attack, therefore,
was abandoned. Sir I. Hamilton says that the fact that
the Turks suffered from the same difficulty seems to have
been overlooked, and that " inertia " prevailed.

On August 8 our submarine Ell torpedoed and sank the
Turkish battleship Haireddin Barbarossa (ex Kurjurst
Friedrich Wilhelm), which was carrying a number of troops
aboard to reinforce the Turkish Army, but this success was
neutralised by the torpedoing of our transport Royal Edward
in the ^Egean Sea on the 14th, when we lost 854 soldiers.
During the last days of August the Turkish Fleet in the
Narrows was shelled, and several of the ships were hit.

In the months of September and October several losses
were sustained from the activities of the submarines. On
September 2 the transport Southland was torpedoed in the
^Egean, but she managed to reach Mudros under her own
steam ; the troops were, however, transferred to the hospital
ship Neuralia as a precautionary measure, and in this manner
thirty-one lives were lost. This was followed by the loss of

216 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the French auxiliary cruiser Indien on the 8th, which sank
in two minutes, but with only eleven of her crew. A third
transport to be attacked wras the Eamazan. on the 19th,
whilst carrying 380 Indian soldiers ; she was shelled and
sunk in the ^Egean Sea, and only seventy-five soldiers and
twenty-eight of the crew were saved. Our submarine E 7
was also lost in the Dardanelles, and her crew were captured.

In the meantime Bulgaria had entered into the War, and a
further sphere of work for the Navy was opened ; the French
squadron was requisitioned to convoy the Army to Salonika
for the relief of the Serbians, and a blockade of the Bulgarian
coast was declared on October 16, two days after hostilities
broke out. The deadlock which had been arrived at on the
Peninsula was now more than ever apparent, and even a
slight gain was accompanied by heavy losses. The War
Office then cabled to General Hamilton on October 11, to
inquire what was his estimate of the losses which would be
entailed by an evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula, but
he replied that such a course seemed to him " unthinkable."
However, he was recalled to London to give his reasons, and
state his opinion as to the continuance of the campaign,
and Sir C. Monro was appointed to be his successor pro tern.

During the end of October we suffered further naval
losses. The transport Marquette was torpedoed and sunk in
the ^Egean Sea on the 26th, with the loss of ninety-nine lives ;
and two days later the auxiliary minesweeper Hytke collided
off the Peninsula with another ship and sank. She was
carrying 250 troops at the time, of whom two officers and
143 men were lost, in addition to one officer and nine men
of the crew. France lost another submarine about this time,
the Turquoise being sunk by gunfire in the Sea of Marmora
and her crew captured; later reports stated that she was
salved and was in the service of the Turks under the name of
Ahmed, that of the gunner who hit her.

Another transport, the Mercian, was also attacked by a
submarine, but she escaped with the loss of thirty killed,
thirty wounded, and thirty missing, the date and locality
being unspecified. We also lost one of our newest submarines

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 217

on November 5, the E 20, whose crew were lost, excepting
three officers and six men. On the 10th the destroyer
Louis was driven ashore during a violent south-westerly
gale, and became a total wreck.

On the Peninsula a further attack near Krithia, in which
Edgar and two monitors assisted, resulted in the gaming of
some new positions on November 17, but both Anzac and
Suvla were evacuated on December 19. The news came as a
surprise, and the message stated that the troops were with-
drawn without molestation from the enemy, who was in
complete ignorance of the move. Great credit was given
to the Royal Navy and to the generals concerned for this
operation, and it appears that the success made a profound
impression upon the authorities, who expected that severe
losses would be entailed.

By January 9, 1916, the complete evacuation of the
Gallipoli Peninsula was completed, and the Anglo-French
force re-embarked without much loss ; all the guns and
howitzers were also got away, with the exception of seventeen
worn-out guns, which were blown up. The French sustained
no loss. The evacuation was carried out at night, and the
remaining parties were in the greatest peril ; for, of course,
had the enemy discovered the movements, the rearguard
would have been annihilated. Although submarines were
sighted during the operation, only Prince George was struck
by a torpedo, and this failed to explode. The weather,
however, became rough and a gale sprang up, causing a large
horse-ship to sink in collision with a French battleship. It
had been intended to shell the beaches and earthworks, but
the presence of submarines rendered this inadvisable, and
only the stores could be destroyed.

The evacuation had been ordered in consequence of General
Monro's report. He stated that no purpose was served by
remaining, as the Turks were holding our force with com-
paratively few men ; an advance on Constantinople was out
of the question; disease was rife amongst the troops, and
no fewer than 96,683 had been admitted into hospital during
the period from April 25 to December 1 1 ; further, there

218 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

was no place on the Peninsula to which they could be with-
drawn to recuperate, as all the shores, landing-places, and
hospitals were under incessant fire, though in this last respect
the Turk was more humane than his overlord. All things
considered, an early evacuation was deemed advisable.

The cost of this campaign was terrible ; the killed alone
amounted to 1745 officers and 26,455 men, whilst 353 officers
and 10,901 men were posted as missing, and 3143 officers and
74,952 men were wounded. The total cost was thus 5241
officers and 112,308 men.

The news undoubtedly came as a relief, for the losses
were absolutely disproportionate to the gains ; and though
the disappointment was very bitter, yet better that our
prestige should suffer than thousands more hearts. It is
very difficult to understand the unbounded optimism of
General Sir Ian Hamilton, who was amidst all this suffering ;
all his dispatches were written in the most cheerful vein,
long after it was obvious to the ordinary man that success
was unattainable.

During this war we have suffered many reverses to our
arms, but foremost amongst them stand the Dardanelles
venture and the Mesopotamian campaign. In all of them
the spirit of our men has shone like a beacon through the
clouds of defeat.

OUR SUBMARINES' WORK IN THE SEA OF MARMORA, 1915

Reference has been made to the splendid work of the
Allied submarines in these waters, and as their operations
were independent of the campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula,
it is advisable to deal with their exploits separately.

Ever since the entry of Turkey into the War no Turkish
warships, other than a few gunboats at Smyrna and their
submarines, have emerged from the security of the Darda-
nelles defences. Consequently there has been no opportunity
of attacking them by surface ships, except by indirect fire
over the Peninsula, which is at the best unsatisfactory.
No Allied surface ships managed to pass the formidable

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 219

Turkish fortifications, but there remained much scope for
submarine work. The difficulties attending a safe passage
up the Narrow Straits are manifold even for ships, so that
the success of a submarine in its enterprise is something of a
wonderful feat, and the perils which have to be encountered
can be judged by the losses incurred in these narrow waters.

The passage can be likened to a bottle, for on entering the
narrow neck the submarine suddenly finds itself in a vast
inland sea where its dangers are considerably lessened,
but there still remains the exit through the neck to be
accomplished. The twofold current has already been
mentioned, and this factor caused much difficulty for sub-
marines diving from one to the other, as great disturbances
were encountered. They had also the devices of the enemy
to overcome — nets, minefields, gunfire from the forts, patrol
boats, and coastal batteries.

We had but three very old and small submarines at Malta
in 1914, all of the B class which were practically obsolete
even for coastal work, and it was supposed that we should
have to await the arrival of modern craft from England before
the submarine campaign could commence. It was not so,
however, for Lieutenant Hoi brook in B 11 showed the
world what an indomitable spirit could do with an out-of-
date engine of war. Taking his old craft into the Darda-
nelles, he penetrated up the Straits on December 13, and
encountered a number of mines ; undisturbed, he dived
under five rows of them and came up near his unsuspecting
victim. This was the old battleship Messudiyeh, which was
guarding the minefield off Kephez Point. He discharged
his torpedo at her, and dived to avoid observation ; hearing
the dull roar which denoted a hit, he rose three minutes
later to see the battleship sinking, but was immediately seen
by the torpedo boats and forts. He then found himself
in a veritable nest of hornets ; he was forced to dive to
escape destruction, and on one occasion had to remain
submerged for nine hours before he could rise to ascer-
tain his whereabouts. Happily he and his crew returned
safely, and he was awarded a well-earned Victoria Cross,

220 THEEE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

whilst his second in command received the D.S.O. for
" conspicuous bravery/'

On the next day B 9 also attempted to emulate her feat,
but the Turks were now warned, and she was observed and
forced to retire by the explosion of mines around her.

The Turks immediately strengthened the defences in
consequence of these attacks, and before our craft once more
penetrated into the Straits several losses were incurred. The
first of these was the loss of the French Saphir, which was
sunk by Turkish ships near the Dardanelles whilst on
observation duty on January 16, 1915, and whose crew was
captured. The second loss occurred shortly before the great
landing on the Peninsula, when reconnaissances were very
necessary. On April 17, E 15 attempted the very difficult
passage of the Kephez minefield, which was ten miles up the
Straits right under the guns of Fort Dardanus (E), but had the
misfortune to run aground. Despite all their efforts the crew
were captured before they could refloat her or even disable
her, and it was seen that the Turks were making strenuous
attempts to salve her. As it seemed that they would prob-
ably succeed, B 6 set off and made a valuable reconnaissance ;
from her it was learnt that the matter was very urgent, and
at night on the 18th Lieutenant- Commander Robinson
from Triumph, with two picket boats from Triumph and
Majestic manned by volunteers, put off to the scene of the
mishap, and although under heavy fire from Fort Dardanus,
they succeeded in torpedoing the stranded submarine. One
of the boats was holed and sunk, but the only loss was one
man killed. Lieutenant- Commander Robinson was specially
promoted to the rank of Commander on the next day.

With the landing of the Expeditionary Force on April 25,
our submarines were employed in a campaign which later
succeeded in practically cutting off all communication by
sea with Constantinople. Unfortunately, its effect was not
felt until the enemy was firmly entrenched and a compara-
tively small number of troops were holding our forces ; but
it nevertheless made their conditions at times intolerable
by the non-arrival of provisions and stores.

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 221

The first submarine to be successful in passing the few
miles of danger was E 14, commanded by Lieutenant-
Commander Boyle. With great skill he actually sank a
gunboat on his way up the Straits, escaped the perils of
the mines and forts and patrolling craft and entered the
Sea of Marmora. Here, on April 29, he sank a transport
and another gunboat, and off Kalolimni Island on May 10
the large transport Gul Gemel, which was carrying six 3"
field-guns, ammunition, and 6000 troops for Gallipoli. He
returned on the 18th, and was closely pursued down the
Straits by a tug, a gunboat and several destroyers, but
evaded them and safely rejoined the Allied Fleet after a
three weeks' cruise. He also was awarded the Victoria
Cross for his work.

Meanwhile another of our craft had come to grief. This
was the Australian AE 2, which had been brought from
Australia ; she had evidently passed the Narrows and was
about to enter the Sea of Marmora, when she was fired
upon from patrol ships on April 30, and sunk. Her crew
were captured. The French also lost another submarine on
the next day, the Joule, which was lost by mines.

Amply setting off these mishaps, Ell, under Lieutenant-
Commander Nasmith, carried out a very successful cruise
in the Marmora during May. Making for Constantinople,
he sank on his way the old gunboat Pelenk-i-Deria on the
23rd, the transports No. 62 and another, and three storeships
with ammunition, one of which was the Nagara, sunk on the
24th, which forms the subject of one of Mr. Rudyard Kipling's
entertaining stories of the " Trade." He then entered the
Bosphorus on the next day and penetrated as far as Con-
stantinople, accounting for a gunboat and the transport
Stamboul, and later an ammunition ship which was lying
alongside the arsenal was also torpedoed. As the waters
were becoming unhealthy and his stores were getting low, he
returned to the Dardanelles and safely negotiated its perils.
Here, to his disappointment, he failed to pick up some
battleship as he had expected, so he audaciously returned
to sink a transport which he had observed in the Straits,

222 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and was successful in sinking it, when he returned. He was
very deservedly also awarded the V.C.

During June there came a report of the loss of three small
gunboats and three transports, and all communication was
practically severed between the capital and the Peninsula
by these submarines.

On July 6 one of our submarines sank the transport
Bigha off Mudania, and a steamer and two lighters in tow in
Haidar Pasha harbour, whilst on the 17th another craft
shelled Ghersen Station near Tuzla and entered the Golden
Horn, where she damaged a destroyer and sank a gunboat.
Two transports, Vega and another, were also sunk off
Constantinople, and E 7 shelled the powder mills on the coast
and damaged the railway near Kara Burnu. The French
submarine Mariotte unfortunately encountered an enemy
submarine in the Straits on the 26th, and after a fight she
was sunk and her crew captured.

The largest single ship loss due to these craft occurred on
August 8, when Ell wras just about to return to the Marmora.
On proceeding up the Straits she sighted the battleship
Haireddin Barbarossa off the town of Gallipoli, carrying
many troops aboard ; this she was successful in torpedoing,
and another submarine also sank the gunboat Berk-i-Satvet
and a transport in the same vicinity. Twelve days later
Ell sank the two ammunition transports EspaJian and
Tenedos off Haidar Pasha; and Lieutenant D'Oyly Hughes
was landed near Kretzou, where he partially blew up the
Gebize Bridge on the Ismid-Haidar Pasha railway line. For
this deed he was awarded the D.S.O.

E 2 also was successful in these operations, and on
August 15 she sank a minelayer, on the 17th another ship
was sunk in Artaki Gulf, and two days later a larger ship,
presumably an auxiliary, was put down off Mudania.

Before continuing to follow the adventures of these sub-
marines, it will be as well to endeavour to get an insight into
the character and conditions of these operations. Those
who have read Mr. Rudyard Kipling's graphic accounts of
their work cannot fail to be struck with the very humane

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 223

method of our commanders, and the marked regard they
showed for the lives of enemy crews. In no case was an
unarmed ship sunk without the safety of the crews being
provided for, and this precaution led to several narrow
escapes. Often they had hailed a craft, which was to all
intents a harmless ship, but were received with gunfire,
rifle fire, bombs, and in some cases ramming. The case of
the Nagara well illustrates this point, and several times the
crew of a dhow was taken aboard, fed, and later put aboard
another ship, though these incidents were not in strict
accordance with the apparently correct method of submarine
warfare.

The perils of a successful passage have already been de-
scribed, and several of our craft have had very nerve-racking
experiences in the Straits. Often the crew suddenly found
that their bows were unable to rise in response to the navi-
gator, only to discover that a mine was suspended from one
of her hydroplanes, or horizontal rudders, and they were
compelled to carry this death-dealing machine down the
Straits until, in wider water, they suddenly reversed their
engines, enabling the mine to slip off. Again, another came
to a dead stop and refused to move a yard further ; investiga-
tion revealed that a collection of netting, etc. had become
entangled in her bows and obstinately refused to clear, and
in this case the submarine suddenly went .full speed ahead
and cut through the whole mass, arriving at her base a
leaking, dripping box of machinery. Sometimes the crew,
with infinite patience, spent hours in clearing away the
encumbrances.

The cruises lasted on some occasions for seventy days — all
but three months — and they were all this time without a
base, the only safe resting-place being the centre of the Sea
of Marmora, where the sailors could bathe and even do their
washing, though their washing-day sometimes came to an
abrupt end, and we do not know what became of their
laundry on the " drying-ground."

It is a cause of great regret that France, the pioneer in
submarine construction, should have lost so many of her

224 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

craft, and at the same time have had so little success with
them in these waters. One of the few instances of a French
submarine at work in the Sea of Marmora was on August 29,
when Paris announced the destruction of a destroyer and
two transports in the Bay of Ak Bashi, and of two others
between Nagara and Gallipoli.

Further losses were experienced during September and
October ; E 7 was sunk off the Dardanelles about Septem-
ber 4, and her crew were captured ; the French Turquoise,
after passing through the Straits during the latter part of
October, had the misfortune to be disabled by gunfire from
coastal batteries, and her crew were also captured. The
Turks later succeeded in salving her, and she was renamed
Ahmed.

On November 5 E 20, one of our newest submarines, was
just returning from a cruise in the Marmora when she was
also sunk, and three officers and six men of her crew were
taken prisoners. This was the last loss we incurred, and
although they had been numerous, a reign of terror existed
in this sea. The Turks had built and equipped a large
number of fast motor-boats armed with quick-firing guns,
especially adapted for submarine hunting, similar to our
craft in use in home waters, but they did not affect the
situation. In December another outburst of activity
occurred, and Ell had quite an exciting cruise. On the
2nd she shelled a train on the Ismid line, on the next day
she torpedoed the destroyer Yar Hissar in the Gulf of Ismid,
whilst on the 4th a 3000 ton supply ship was sunk off Pan-
dermo by gunfire, together with four sailing vessels. A few
days later a submarine appeared ,pff Constantinople and
entered the Golden Horn to shell the arsenal.

The work after December was sporadic ; a French sub-
marine entered the Marmora in February and torpedoed the
old French tug Le Rhone, which had been seized by the
enemy, and six sailing vessels laden with ammunition in the
Bosphorus. In the latter part of April the transport
Chirketi Hairie was also sunk.

Of course, after the evacuation of the Peninsula in January

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN 225

1916, there remained no reason for detaching valuable
craft for these operations, and with the departure of our
Army and Fleet from this region most of the submarines
also left.

Their total bag in these waters consisted of two battle-
ships, two destroyers, twelve gunboats and minelayers, and
202 transports and supply ships, which, in conjunction with
Russia's great hauls in the Black Sea, reduced Turkey's
mercantile marine to a minimum. To achieve this we lost
AE 2, E 7, E 15, E 20 and the French Joule, Mariotte,
Saphir, and Turquoise.

CHAPTER III

THE BLACK SEA

THE position of Turkey bears a marked resemblance to
the position occupied by Germany between the Baltic and
North Seas, inasmuch as both Fleets are inferior to their
chief opponents, yet their natural advantage of being between
the two opposing Allied Fleets which await them outside,
and their comparatively secure bases wherein they can
still remain a menace without actually coming into conflict,
to a great degree nullify their inferiority. But whereas
Germany is vastly superior to Russia in the Baltic and in
the early days of the war Turkey was so in the Black Sea,
yet neither have utilised this superiority to any extent.
With the arrival of the Goeben and Breslau in Turkish
waters, Turkey at once became the stronger naval Power.

Russia, whose Fleet is split into two squadrons (one in
the Baltic, which is her primary force, and the other in the
Black Sea), has pursued an energetic policy since the Russo-
Turkish War in 1877-8 here, and had in 1914 created a
considerable force to oppose her ancient enemy. The one
drawback was the decree refusing her egress into the Mediter-
ranean. She possessed the f airly modern pre-Dreadnoughts
Evstaffi and Ivann Zlatoust, the Panteleimon (late Kniaz
Potemkin), the old Rostislav, Tri Sviatitelia and Georgeoi
Pobiedonostez ; in addition there were two new light
cruisers, four gunboats, twenty-six destroyers, nine torpedo
boats, eleven submarines, minelayers, etc. Against this
Turkey had the very powerful battle-cruiser Goeben (whose
damage to her furnaces has handicapped her somewhat,
though her armament completely outranged anything the
Russians could put against her), three light cruisers, Breslau,

226

THEJBLACK SEA 227

Hamidieh, Medjidieh, the four old battleships, Haireddin
Barbarossa, Torgud Reis, Messudiyeh, Muin-i-Zaffer, eight
destroyers, twenty-seven gunboats, and thirty-seven torpedo
boats, several of which were of little value.

Thus it will be seen that the advantage was with Turkey
in modern ships, and had the Goeben and the fast cruisers
been handled with skill and dash they should have consti-
tuted a serious menace to the Russian Fleet. All actions
would then have been fought at a range suitable to the
ex-German ship, whose 11" guns would have wrought
tremendous havoc on the older and slower Russian ships.

Great efforts on the part of Messrs. Brown of Clydebank,
who had taken over the yard at Nicolaieff, to endeavour
to reduce the lengthy period required for the completion
of Russian ships, were rewarded in the summer of 1915
by the completion of the first of the three Dreadnoughts,
Ekaterina II, Imperatriza Maria, and Alexander III of
22,500 tons, which carried ten 12" guns.

The conduct of this warfare has been one of raids on
Turkish shipping, punctuated by skirmishes and sporadic
sorties by the enemy.

It will be remembered that Breslau had appeared off the
Rumanian port of Sulina on October 25 to escort two
German steamers to Constantinople. This Rumania had
protested against in accordance with her prohibition of the
passage of ammunition and war material through her
territory, and she therefore detained them. However, the
Breslau' s captain landed, and with a " menacing air " ignored
all remonstrances, and convoyed the ships away. Russia
replied by declaring the two ships to be German and stating
that they would be engaged and fought if sighted.

It was Turkey who opened hostilities, doubtless by order
of Germany. On October 29 Odessa was amazed to hear
the sound of heavy guns at sea, and two ships were seen
firing on the docks and harbour. The gunboat Donetz
was sunk and both the minelayer Prut and gunboat Kubanetz
were so badly damaged that they also sank next day.

228 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Theodosia was also shelled, and on the 31st much damage
was done to the docks at Sevastopol. War, of course,
could not be averted after these unprovoked attacks, and
Turkey became the open enemy of the Allies on November 4.

Russia retaliated with a raid on the Anatolian coast,
the rich coal district, shelling Zunguldak and Kozlu on
the 7th, and a bombardment of the Bosphorus and the
destruction of several vessels at Ervilea three days later.
Four transports sunk off Zunguldak, and five others off
Trebizond a few days later somewhat restored the balance.

The one real action in the Black Sea took place on
November 18 when the Russians were returning from the
Anatolian coast and sighted the two German ships. The
action started off the Chersonese lighthouse, and the Russian
ships concentrated their fire on the Goeben, as her consort
had wisely retired out of range. The flagship Evstaffi hit
her with the first shot and caused an explosion which was
followed by a fire. More explosions occurred, and had the
Russian guns been the modern 12" weapon the Goeben must
have gone down. As it was she seemed taken completely
unawares, and only after considerable delay returned the
fire. Even then she could have given the weaker Russians
a sound drubbing at a safe range, much as Sturdee did off
the Falklands. As it was she only secured one hit at a
range of 7500 yards on the flagship, causing the loss of thirty-
three killed and twenty-five wounded. After fourteen
minutes she turned tail and fled into the mist with her
superior speed. Since then the enemy has never seriously
challenged Russia's mastery in this region.

Operations then settled down to guerilla warfare between
the flotillas, supplemented by minelaying. A detailed
account of these raids on the Turkish shipping would prove
tedious, but to illustrate the thoroughness of the work it
was computed that of the traffic between Constantinople
and the Anatolian ports no fewer than 1500 vessels with
their cargoes (chiefly coal), and valued at £16,000,000, were
destroyed during 1914 and 1915. Though repeated attempts
have been made to create a new fleet for the transport of

THE BLACK SEA 229

this valuable product, they have all failed. Forty sailing
craft captured at a time by a couple of destroyers was a
common occurrence, and Turkey thus lost practically all
her mercantile marine.

In addition to these operations, extensive minelaying was
carried out off the Bosphorus from time to time, with
disastrous results for the enemy. The first victim was the
cruiser Hamidieh, whose adventurous career in the Balkan
War is well known; this ship was damaged off Constan-
tinople on December 12, but regained port with considerable
difficulty. On this day also the Breslau, appearing off
Sevastopol, was driven off by seaplanes and destroyers.

Further damage from the minefield followed when the
new gunboat Issa Reis was sunk on the 18th, and the
Goeben was also damaged on the 26th, to such an extent
that repairs have never been satisfactorily effected ; it
was this mishap which gave rise to the rumours that
she had been converted into a hospital ship, but false as
these reports have proved, the damage has undoubtedly
crippled her.

On January 5 a neat little piece of work by the cruiser
Pamyat Merkurie and the destroyer Gnievny was reported.
Coming across the Medjidieh convoying a transport, they
attacked and put to flight the cruiser and sank the transport.
Two days later all the shipping at Sinope was destroyed,
and this was followed by raids on the ports of Samsoun,
Tribia, Surmaneh, and Khopoh, despite the attempted
interference of Breslau and Hamidieh, which were driven off
and damaged.

Meanwhile the mines off the Bosphorus claimed further
victims — the gunboat Peik-i-Chevket was severely injured
and had to be towed to Stenia in a sinking condition ; on the
21st a gunboat of the " Reis " type struck a mine and dis-
appeared, followed by a sister ship on February 15, and three
torpedo boats a few days later foundered one after the other.
Beyond a fruitful raid off Trebizond on the 10th, nothing of
importance happened until April, when on the 3rd two

230 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

enemy ships appeared off Odessa and captured the crews
of two steamers, which were then sunk ; thus far, aided by
intelligence of the absence of Russian patrols, they were
successful, but ill-luck attended their return journey, for
Medjidieh, one of the cruisers, struck a mine in the Gulf of
Odessa, and in spite of all efforts sank in shallow water.
She was salved two months later by the Russians and
brought into port.

On this same day Goeben and Breslau on their return were
discovered by the Russians and were pursued till nightfall.
Not content with this failure, these two cruisers, accompanied
by torpedo boats, again ventured out into the Black Sea,
and again misfortune followed; in their absence the ever-
watchful Russians seized their opportunity and laid mines
in the entrance to the Bosphorus. The Turkish squadron
on its return lost two torpedo boats before this danger was
detected, and was forced to remain outside until they were
swept up.

Simultaneously with the Allied landing on the Gallipoli
Peninsula on April 25, the Bosphorus fortifications were
shelled by our Ally. At 8 a.m. a Russian squadron opened
fire and shelled part of the Turkish Fleet in the Straits
(the other section comprising the three cruisers was lying
off Nagara in the Dardanelles), forcing them to retire.
Twenty-five explosions occurred in the forts; Torgud Reis
ineffectually replied, and enemy torpedo attacks were also
fruitless. In a very entertaining account of this event
Berlin reported that the Russian squadron, consisting of five
battleships, two cruisers, twelve destroyers, and transports,
was beaten off and the leading ship hit, whilst they only
escaped by a hasty retreat to the fortified harbour of
Sevastopol ! Continuing their imaginary news, they claimed
that the battleship Pantdeimon was torpedoed and sunk
on May 22 off the Bosphorus ; Petrograd stated that
this ship was in port that day and no warship had been
sunk.

On the night of June 11 a couple of Russian destroyers,
whilst patrolling off the Bosphorus, suddenly encountered

THE BLACK SEA 231

a ship ; both parties saw each other at the same time, and
when the Breslau switched on her searchlights, thereby
revealing her position, she was immediately attacked and a
sharp encounter ensued. The cruiser was struck several
times, and explosions, followed by fires, occurred; a stray
shot hit one of the Russian ships and killed and wounded
seven of her crew.

During July a destroyer was attacked by a German
submarine off Tobekmedje, but counter-attacking, forced
her to dive ; she did not reappear and her loss was presumed.
Several raids were also carried out, both by surface ships and
submarines ; three cases in which these latter were successful
show the remarkable adaptability and spirit of their crews.
The Murj sank a coal-laden steamer and several sailing
vessels for Constantinople, whilst Nerpa accounted for
another steamer and attacked a large transport of 7000 tons
off the Bosphoru&; this she torpedoed and sank, but was
then shelled by the land batteries and some destroyers
which had raced up. Notwithstanding her vastly superior
opponents, she at once proceeded gallantly to attack her
new foes and actually drove them back into the Straits.
On the next day, July 19, another submarine pluckily
attacked a large armed transport of 6000 tons and sank her,
despite the fire which was directed at her. The total result
of these raids now amounted to forty-seven steamers, two
tugs, and 500 sailing craft destroyed and captured.

The Breslau was again damaged in an attack; a large
hole below the water-line between her third and fourth
funnels was made with a torpedo, and she was laid up for
some time for repairs. About this time the first of the new
Russian Dreadnoughts was completed, and Turkey lost any
claim to the command of the Black Sea. During the
remainder of July several destructive raids caused a great
scarcity of coal in the Turkish capital, despite the fitting out
of a new fleet of coal-carriers. This also suffered the same
fate as the previous one in August.

Realising the futility of sending out unprotected flotillas
of these craft, the Turks instituted a system of convoy;

232 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

but even this was equally unsuccessful. On September 7
the Hamidieh and two torpedo boats were convoying four
transports and a barque to Constantinople, but were met
by the two destroyers Bystry and Pronsitelny under Captain
Prince Troubetsky; in spite of the cruiser's fire they
pluckily attacked the Turks for three hours and then pur-
sued them to Constantinople, when they returned and sank
the transports. Hamidieh was damaged and one of her
6" pieces was put out of action.

A few days later by way of reprisal a Turkish cruiser
appeared off the Crimean coast and shelled the lighthouse
and a factory, but in all probability an accompanying sub-
marine was hit and sunk. The Russian torpedo craft still
kept up their raiding operations, which were often carried
out with great dash under very heavy fire from the shore
batteries, and in addition they had to keep open the route for
communications for the Caucasian Army.

On October 5 Bulgaria declared war after much vacilla-
tion, and further coasts had to be patrolled. Considerable
activity occurred in Bulgarian waters, Goeben arriving at
Varna, and a few days later the Russian Fleet shelled the
port. Turkish submarines, presumably sent overland in
sections to Bulgaria or Turkey, now made their appearance.
A couple, after shelling a lighthouse on the Crimean coast,
attacked three Russian sailing vessels, but when about to
destroy the third several destroyers arrived and chased them,
one probably foundering during a very violent storm which
arose. The Bulgarian coast was mined on October 15 and
interest centred in these waters. U 26 arrived at Varna,
which was shelled again, together with Burgas, on the 23rd
and 27th ; and although the Goeben, Breslau and Hamidieh
sided with the batteries in their reply, no damage was
sustained by our Ally, and by November 16 the last of the
three Dreadnoughts reinforced the blockading Fleet.

A small Turkish raid was made on the 29th on Russian
shipping, but another on December 10 was frustrated by
the arrival of warships ; on this day three Russian torpedo
boats, whilst off Kephren Island, encountered two enemy

THE BLACK SEA 233

gunboats, one of the " Malatia " type and the other of the
" Burak Reis " type, and after a short action disabled them
and destroyed a large sailing ship. On cruising near this
spot a few days later they were surprised to find that one
of them was hardly damaged and her flag was flying, though
the other was almost submerged. The crew of the former
were making strenuous efforts to salve their ship, but seeing
the Russian ships closing in to destroy them, they blew her
up to prevent her capture.

Several ships were destroyed off the Bulgarian coast
during December, including the coal steamer Karpatzi.
During a raid on the 26th the destroyer Gromky was un-
successfully attacked by a submarine which discharged three
torpedoes at her, and counter-attacking, probably sank her.

On January 8 Goeben was again encountered, but she fled,
and the steamer Carmen was also sunk. From prisoners
taken from her it was learnt that the two gunboats recently
destroyed had been ordered to proceed to the assistance of
a stranded submarine in the mouth of the river Helen, but
had been caught before arriving at the spot. Acting on
this information destroyers steamed to the place and on the
10th destroyed her.

It will be remembered that at this time the Grand Duke
Nicolas was developing his offensive in the Caucasus, being
greatly supported by the Fleet. A detachment was landed
from the ships on the night of January 26 to capture the
village of Endelfi, and although the covering ships were
attacked by submarines its officials were brought back to
the ships. On February 16 another party captured a forti-
fied position at the mouth of the Vitzen, and a few were
wounded by rifle fire. Preparations were then made for
the capture of Trebizond, on the grounds that it would
provide an excellent base for the troops and obviate the
transport of stores along bad roads. The fort was violently
shelled on March 4, and under cover of the guns Atina was
occupied ; the progress after then was slower and the fort
did not fall until April 14, when heavy gunfire from the
Fleet greatly assisted the operation.

234 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Meanwhile activities reverted to the Bulgarian coast.
Here the destroyer Lieutenant Pustchin was torpedoed and
sunk on March 9, the majority of the crew being saved by
other ships and also by the Bulgarians. A week later the
large steamer Esperanza of 7000 tons was sunk off Kuleka
and her crew captured.

Up to this time the naval warfare had been carried on
without any gross violation of the recognised principles of
war, but unhappily it seems that in every sea in which a
German sails there must occur deeds of criminal brutality.
Germany had up to then only once attempted to sink a
hospital ship, but the record was not maintained ; and what
made their crime worse was the attempt to cover the deed
by the false announcement of an important military success.

The status of a hospital ship has been already given,
and the attack was a flagrant violation of the regulations.
On March 30 the old French liner Portugal, which had been
converted into a hospital ship for the conveyance of the
wounded between Batum and the Crimean ports, was off
Phatie on the Anatolian coast, and was proceeding to
Batum to bring the wounded home. She stopped off this
place prior to embarking them, and was about to anchor;
suddenly without the slightest warning a torpedo struck
her in the region of the engine-room, and was followed by a
second which wrought such tremendous havoc that she sank
in one minute. Lifeboats were put off from a torpedo boat
and a trawler, and 11 Charity Sisters, 3 commanders, 2
doctors, a priest, 125 men of the Russian Naval Medical
Service, and 13 of the French crew were rescued; Count
Talistchoff and Baroness Meyendorff were amongst the
lost, which included 15 Charity sisters, 50 R.N.M.C., and 23
of the crew. The lying Turkish version stated that a sub-
marine north of Batum had torpedoed a large transport
of 12,000 tons carrying troops and war material, and that
another transport of 15,000 tons was sunk on the next day.
No such large ships were attacked, and the Portugal was
of only 7000 tons.

The Turks now realised the gravity of the situation in this

THE BLACK SEA 235

region and dispatched Breslau to reinforce the coastal
army. Though for a day or two she shelled the Russian
trenches, she was driven off by the Russian ships, and
returned to Constantinople somewhat damaged. The de-
stroyer Strogy also rammed and sank a submarine on the
place where the Portugal had gone down. The raids con-
tinued, and the number of vessels destroyed now totalled
70 steamers and 800 sailing ships.

Trusting to the Russian Fleet being concentrated in
Anatolian waters during the fall of Trebizond, Breslau made
a dash into the Black Sea and reached Dupatonia on the
Crimean seaboard and presumably laid mines. Most of
these were cleared up, but on June 22 the Russian steamer
Mercury with 800 passengers, most of whom were children,
struck a mine off Odessa and sank with loss of life. Further
misfortune followed in the early days of July when Breslau
appeared off Sotchi flying the Russian colours and, hoisting
the Turkish flag, torpedoed and sank the transport 121
which was carrying supplies for the Caucasian Army. She
also claims to have destroyed another transport off the
mouth of the Vardar which had been disabled by a sub-
marine on the previous day.

The cowardly attack on the Portugal was repeated on
July 9, when another ship was sunk. This was the Uperiode,
which was steaming for Batum for wounded, but as none
were on board the loss of life was not so heavy as it might
have been. As a result of these attacks Russia on the 20th
declared that Turkey had forfeited her right of immunity, and
that thenceforth any Turkish hospital ship would be sunk.

During the last days of August Rumania placed herself
on the side of the Allies, and several attacks on Varna by air
and sea were effected, much damage to her harbour being
reported. In September further attacks were delivered and
the civil population evacuated the port.

In October a very plucky feat by the commander of the
Russian submarine Tuilen was reported ; after a sharp fight
off the Bosphorus he captured the armed transport Rodosto
of 6000 tons. The ship was much damaged and in flames,

236 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

but by great exertions she was brought into Sevastopol,
where the commander received a well-merited decoration.
Turkey, on the other hand, claimed to have sunk a transport
of 3000 tons off the Rumanian coast a week later.

On the occupation of Constanza in October by the enemy,
this port was heavily shelled, together with Mangalia ; the
raids were continued, but as there were few ships left the
hauls were fewer and less frequent.

During November Russia had the great misfortune to
lose, at any rate temporarily, one of her fine Dreadnoughts.
At 6 a.m. on the 20th a fire broke out, followed by an
internal explosion, on the Imperatriza Maria ; and though
the brave crew did their utmost to fight the flames, which
had reached the petrol tanks, they only succeeded in flooding
the magazine. In an hour she sank in shallow water, and
it was stated that hopes were entertained for her salvage.
Three officers and 213 men lost their lives.

A renewal of activity by the Russian torpedo boats on
January 6, when no fewer than forty Turkish vessels with
food for Constantinople were sunk and their crews captured,
was closely followed by a second attempt to raise the blockade,
when twenty-three newly-built ships were captured and
sunk off the Anatolian coast. During the next few weeks a
number of other craft were accounted for.

On June 30 Breslau, in the hope of taking the Fleet
unawares whilst Russia was in the throes of her Revolution,
appeared off Odessa and, shelling the lighthouse, disabled
some coast guns. On the island of Fidonisi, near the estuary
of the Danube, she landed a party who captured a machine-
gun and eleven men ; though chased by the old battleship
Eostislav, she regained the Bosphorus. Presumably during
these operations Russia lost an old torpedo boat by mines.

The Russian Navy has, relatively, been little affected by
the Revolution, but at Sevastopol an outbreak during mid-
June occurred in the naval barracks ; the sailors demanded
the resignation of Admiral Koltchak and his staff, and
threatened his arrest. The Commander-in-Chief of the
Black Sea Fleet refused to give up his sword and flung it

THE BLACK SEA 237

into the sea, but to avoid bloodshed sent messages to his
officers to accept the situation. He was supposed to have
leanings towards the Royalists. Otherwise the trouble was
slight, and the new conditions soon asserted themselves.

July saw a recurrence of patrol activity, and on the 5th
three fast cutters raided Lake Razin in the estuary of the
Danube, destroying a gun and capturing a few prisoners.
An enemy ship was also shelled and sunk by the shore
batteries on the Danube.

It was unofficially reported in September that a Bulgarian
torpedo boat and a German submarine had been mined off
Varna and sunk ; and on October 2, torpedo boats raided the
shipping off the Bosphorus, sinking a tug and two coal
barges and bringing another barge into Sevastopol with
thirty-nine prisoners. A few days later several more vessels
were sunk, and a submarine also captured and brought
into port the corn steamer Sultan. Eleven schooners were
destroyed off the Anatolian coast by torpedo boats on the
9th ; and during the end of the month wreckage of a German
submarine drove ashore near Batum.

In a small encounter in Inda Bay the destroyers Bystry
and Pilky encountered a Turkish torpedo boat and two
steamers ; all these were sunk, and a battery on shore was
silenced on October 31. Another enemy destroyer was
torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Inadz, on the coast
between Constantinople and Burgas, on November 4; and
a steamer was also shelled and a battery destroyed.

During the autumn of 1917 Admiral Suchon, who brought
the two cruisers into Turkish waters and was in command
of Germany's eastern Fleet, was recalled, from which it
appeared that little further was to be expected from the
Turko-German Navy in the Black Sea. Of the Ooeben
nothing had been heard for nearly two years, beyond the
fact that the Kaiser had held a meeting on board during his
Eastern visit in October.

To summarise the naval losses of the opponents is some-
what difficult owing to denials and rumours. Turkey '•

238 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

definite losses are : the cruiser Medjidieh, the gunboats
Issa Reis, two " Reis " type, one " Malatia," one " Burak
Reis," and one " Berk-i-Satvet," a destroyer, six torpedo
boats, and probably five or six submarines. These do not
include losses incurred in the Sea of Marmora.

Russia has lost the Imperatriza Maria (temporarily?),
the gunboats Donetz and Kubanetz, the destroyer Lieutenant
Pustchin, a torpedo boat, the minelayer Prut, and the
transport 121. In addition the hospital ships Portugal and
Uperiode were sunk.

CHAPTER IV

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA

SINCE the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-5, when the
Russian Fleet was practically annihilated, drastic changes
have been made in the Russian Naval Administration and
in the commands at sea. Under the late Admiral Essen,
who ably commanded the Novik in 1904, an energetic policy
had been outlined and was in the course of execution when
war broke out in 1914. It will be remembered that at the
time of the cessation of hostilities with Japan she had lost
all her newest battleships, and only the Tsarevitch survived
of all this class of warships which had been in the conflict.
Similarly of the armoured cruisers only the Gromoboi and
Rossiya remained, and of the fourteen light cruisers which
were engaged only the Askold and Zhemtchug, based on
Vladivostock in 1914, Bogatyr, Oleg, Aurora, and Diana
were left. In addition she lost thirteen of her new
destroyers.

With this greatly reduced fleet Admiral Essen set about
the reconstruction of a new and more efficient Navy, both
in regard to material and personnel. In the foregoing
chapter it will be recollected that there was one newly com-
pleted battleship in the Black Sea, which did not participate
in the Far Eastern War, and thus escaped her sisters' fate ;
this was the Kniaz Potemkin, later renamed Panteleimon.
Likewise there was also another new battleship which was
not quite ready to leave with the reinforcing Fleet and was
completing at the Petrograd yard ; and this ship, the Slava,
supported by two old ships, Peter Veliky and Imperator
Alexander II, formed the nucleus around which this in-
defatigable officer built up the modern battle Fleet. There

239

240 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

were four battleships already voted, the Imperator Pavel
and Andrei Pervoswanni in the Baltic, and Evstaffi and
Ivann Zlatoust in the Black Sea, all of which were service-
able pre-Dreadnoughts but were not completed until 1910-11.

Perceiving the futility of building vessels which would
be semi-obsolete by the time that they would be ready for
service, he first removed all the incompetent officers and
thoroughly reorganised the shipbuilding and dockyards.
He also ordered the immediate construction of four armoured
cruisers, in place of any further battleships until their period
of building could be reduced; these were the Admiral
Makaroff, Bayan, Pallada, and the most powerful armoured
cruiser afloat, the Rurik. She was little less in value than
a battleship of that date, and was superior to the German
Blucher ; of course our battle-cruisers were much stronger
but also more costly. He also continued the construction
of torpedo craft.

Having won over the Duma to sanction an ambitious pro-
gramme, after a hard struggle, he authorised the construction
in 1909 of four battle-cruisers, the Gangut, Poltava, Petro-
pavlovsk, and Sevastopol, to be completed during 1914-15;
in 1911 the three Dreadnoughts already described for the
Black Sea ; and another four battle-cruisers in the Baltic, the
Borodino, Ismail, Kinburn, Navarin, to be completed by
about 1917. In addition in 1 9 1 3 four light cruisers, Bootakof,
Oreig, Spiridoff, and Swietlana, were ordered, and two others
were being built at Danzig in 1914, Admiral Nevelskoi and
Mouravieff Amursky ; these were, of course, taken over by
the enemy, under the new names of Pillau and Elbing ;
the latter was lost in the Jutland battle. Finally, the
flotillas have been enormously extended, both surface and
under- water craft being built in large numbers.

Unfortunately the War broke out before any of this
new programme was completed, and Russia only had her
six pre-Dreadnoughts, supported by the squadron of six
armoured cruisers, and four old light cruisers ; there were
also the destroyers, torpedo boats, gunboats and sub-
marines. This small fleet was pitted against the might of

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 241

the second naval power of the world, and put up a most
successful defence against it.

Of course the general policy pursued has been one chiefly
confined to flotilla warfare, and the Russian flotillas were
augmented in the autumn of 1914 by the arrival of several
British submarines in the Baltic. As the British fleet is
almost twice as strong as the German High Seas Fleet,
so the Russian Baltic Fleet is more than twice inferior in
point of numbers to the German Fleet. Not so in spirit,
for our Ally showed the most extraordinary pluck in beating
off the German forces in action and so restored the balance,
thanks to Admiral Essen and his supporters.

Germany possessed the incalculable advantage of the Kiel
Canal, through which she can pass the bulk of her navy
from the North Sea bases to Kiel unperceived; but one
cannot help thinking that she has not made the most of
this valuable asset, for on nearly every occasion on which
her squadrons have cruised near the Russian coasts they
have been received with energy. The role assigned to the
Russian Navy has been to remain a " Fleet in being "
without neglecting any chances of inflicting damage upon
the enemy on every possible occasion.

Hostilities opened on August 2 with a shelling of the
port of Libau, an important Russian base on the Courland
coast, by the cruiser Augsburg, but the damage inflicted was
small and was unattended by loss of life. Considerable
activity by both fleets followed, in which a German torpedo
boat struck a mine and sank, and a shelling of the Dagerort
lighthouse on the 13th was also reported. On the 27th a
squadron of German cruisers was chased by Russian forces,
and one, the Magdeburg, stranded off Odensholm ; on the
approach of the Russians, who were preparing to attack her,
the captain ordered the crew to blow her up after the
majority of them, including twenty-one wounded, had been
taken off by the destroyer V26. The captain and 101 of
the crew perished.

As in the North Sea, considerable time elapsed before the
conditions settled down, and the enemy suffered further

242 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

casualties. It was during September that there occurred
the famous piece of trickery played by Admiral Essen on
the foe. Painting a few of his cruisers to resemble German
ships, he came across an enemy squadron one dark night
and managed to approach quite close to them before the
ruse was discovered; opening fire, he severely damaged a
cruiser and eight destroyers in the following confusion.

During October German submarines were very active
and attacked the Russian patrols. On the 10th Admiral
Makaroff escaped destruction by sheer good luck, but the
next day was more unfortunate; Bayan and Pallada were
both attacked and their torpedoes hit Pallada and sank
her with the entire crew. Two of the assailants were later
reported sunk by Bayan and the destroyer Letutschi, though
Berlin denies their loss. Libau was revisited by two cruisers
and ten torpedo boats, and a few fires broke out during the
shelling.

November was a particularly costly month for Germany,
for in addition to the loss of the armoured cruiser Friedrich
Karl, which struck a mine and foundered with heavy loss
of life, the battleship Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and the
cruiser Heriha collided and sustained severe damage ; finally,
a minelayer, whilst laying drifting mines, was sighted and
shelled by a Russian flotilla, and a shell striking one of her
mines aboard, blew the ship to pieces.

The danger of employing old heavy cruisers on patrol
duty in submarine infested waters seems to have been
observed here also, for after this only light cruisers and tor-
pedo craft were encountered. Our submarines commenced
their successful operations early in the New Year, and their
first victim was the light cruiser Gazelle, which was so
seriously damaged by a torpedo off Riigen on January 25
that her engines were wrecked, and she was only prevented
from sinking on the spot by the arrival of a Swedish ferry-
boat, which towed her into Sassnitz in a sinking condition.
She was totally disabled, but the British submarine returned
unharmed in spite of numerous mines which were thrown
out by the cruiser. This incident was closely followed by

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 243

the sinking of a destroyer on the 28th by a torpedo
from E 9.

A very interesting account of the passage of these sub-
marines through the Sound was published later in the year,
but it is probable that most have slipped through into the
Baltic without any escort at all. This report stated that a
flotilla of submarines, escorted by a British squadron of
Dreadnoughts, cruisers and destroyers, entered the Skaw ;
leaving behind the larger ships, the submarines were escorted
as far as Elsinore, when they passed through into the Baltic.
This flotilla consisted of about ten craft, according to Danish
sources, but this was doubtless in excess of the actual num-
ber. It is difficult to see the object of such a strong escort,
which would have put the enemy on his guard ; more probably,
a British squadron was on its periodical sweep in the North
Sea, and the submarines took advantage of the protection
which it would afford and arrived simultaneously off the Skaw.

Little occurred in the Baltic until Hindenburg commenced
his offensive against the Riga and Courland provinces during
May. With the object of repeating the attacks on Libau,
an enemy flotilla of destroyers arrived, but were driven off
by the Russian patrols on the 5th ; the town, unfortunately,
fell into the enemy's hands three days later, the objective
being to establish a base for a projected drive on Petrograd.
After the occupation of the port, our submarines utilised
their opportunity and attacked the numerous transports
entering the harbour, one of which was torpedoed on the
10th.

In Mr. Rudyard Kipling's graphic accounts of our sub-
marines' work in the Baltic, he emphasises the extreme
difficulties with which our men had to contend. The depth
of the Baltic is not very great in many parts, and a submarine
if forced to descend suddenly finds itself hitting the bottom
with great violence almost immediately ; also the violent
Baltic gales from the north and the intense cold, with the
drifting ice, all combine against the success of this work,
although these conditions do not seem to have very much
effect on the achievements of the gallant crews.

244 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

During the end of May the Germans claim the loss of an
Allied submarine, but no official confirmation has been
issued, and in nearly all cases where the destruction of
these craft is claimed, there exists a certain amount of
doubt unless the crew be captured. Mr. Balfour, when
First Lord of the Admiralty, classed these losses under
three different headings — the certain, the probable, and the
possible — and this seems to be the best way of aggregating
them.

In June there was again considerable activity off the
Courland coast during the Russian retreat from the province.
The enemy ships were driven off and our submarine E 9,
during an attack on a squadron of battleships, torpedoed a
large destroyer on the 4th, whilst E 1 sank a large transport
between Gothland and Windau and damaged a torpedo
boat off Windau. Another blew up after striking a mine,
whilst a second-class cruiser was damaged by mines and had
to be towed into Libau.

During these operations an enemy submarine torpedoed
and sank the minelayer Yenesei with all on board except
thirty- two. This was somewhat compensated by the loss
of three enemy torpedo boats which were sunk or damaged.
Again two days later, on the 8th, a submarine attacked a
squadron of ten battleships off Windau and hit one.

In the last days of June there was a great outburst of
activity in this region, both on land and on sea. An attempt
which ended in failure was made to land troops in the rear
of the Russian Army. The German Fleet which convoyed
the transports consisted of coast-defence battleships, and
these were covered by four cruisers and torpedo craft.
Arriving off Windau on June 28, the troops were landed
after a bombardment of the town; suddenly the Russian
flotillas appeared and attacked the covering screen, forcing
them to retire with the troops unsupported. These were
all captured, and during the retreat they lost a torpedo
boat which struck a mine.

This skirmish was but the precursor of further operations
on a larger scale which commenced on July 2. During this

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 245

day several actions were fought; at 6 a.m. the Russian
cruisers Burik, Bayan and Admiral Makaroff, with the small
Bogatyr, encountered off Gothland the minelaying cruiser
Albatross, another cruiser and torpedo boats, and an action
ensued. The enemy fled to the south in the face of these
superior odds, and had the misfortune to lose Albatross,
which had been heavily shelled and was driven ashore in a
sinking condition. She had lost twenty-one killed and twenty-
seven wounded, and the survivors were interned. Four hours
later the Russians sighted another squadron composed of
Boon, Augsburg, and a torpedo boat; these they attacked,
and after half an hour they also fled, being joined by another
cruiser, and all four were pursued until 11.30 a.m. The
Russian cruisers then returned, but were attacked by sub-
marines, which they evaded. Meanwhile in Danzig Bay
E 9 sighted at 3 p.m. two enemy battleships and several
destroyers, and Commander Horton skilfully manoeuvred
his craft until he was able to discharge two torpedoes at
the leading ship, presumably the Pommern. A terrific
explosion followed in which this big ship disappeared, for
when he dared to rise again he saw but one battleship some
four to five miles away; more he could not observe, as a
waiting destroyer was only 200 yards away.

Undeterred by these two failures, the enemy still con-
tinued his attempts to capture Riga, and several intense
actions developed between the Fleets during August. Evi-
dence of the forthcoming attack was revealed by the number
of transports in this area, one of which was torpedoed and
sunk on the 2nd; this was followed by the forcing ashore
of a German gunboat near Windau on the next day by a
Russian seaplane.

It was not until the night of the 9th that the pre-
liminaries began. Our Allies had heavily mined the Irben
Channel (the only navigable channel for heavy ships), and
all the islands at the entrance to the Gulf were also fortified,
making the Gulf almost impenetrable. The enemy appears
to have been unaware of this and three times attempted to
force a passage with a fleet of nine battleships, twelve

246 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

cruisers, and torpedo craft; he retired baffled each time,
losing two minesweepers in his futile efforts.

A second attack on the next day was equally unsuccess-
ful, and at the same time appearing in great force between
the Aland Islands and the Gulf, he contented himself with
shelling the lighthouse.

Reinforcements were then sent from Kiel to strengthen
the German Fleet for a final attempt ; one of these ships,
the Prinz Adalbert, was attacked by a submarine and badly
damaged, necessitating her return to Kiel in tow.

On the night of August 16 large German forces appeared
off the entrance to the Gulf and the Russian patrols were
drawn closer in, after laying mines in their wake. Although
the dense fog greatly assisted the enemy, his advance was
gallantly contested and several fierce fights took place during
the 17th and the 18th ; in these Slava put up a splendid fight
against the German Dreadnoughts, but by the 19th they
had succeeded in penetrating into the Gulf. Once inside,
however, they found that the Russian destroyers were a little
too unpleasant in their attentions, and they lost several
torpedo boats. In one of these actions the gunboat
Sivoutch was attacked by a cruiser and torpedo boats, but
put up a very heroic defence. She managed to sink one of
her assailants and continued firing until the end, although
in flames, and with her deck red hot she at last disappeared
beneath the waves. The Germans claim the loss of the Koreitz
with 40 prisoners, a destroyer of the "Emir Buchareski"
type, and damage to the Novik. On the other hand, Petro-
grad stated that their only loss was the Sivoutch, whilst
they claim loss or damage to a battle-cruiser, two cruisers,
and at least eight destroyers. This was subsequently found
to be an exaggerated estimate, though the Russian loss was
insignificant compared to the German claim. The battle-
cruiser was the Moltke, and was torpedoed by Commander
Laurence in E 1 ; she was severely damaged, but regained
port. The other cruisers whose disablement was claimed
are supposed to have been Augsburg and Thetis, whilst
probably two or three destroyers were sunk and the remainder

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 247

severely hit. Berlin admits the loss of one mined and one
stranded.

Thus this attempt to secure Riga as a winter base failed,
although the enemy had brought some of his heaviest units
to assist, and he evacuated the Gulf on the 21st. The
Fleet was withdrawn to Kiel, and the project dwindled down
to Zeppelin and seaplane raids, while an extensive reconnais-
sance of the coast-line was made. Taking advantage of
this state of affairs our submarines established a blockade
of the Southern Baltic on lines similar to the much-vaunted
" blockade " of Great Britain — with the vital exception of
regard to human life and international rights. E 19 was
the most active craft in these operations, which were carried
out with such thoroughness that between the llth and 29th
of October no fewer than twenty-eight German steamers
were put down without the loss of a single life. In addition
a fleet of transports was attacked, of which five were sunk
and the sixth was forced ashore.

In the meantime there had occurred one of the foullest
and most cowardly of the crimes with which Germany has
familiarised us since 1914. The splendid work of our sub-
marines in these waters led to further craft being sent out,
and one of these, E 13, whilst passing up the Sound, had the
misfortune to ground on the Danish island of Saltholm at
about 3 a.m. on August 19. A Danish destroyer was sent to
inform Commander Layton that he would be interned if he
was unable to refloat his vessel in twenty-four hours, and
strenuous efforts were made by the crew, but without success.
Three Danish torpedo boats remained at hand in case of
emergency, but the enemy, hearing that an unknown sub-
marine was aground, dispatched a destroyer to investigate
matters. She, of course, found that the craft was British
and that she was guarded by Danish boats, so withdrew ;
four hours later, at 9 a.m., she reappeared with another
destroyer, and when half a mile away hoisted the commercial
flag. Before this signal could be answered a torpedo was
discharged at 300 yards range, which missed its mark and
exploded harmlessly in the sandbank a few yards away.

248 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Then, with their typical treachery and cruelty, the destroyers
opened fire with all their guns on the helpless submarine
and set it on fire fore and aft ; Commander Layton, seeing
his ship wrecked, ordered his men to abandon her and line
up on deck to be taken off by the Danish guardships. Not
content with their outrage the brutal enemy turned their
machine-guns upon the crew, who had jumped into the
water to escape from the burning craft, and only ceased
firing when a Danish destroyer rushed in and ordered
the Germans away. Half the crew were killed in this
disgraceful manner, and her commander and fourteen of
his crew were picked up by the Danish Falster and taken to
Copenhagen, where they were interned. Here they were
treated well, but Lieutenant-Commander Layton gave back
his parole some months later and escaped to England.
E 13 was later salved and towed into Copenhagen, where she
was interned on September 9.

For this foul attack there is not the slightest excuse, for
in addition to the cruel murder of the British seamen, the
gross violation of Danish neutrality cannot be explained
away. It may be said that the destruction of the cruiser
Dresden was a parallel case, but this ship had already been
at Juan Fernandez for several days, and had coaled fre-
quently in Chilean waters but remained uninterned. More-
over she refused to come out and fight, although her guns
were still trained. In the case of the E 13 she had only been
aground for seven hours, and was in no position to offer
resistance had she desired to.

Returning to the Baltic, we find a great nervousness
amongst German commanders in October, and several acci-
dents resulted. A torpedo boat was rammed and cut in
two by a German steamer, which mistook her for a Russian
ship, and all but five of her crew perished. This was fol-
lowed by the attack on the Danish submarine Hvalen by an
armed trawler, who also took her for an enemy ship, and
the navigator was killed. An apology was presented to
the Danes.

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 249

There were further successes by our submarines, and the
large cruiser Prinz Adalbert was again torpedoed, this time
by E 8, and sank off Libau on the 23rd with very heavy
loss of life. Russian submarines were also successful, and
four days later Alligator captured a German steamer and
brought her into port, and another steamer was captured
by a cruiser ; both were carrying supplies for the German
troops near Riga. A third was sunk by the Russian Cay-
man. By the activities of these craft stores were prevented
from reaching the Army and the advance on Riga was
checked. The Russian Fleet assisted the troops near Schlok.

E 19 again came into prominence on November 7 whilst
patrolling the Southern Baltic ; sighting the ferry-boat
Preussen escorted by the cruiser Undine (escorts now being
provided for protection against our submarines), she tor-
pedoed and sank the cruiser with twenty-six of her crew,
the survivors being rescued by the ferry-boat. About this
time the Frauenlob was semi-officially reported mined and
sunk in this region, but this was denied. However, she was
never seen since, although she had previously patrolled this
locality with her sister ship, and there seems to be ground
for inferring her loss or disablement.

Further attempts to violate the neutrals' rights occurred
on November 16 when the British steamer Thelma left
Trelleborg for England via Gothenburg, keeping within
Swedish territorial waters all the way. She was accom-
panied by the Swedish destroyer Pollux ; whilst off Lands -
krona the German destroyer G 132 appeared and attempted
to seize her, but was driven off by her escort, and she
ultimately reached this country.

On the 20th Russian torpedo boats attacked a large patrol
ship of 3000 tons off Windau and sank her, capturing one
officer and nineteen men. On this day also a report reached
Rotterdam that a Dreadnought had struck a mine in the
Baltic and, in spite of all efforts, she slowly foundered with
180 of her crew. This report was denied by Berlin. More
unofficial losses were reported ; on December 9 a submarine
stopped and examined a Danish steamer, but when about

250 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

to leave her a German torpedo boat raced up, thinking that
she was an Allied craft, and a collision ensued. Following
this came the loss of the German guardship Bunz off Laa-
land in the Belt, which was torpedoed and sunk on the 16th
by a British submarine. Next day the light cruiser Bremen
was also sunk off Courland, together with an accompanying
torpedo boat ; most of the crews were saved.

It will thus be seen that winter conditions did not prevent
our submarines from harassing the enemy, effectively shat-
tering the belief that during this season the Russians would
be rendered harmless in their frozen waters. Nevertheless
the work of our craft was terribly arduous for the crews.
Mr. Kipling has said that E 9, returning from an expedition,
met with a storm from the north, the spray freezing as it
struck, making the bridge a mass of ice six inches thick,
and a man had to be employed continually to free the
conning-tower with an axe. She reached the ice-breaker,
which served as a depot ship, considerably overdue, with
her plates started by the floating ice and wreckage, which
wrenched her hull until the ice-cold waters leaked in.

The New Year opened with several minor incidents,
including the reported foundering of a small German
auxiliary and the torpedoing of the torpedo boat Ander off
Aaro Island on the 17th. E 9 also bagged another destroyer
on the 28th, but two others which stranded on Saltholm
Island were refloated later. In early February persistent
rumours of the loss of a German battleship in the Kattegat
were denied by Berlin, but with the breaking up of the
ice things became livelier.

On March 20 a German minelayer ran ashore on Amager
Island but refloated. Our submarines still continued their
operations, and one had the audacity to stop a steamer in
the Kattegat, and put a prize crew aboard her with instruc-
tions to take the ship to England; after an exciting trip
they arrived safely at Leith.

During April there was much aerial activity, and Slava
was attacked on the 27th whilst supporting the Russian
flank. A minelayer was sunk off Falsterbo on the 13th,

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 251

and this was followed by the sinking of three steamers by
a Russian submarine on the 20th of June.

After the Jutland battle the cruisers which had formerly
patrolled the Baltic were withdrawn, owing no doubt to
the serious losses incurred, and only a few auxiliary cruisers
remained. One of these, the Herzmann, assisted by two
small torpedo boats, was escorting a convoy of several
steamers off Nykoeping on June 13 ; four Russian destroyers
then unexpectedly appeared and after a fight sank all three
enemy ships, capturing their crews. A small guardship
was mined off Falsterbo a few days later.

Another small encounter was reported on the 30th. The
Russian cruisers Admiral Makaroff and Oleg, with five de-
stroyers, sighted a flotilla of torpedo boats and after an
action repulsed them. On the next day Slava was again
attacked whilst supporting the Army, and Reval was bombed.
Russian seaplanes attacked the enemy's light forces in the
Gulf of Riga, and during this month two new enemy de-
stroyers were sunk. A fresh outburst of submarine activity
was also reported, and several steamers were sunk.

August and September saw much aerial activity, and the
hangars on Oesel Island, at the entrance to the Gulf, in par-
ticular were repeatedly bombed. Berlin claims that a large
Russian destroyer was severely damaged by an explosion off
Courland on August 22, and further, the sinking by bombs
of another in the Gulf on September 9 ; Petrograd, on the
other hand, announced that several armed trawlers had been
forced ashore.

Even in the Arctic regions the submarine menace was felt,
and on October 7 the Russian flotilla was attacked by two
German craft, both of which were sunk in a fierce encounter
which followed. A second action was reported a fortnight
later. In the Baltic the Russians laid a large minefield
off the Gulf of Bothnia to protect the approaches to the
capital, and in this connection it was rumoured that the
new battle-cruiser Sevastopol had struck a mine and sustained
damage whilst off Helsingfors, and a few days later that
either the Eurik or Gromoboi had stranded off Hugo, Finland,

252 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and became a total loss. Neither of these reports has been
confirmed.

A very smart piece of work by the Russian destroyers
was accomplished on November 10. During the night a
flotilla of fast enemy destroyers entered the Gulf of Riga,
shelled Port Baltic and killed a few civilians ; they were
encountered by the Russian ships and, after a spirited fight,
forced to retire with the loss of between six and nine craft.
Owing to the fog the exact number could not be estimated,
but judging by the debris picked up and the explosions
heard the above number was assumed.

Not until the spring did any events break the monotony
of this warfare. The astounding news on March 15 that a
Revolution had broken out in Russia and that the Tsar
had been forced to abdicate was received everywhere with
tremendous surprise. The disruption of the whole country
and the consequent disorganisation of the Army will always
be remembered with bitter surprise and disappointment,
for all the signs then pointed to an early offensive from all
fronts which were to culminate in the complete annihilation
of the Prussian military system. How this was frustrated
by the fraternisation with the enemy and the voluntary
retirement of many of the troops is a matter of history, and
also the furious assaults by the Franco-British armies in
Flanders and in Northern France without the help of our
Eastern Ally. The defection of the soldiery was in some
small degree balanced by the heroism of the " Battalions of
Death " — battalions formed of picked men, and even women,
to fight to the last to impede the enemy's progress.

It must not be inferred that the Revolution was an un-
called-for evil — only that it came at a most unfortunate time
and prolonged the length of the War tremendously. In-
deed, had it not broken out the Tsar and his clique would
have sold their country as they had already sold many of
her secrets.

Fortunately, the Fleets were not affected to such a degree
as the forces in the field, but during July a certain amount
of unrest was reported. The Kronstadt garrison made a

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 253

demonstration at Petrograd, and it transpired that the crew
of the battleship Petropavlovsk intended to support some
uprising of these sailors, and that the submarines were
ordered to torpedo her in this event ; orders for the despatch
of a destroyer flotilla were countermanded by the President
of the Central Committee of the Baltic Fleet without the
authority of the Provisional Government. However, no
serious trouble developed, and the morale of the sailors was
unaffected for some time.

Until the great activity at Riga in the autumn the summer
passed quietly. Preparations for an offensive commenced
with the usual aerial and mine-sowing activity, from which
latter cause the destroyer Lieutenant Bourakov was blown up
off the Aland Islands on August 15, with the loss of twenty-
four lives, and in June the destroyer Barsetant was lost. By
the end of the month the enemy commenced to clear the
mines at the entrance to the Gulf, and encouraged by the
instability of the troops under General Korniloff, he opened
his offensive against Riga on September 1 ; he easily suc-
ceeded in crossing the Dvina and carried the port on the
3rd, the Russians retiring voluntarily to the north.

The contrast between the furious yet futile attempts in
August 1915 is too clear. For all the many brave lives
sacrificed in the successful defence of this port in that year,
two years later their comrades made a mockery of them.
This tragic disaster was developed by the enemy with his
customary thoroughness, and he employed no fewer than eight
Dreadnoughts, twelve light cruisers, forty torpedo boats,
and thirty minesweeping trawlers to support his Army.

Against this formidable force the Russian sailors put up
for the second time a brave defence, but being unsupported
by the troops were eventually forced to evacuate the Gulf.
On the 3rd German submarines appeared in the Gulf and
shelled the coast, and also attacking some transports,
damaged the Russian Linol ; they were, however, forced to
submerge by a vigorous reply. Meanwhile General Korni-
loff retired on the capital to demand the dissolution of
the Provisional Government, but the Premier, M. Kerensky,

254 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

ordered his arrest as a traitor ; this was done on the 14th,
his staff being also arrested, and General Russky took over
his command. The retreat then ceased, but the enemy had
by this time gained the command of the coast. On the 26th
the destroyer Okhotnik struck a mine and sank off Oesel
Island with nearly all her crew, and October opened with
numerous aerial reconnaissances. The magazine at Oesel
was bombed and blown up on the 1st, killing seventy people,
and at the same time enemy minesweepers attempted to
penetrate into the Gulf through the Irben Straits ; several
transports were also bombed off Tserel on Oesel, and one
was hit.

The naval battle commenced on the 12th, when transports
landed troops on the north coast of this island under cover
of a Dreadnought and several other ships ; this large ship
struck a mine and made for the coast, where she was prob-
ably beached. A landing was also temporarily effected
on Dago Island. It is apparent to any one that the control
of Riga is incomplete without the command of the islands
at the entrance, and they had all been strongly fortified
to protect this important port. It was these batteries which
repulsed the attack on Dago, and Petrograd claimed that
they sank four torpedo boats and forced a cruiser ashore ;
they were soon silenced by the fire from the German Dread-
noughts. All day long on the 13th the Russian ships were
fighting the large squadron under Vice-Admiral Schmidt,
and Arensburg, in flames, fell in the evening to the troops,
who were aided by the ships and aircraft. Off the northern
part the Russian patrols were later reinforced by a flotilla
and beat back the enemy ships out of the Straits between
Dago and Oesel. In the Irben Channel enemy cruisers,
torpedo boats and sweepers attempted to penetrate, and
the south-western coast was also shelled.

The fighting became more intense on the 14th, and the
Russian patrol off Soela Sound was attacked by Dread-
noughts ; the destroyer Grom was severely damaged by their
fire. On the arrival of a dozen destroyers, which managed
to penetrate the Sound under cover of the battleships, the

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 255

Russian flotilla, consisting of the destroyers Grom, Konstantin,
Pobieditel, Zabiakaletz, the gunboats Khabry and Khivenetz,
at once accepted battle despite their numerical inferiority,
and Khabry took Grom in tow under heavy fire. The enemy
then concentrated his fire upon these two ships and very
soon disabled Grom and set her on fire ; the tow-line parted
and Khabry again attempted to take her in tow, but Grom
sank after most of her crew had been rescued. During these
operations Khabry sank an enemy destroyer, and the Ger-
mans retired upon the arrival of Russian reinforcements.
All the ships had been hit, but the enemy lost two destroyers
and another couple were damaged.

Oesel was captured on the 17th, and automatically the
command of the Irben Strait ceased. The Germans then
entered the Gulf and were engaged by Slava and Grazhdanin
(presumably a renamed warship) and the cruiser Bayan
under Admiral Bakhireff ; he spiritedly attacked and drove
back the foremost ships, sinking two trawlers, and then
audaciously opened his fire upon the Dreadnoughts, which
were ten in number, ten cruisers, over fifty destroyers, and
about nine submarines. He managed to secure several hits
aboard the Dreadnoughts before they withdrew and opened
fire from beyond the range of the Russian ships ; these were
thus forced to retire into the Moen Sound, where Slava,
having been badly hit below the water line, foundered with
but small loss of life. Enemy torpedo boats were repulsed
by the land batteries, which in turn were silenced by the
Dreadnoughts. At the northern exit German ships were
also observed, and a shelling of the south-western coast of
Oesel by a "Kaiser" Dreadnought took place.

On the next day two German torpedo boats were blown
up by mines in the Moen Sound, and on the same day Moen
Island was captured. The Russian warships had been forced
to retire from the Sound, and despite the minefields sown in
the exit, the Russian ships managed to evacuate the Sound
without loss. Berlin reported that four vessels were
abandoned. Dago was evacuated on the 21st.

As in the operations in 1915, British submarines assisted

256 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

the Russian ships, but owing to the lateness of their arrival
they were presumably only sent out when the situation
had become threatening. Also it appears that the earlier
craft had all returned to England, for not until the 19th
was any mention made of their work. On this day one of
them attacked a transport which was escorted by destroyers
and sank her, and also torpedoed a "Markgraf " Dreadnought,
but was forced to dive before the result could be observed.

The next day passed quietly, save for the presence of
hostile submarines in the Gulf of Finland and many warships
and transports in the Gulf of Riga. On the 21st a landing
on the Werder Peninsula was repulsed, but Dago was taken ;
in the Riga region the German troops began to retire
voluntarily, supported by a strong squadron.

On the 26th several bombardments of the coast took
place : the island of Kano in the Gulf of Finland was
shelled by a Dreadnought, a cruiser, and several destroyers
and transports, and off Ainazhi ten cruisers and destroyers
continued fire for two hours ; off Salismunde destroyers ap-
peared and shelled the town for an hour. However, on
the next day the Germans evacuated the Werder Peninsula
and retired to prepared positions in the Riga locality.

After the safe withdrawal of the Russian warships there
were no engagements, and the situation gradually settled
down with the enemy in possession of the islands of Dago,
Oesel, Moen, and several smaller ones, and with his Army
based upon Riga.

The morale of the crews of the ships engaged was sound,
and all of them put up a very fine fight against the very
strong German squadrons. The subsequent revolt against
Kerensky's Government in the early days of November
and the part played by the cruiser Aurora, a few destroyers
and transports, and several hundred sailors, rather con-
firm the truth that inactivity breeds discontent. In practi-
cally all the larger ships in the contending fleets there have
been those long periods of waiting which play havoc on
all but iron nerves. With their country in such a turmoil
and with pro-German agitators rife, little wonder that these

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE BALTIC SEA 257

misguided men were swept off their feet from the path of
common sense. Under fire from the enemy the Russian
sailor has proved himself as staunch as any man, but under
the tongues of plausible and false orators he has not been
so firm.

Simultaneously with the announcement of the Russian
armistice, Admiral Vodensitzky was discharged at the be-
ginning of December, and an unknown man was appointed
by the Bolsheviks to succeed him.

The only incident at sea during this period was the mining
of the German auxiliary cruiser Bothnia in the Sound on
the 3rd, most of the crew being rescued.

Thus the New Year opened with Russia still in a state of
chaos.

WARSHIP LOSSES

Battleships.
Cruisers.

Light Cruisers.

Gunboats.

Destroyers.

Torpedo Boats.

Minelayers.

Minesweepers.

Auxiliary and
Patrol Craft.

Transports.
Submarines.

RUSSIA.
Slava.
Pallada.

Sivoutch.

Okhotnik.
Orom.
Barsetant.
Lieut. Bourakov.

Yenesei.

GERMANY.
Pommern.

Prinz Adalbert.
Friedrich Karl.

Magdeburg.

Bremen.

Undine.

Albatross (minelayer).

Herzmann (Auxiliary).

Bothnia „

Ander.
Bunz.

Various unidentified (15).

Various unnamed (9).
Unnamed (2).
Unnamed (4).

Unnamed (3).
Unnamed (8).
Unnamed (4).

These include only definite losses or cases where there seems to be
reasonable ground for supposing loss. Disablements and damage casualties
are not included.

CHAPTER V

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA

FRANCE and Italy have pursued a policy in the Adriatic
much in keeping with the general plan of containing the
enemy and endeavouring to entice him from his fortified
bases. Austria has the best natural advantages that she
can desire, for the wild and rugged Dalmatian seaboard,
stretching from Fiume to Cattaro, affords admirable sub-
marine bases and refuges for her warships when hard
pressed. The numerous creeks form strong natural harbours,
and the addition of artillery placed on the headlands makes
such ports as Cattaro almost impregnable.

Like her Allies, Austria has been very chary about
meeting her enemies and has only twice been engaged in
force, the first time soon after the outbreak of war and the
second time immediately after Italy declared war on her
hereditary foe. Save in the Black Sea campaign, it has
been the offensive force which has suffered the most ;
for with the exception of the raiding cruisers at large, we
and our Allies have sustained comparatively heavier losses
than the common enemy. Submarine losses are also
excepted because they are the offensive force, but wherever
a fleet maintains a blockade of the enemy's coast, then that
fleet will be the one to suffer more heavily, as so many of its
ships have to be exposed to the perils of war whilst the enemy
lies snugly in harbour. This fact has been more accentuated
since the submarine became such a power.

Though Italy and Austria were nominally allied, yet their
natural sympathies have never lain in the same direc-
tion; and whilst these two neighbouring Powers were
ostensibly creating a strong Triple Alliance Mediterranean

258

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 259

Fleet, individually each was building up a defence against
the other.

Austria had only a part of the French Fleet to contend
with in 1914, but wisely she has never put up more than a
passive resistance, and has remained a " Fleet in being."
Her Navy then consisted of two Dreadnoughts, Tegethoff
and Viribus Unitis, and two others building, Prinz Eugen
and Szent Istvan, which were to be completed by 1914-15 ;
they were fine ships of 20,000 tons, carrying twelve 12"
weapons. Next there come the three modern pre-Dread-
noughts Badetsky, Zrinyi and Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand
of 14,500 tons and armed with four 12" guns ; then six
older ships armed with three or four 9-4" pieces and of
8340 to 10,600 tons, the Erz. Ferdinand Max, Erz. Friedrich,
Erz. Karl, and the smaller Habsburg, Arpad and Babenberg.
The old Wien, Budapest and Monarch of 5600 tons complete
the battle squadron. These were supported by the modern
armoured cruiser Sankt Georg and the older Kaiser Karl VI
of between 6000 and 7400 tons, carrying two 9-4" guns;
the rebuilt Kaiserin und Konigin Maria Theresia, Kaiser
Franz Josef and Kaiserin Elisabeth (based upon Tsingtau)
were of 4000 to 5000 tons and carried a couple of 6" or 7-6"
pieces. Three small cruisers were built in 1900, Zenta,
Aspern and Szigetvar of 2400 tons and armed with eight
4-7" weapons, and were followed by Admiral Spaun in 1910
of 3500 tons and armed with seven 4-1" guns; lastly come
the Saida, Novara and Helgoland, completed just before
hostilities, of 3500 tons and armed with nine 4-1" pieces.
Six gunboats, ninety-one torpedo boats, eighteen modern
destroyers, and eleven submarine craft complete Austria's
Adriatic Fleet, excluding about a dozen auxiliary ships,
depots, etc.

It will be recollected that during the escape of the Goeben
and Breslau the bulk of the French Fleet was engaged in the
safe transport of the Algerian Army to Marseilles, and that
the British Mediterranean Fleet was stationed in the Straits
of Otranto in the expectation that the two German fugitives
would endeavour to regain their temporary bases in the

260 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Adriatic, whilst at the same time they would be effectively
sealing up the Austrian Fleet. Whatever may have been
said of the dispositions of our ships, Rear-Admiral Trou-
bridge, who was in command, in the court of inquiry main-
tained that he was justified in remaining here instead of
chasing the enemy, for no one thought of Turkey as the
destination of the ships ; this view was upheld by the court,
but there is no doubt that, had they returned to Pola, the
campaign in these narrow waters would have been very
different. As it was they have been comparatively wasted
in Turkish waters.

For the first eight months France took over the task of
containing the Austrian Fleet, and with Malta as his base,
Admiral Boue de Lapayere commenced his task.

At the very outset Austria strewed the Adriatic with
drifting mines which caused extensive damage to the
Italian fishing fleet. She was forced to discontinue her
nefarious practice by a sharp protest from Italy, though
these mines thus sown remain a peril for an indefinite time.
Their work soon recoiled on themselves, for on August 13
the Austrian-Lloyd Baron Oautsch struck a mine and sank
with 150 lives. No military purpose was served, and the
French minesweepers at once commenced to sweep them up ;
by the 18th a channel had been swept clear as far as Cattaro,
and the French Fleet cruised as far as this before the enemy
was sighted. Off here they sighted the smaU Zenta and a
couple of torpedo boats which they signalled to surrender ;
the Austrians pluckily refused, and the French sailors were
then compelled to open fire upon these three small ships.
Zenta and the torpedo boat No. 19 were soon badly hit,
but the remaining ship made good her escape by getting
in the lee of her doomed consorts ; Zenta then sank with
201 of her crew, and No. 19 managed to arrive off Pola,
where she also sank with almost all her crew.

Thus the first brush with the enemy ended successfully,
and four days later Paris announced that the battleship
Zrinyi had been engaged, that a shell had penetrated her
magazine, and that in the explosion she had blown up.

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 261

There has been no confirmation of her total loss, and more
probably she received extensive damage or else her identity
was mistaken. The French Fleet also bombarded Cattaro,
and periodically this base was shelled until the capture of
Mount Lovchen on January 10, 1916.

On September 10 an Austrian destroyer and two torpedo
boats were reported mined and sunk, and the cruisers Maria
Theresia and Admiral Spaun arrived at Sebenico badly
damaged on the 22nd, after they had been shelled at Cattaro.
Berlin claimed that the batteries had sunk a French battle-
ship, but this was untrue. Two days later a detachment
of Franco-British sailors landed on the island of Lissa after
the lighthouse had been shelled, and requisitioned provisions ;
they also hoisted the Allied flags in the vain hope of inducing
the enemy to emerge from his shelter and give battle.

The menace of the drifting mines resulted in further ships
being sunk, amongst which was an Italian steamer which
went down with forty of her crew on October 3. Four
days later two Austrian destroyers and four torpedo boats
were again reported sunk by mines, with all their crews,
but as there is no confirmation to be had they doubtless
reached port in a badly damaged condition.

A report of incendiarism at the dockyard at Monfalcone
on the 14th stated that the fire destroyed the stocks and
scaffolding which were supporting a cruiser prior to her
launch ; before the flames could be got under control the
ship crashed over on her side and was seriously damaged.
Definite news was scarce until October 17, when Cattaro
was again shelled ; the French ships were, however, attacked
by submarines, two of which attempted to torpedo the
Waldeck-Bousseau, but this cruiser claims to have sunk one
by gunfire. On the next day when the French had retired,
two Austrian cruisers slipped out of Cattaro and shelled
the magazine at Antivari, but they fled on the approach of
the Allied ships ; and in their hurried retreat a cruiser and
destroyer were hit and damaged and a submarine was sunk,
whilst another was lost off Pola on the next day, according to
unofficial reports.

262 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

In November the bulk of the French Fleet evidently
withdrew from the Adriatic, and maintained a patrol in the
Straits of Otranto. Whilst thus employed enemy submarines
were often encountered, but beyond the damage on the Jean
Bart, which had been torpedoed by U 12 on December 21,
no loss was sustained. Berlin claimed that Courbet was
sunk, but she was in port on that day. The first loss
occurred on December 24, when the submarine Curie made
a plucky attempt to penetrate into the harbour of Pola;
by following a torpedo boat she managed to enter the
harbour, but unfortunately struck the bottom and lay for
several hours disabled in the darkness. Finding himself
unable to attack, the commander rose to the surface to get
his bearings, but was immediately seen and fired upon by
the batteries ; six of the crew were killed, and the remainder
swam clear of the sinking vessel and were taken prisoners.
The submarine was raised a few days later by the Austrians,
and under the name of Zenta joined the Austrian flotilla.

This mishap was followed by the mining of the destroyer
Dague off Antivan on February 24, whilst convoying supplies
to the Montenegrins ; she sank with thirty-eight of her crew,
but fortunately the convoy safely reached its destination,
landed the supplies, and returned. Far more serious was
the loss of the armoured cruiser Leon Gambetta on the night
of April 27. This ship was patrolling the Straits of Otranto
when she was struck by torpedoes from the submarine U 5,
which wrecked her dynamos, engine-room, and wireless
apparatus. Simultaneously the electric light went out,
and in total darkness an attempt was made to beach her;
she, however, sank in ten minutes with all but 136 of her
complement, as her officers remained at their posts till the
end. The survivors were rescued by Italian torpedo boats
which had raced to the scene.

In October the command of this French squadron had
been transferred to Vice-Admiral d'Artige du Fournet, as
ill-health had caused the resignation of Admiral Lapayere,
but on May 23 Italy abandoned her attitude of neutrality
and declared war upon Austria, relieving the French from

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 263

their task. Several French destroyers and submarines, and
also a British unit or two, remained to assist the Italians,
but the bulk of the squadron was free to be employed in
other spheres.

Immediately after the declaration of war the Italian
Fleet, under the command of the Due d'Abruzzi, was called
upon to give an account of itself, for within twelve hours
many Austrian ships appeared off the Italian seaboard and
commenced to shell the towns with the object of demoralising
the population. On the whole they were not very successful,
and both sides had losses to record.

Off the Venetian coast several torpedo boats and seaplanes
appeared, but were driven off after a brief shelling. Porto Buso
on the Italian frontier, on the other hand, was entered by the
destroyer Zeffiro, and the barracks, quays and shipping, includ-
ing several motor-boats, were destroyed, and fifty prisoners
were taken away. In addition two submarines entered Pola
and torpedoed an auxiliary cruiser which was escorting some
merchantmen, causing her to return to Pola listing heavily.

Lower down the coast the cruiser Sankt Georg shelled the
railway bridge between Venice and Ancona, and the Zrinyi,
which had evidently been repaired, with a light cruiser and
destroyers shelled both Ancona and Senegaglia, damaging
the railway and, according to the enemy, destroying the
harbour, bridge, and railway station at the latter place.
At Porto Corsini the Novara, the destroyer Scharfschiltze
and torpedo boat No. 80 engaged the batteries at very close
range ; No. 80 was hit and began to make water when Novara
came to her assistance and covered the retreat. She was
also hit and lost one officer and eleven men killed and four
wounded, but No. 80 reached Pola in company of Scharf-
schutze. In the south Barletta was attacked by Helgoland
and several torpedo boats, but they had a hot reception;
in an action between Italian destroyers and the Austrian
ships the Italian Turbine sank after having engaged the
cruiser and four torpedo boats for some time single-handed,
and thirty- five of her crew were taken prisoners. The
Helgoland had to be taken in tow by her consorts.

264 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

All these actions occurred between May 23 and 24, and
considering the forces engaged the losses were extraordinarily
light. The enemy completely failed in his objective, and
was driven back into his ports. Thereafter only patrol
encounters broke the monotony of the warfare.

Pol a was attacked on the night of May 30 by an Italian
dirigible and the arsenal was set on fire ; a flotilla of de-
stroyers also shelled Monf alcone and caused several outbreaks
of fire which severely damaged the docks and shipping,
and on their return they sank several ships laden with flour.
Meanwhile the Italian Fleet cruised in Dalmatian waters,
but found no trace of the enemy ; observation stations and
the wireless installation at Lissa were destroyed for the
third time. On June 5 the cables were cut in the Dalmatian
Archipelago, and lighthouses and look-out stations were
destroyed, in addition to damage to the railway between
Ragusa and Cattaro. Monf alcone was again shelled by
destroyers and several sailing ships were sunk, despite air-
craft attacks ; this was repeated on the 8th, when a battery
was silenced prior to the occupation of the port by the
Italian troops, and Pol a was also bombed. At Monf alcone
a great quantity of shipping was captured and a torpedo
boat, whilst attempting to escape, was shelled and reported
sunk. On the next day a Greek steamer with provisions
attempted to raise the blockade of the Gorizian coast, but
was taken into Venice. Finally a dirigible also bombed the
torpedo works at Fiume, but was shelled by six torpedo
boats and damaged, and to prevent her capture she was
burnt. There was much guerilla warfare during the summer
months, one side getting in a thrust, then the other, before
the conditions adjusted themselves.

On June 11 Berlin claimed that the submarine U 11 had
torpedoed and sunk a British cruiser of the " Liverpool "
class off San Giovanni di Medua, whilst accompanied by six
destroyers ; the cruiser in reality was slightly damaged and
returned to port.

A most remarkable incident occurred on the 16th between
an Austrian and Italian submarine, and was the first instance

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 265

on record of a duel between these craft. On returning from
a daring reconnaissance, the Italian Medusa suddenly en-
countered another craft ; neither was aware of the presence
of the other, but Medusa had the misfortune to rise to the
surface first, when the Austrian, sighting her through her
periscope, immediately discharged a torpedo at her and sank
her with all but one officer and four men.

The work of destroying the numerous observation stations,
vedette posts, and submarine bases was methodically con-
tinued with success by the Italian Fleet, who were aided by
Anglo-French forces. Whilst thus employed an Austrian
cruiser and four destroyers on the 13th dashed out and
shelled Faro, causing insignificant damage, but they claim
to have torpedoed and sunk an Italian torpedo boat in the
Northern Adriatic.

This was somewhat set off by the bombing of the U 11
on July 1 by an Italian aviator; dropping a bomb from
a height of only fifteen metres he struck her on the conning-
tower, when she disappeared in the explosion.

The first serious Italian loss occurred seven days later
when the cruiser Amalfi was returning from a reconnaissance
of the Northern Adriatic ; she was attacked by a submarine
at dawn in heavy weather and was struck by a torpedo
which sank her, practically all the crew being saved. Follow-
ing this mishap further patrolling was carried out off the
enemy's seaboard, and the cables between the islands were
cut, thereby depriving the enemy of valuable intelligence
posts. A second disaster unfortunately closely followed,
for after a raid on Gravosa lighthouse and barracks, a recon-
naissance of the Guipana Islands, and a bombardment of
Cattaro by the heavy cruisers Varese, Ferrucio, Pisani and
Garibaldi, they were attacked by submarines off the port
on the 18th and the latter ship was struck by a torpedo
from U 4 and sank with a few of her crew.

Despite these losses the work continued, and following a
raid on the Italian coast near Ancona and another at Ortona
and Pedaso which resulted in two civilians being killed, the
Italians replied with the occupation of Pelagosa Island by

266 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

an auxiliary cruiser and a destroyer. These two ships were
later assisted by the French destroyers Bisson and Magon
in the destruction of the wireless station and cable at
Lagosta ; but on the 29th the enemy endeavoured to retake
the island, first by shell fire from cruisers and torpedo boats
and later by an attempt to land sailors, but they were re-
pulsed and the survivors were forced to swim back to their
ships. A second attempt was made on August 17 when
twenty enemy ships, accompanied by aircraft, made a deter-
mined effort to expel the garrison, but it was met with
great bravery and they were again forced to retire without
effecting a landing. The Italian loss was only one officer
and three men killed and three wounded. Four days later
the Italians voluntarily abandoned the island.

In the meantime another raid on the Apulian seaboard
resulted in a civilian's death and seven others wounded on
the 1 1th ; and on this day the second submarine duel was
also reported. An Italian submarine, escorted by a torpedo
boat, discovered an Austrian craft, U 12, close at hand when
off Venice ; pretending blindness she manoeuvred to get
closer, but was then seen by the Austrian who let go a torpedo
at her. Then commenced a most thrilling action which
lasted an hour and a half, the submarines darting about
seeking an advantage. The end came suddenly, for the
Italian, suddenly reversing her engines, leapt over her
enemy's back at the moment when two torpedoes had been
discharged at her, and immediately let go a torpedo at
U 12 which pierced its hull and sank it with all on board.
Next day the Bisson accounted for U 3 in the Lower
Adriatic, sinking her in three shots, and from whose crew
it was learnt that U4 had been sunk in the attack on
Garibaldi.

Another interesting submarine incident in August was
related when the Italian Nereide was posted as missing on
the 15th, but arrived safely in port later, however; her
engines had become disabled and she had lain on the bottom
of the sea in total darkness for seventy hours whilst the
trouble was put right. This event speaks volumes for the

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 267

spirit of the crew, as their experience must have been most
nerve-racking.

In September a few minor incidents occurred, including
the torpedoing of the Austrian torpedo boat No. 51 by the
French submarine Papin, which claims to have regained
port with damage to her bows. Towards the end of the
month Italy lost her first battleship, however, the disaster
being due to foul play. On the night of September 27 the
harbour of Brindisi was suddenly lighted up by a tremendous
blaze, which was found to come from the flagship of Rear-
Admiral Rubin di Cervin, the Benedetto Erin. The flames
quickly reached the magazine and the ship blew up with the
Admiral and about 250 officers and men. The battleship
lay partially submerged, enabling the guns to be salved.

Beyond the transport of supplies to the Montenegrins
during October and November and a few losses incurred,
there was little of importance to relate. These operations
were carried out in a very thorough and successful manner,
as the following brief outline will show, and the enemy
only emerged three times to interfere. On the first occasion
an armed steamer and a motor-vessel with supplies for
Durazzo were sunk and their crews captured on November 23.
This was followed by a very fruitful raid on December 5,
when Novara and several destroyers sallied out and sank
two small steamers off San Giovanni di Medua, together
with five large and seven small sailing craft which were
discharging their cargoes. The batteries were also engaged ;
the French submarine Fresnel, which was aground, was
destroyed by the Austrian destroyer Wardsiner, and her crew
were captured ; finally, a Greek steamer carrying arms for
the Montenegrins was also sunk.

The third sortie on the 14th was less successful, when San
Giovanni di Medua was again shelled and the Greek steamer
Thira, carrying ammunition, was sunk.

An account of the work of the Italian Fleet disclosed the
fact that an Expeditionary Force had been landed in Albania
for the relief of the Serbians, and that although the
transports afforded an excellent target for the Austrian

268 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

submarines, no losses from this source were to be recorded.
Mines, however, had claimed two victims, the destroyer
Intrepido on the 14th and the transport Umberto, with a loss
of forty- three lives in all. During this time the entire
Austrian Fleet was lying in Cattaro, but only once, when
Novara emerged, was any serious attempt made to attack
the transports. Submarines were rendered harmless by
the escorting craft.

A few days later a submarine was reported lost off Cattaro,
and another was rammed whilst attacking a destroyer
which was sinking a large sailing vessel with arms for the
Albanians. On the 21st, also, two destroyers captured a
Greek steamer suspected of carrying oil fuel for Austrian
submarines.

There was considerable activity during the last few days
of 1915 and losses to both sides were sustained. On the
28th the French submarine Monge was sunk off Cattaro
by the cruiser Helgoland and an officer and fifteen men were
rescued; next day, however, a division of Austrian de-
stroyers left Cattaro to shell Durazzo, but encountered an
Allied squadron and was pursued back to port with the loss
of Triglav sunk by gunfire, and Lika which was blown up
by a mine. A transport with war material was also torpedoed
by a French submarine.

Waiting until the Allied ships withdrew, the Austrian
division again emerged and shelled Durazzo, the steamer
Michel with 500 tons of food for the Montenegrins being set
on fire and destroyed ; this loss of much needed provisions
was greatly felt by our worn-out but dogged Ally, and was
further accentuated by the mining of the " requisitioned "
steamer Brindisi (541 tons) off San Giovanni di Medua on
January 6 ; she had on board 425 recruits from America,
together with several hundred tons of food for their Army,
and as she sank almost immediately over 200 lives were lost.
Following this the armed auxiliary Citta di Palermo was
torpedoed in the Lower Adriatic two days later, but by
rapid and efficient help from another ship nearly all on board
were saved.

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 269

On January 1 1 French marines landed on Corfu to prepare
for the arrival of the Serbian Army, which had retired before
the overwhelming might of Mackensen, and here this gallant
Army recuperated before being transported to Salonika
later in the year. On the 13th the enemy claimed that the
King of Montenegro had asked for an armistice, but as all
the terms offered were refused, the last defence of this brave
nation was organised. On this day the French Foucault
torpedoed and sank the cruiser Helgoland off Cattaro.
The King and Queen of Montenegro left for Italy on the 24th
in a destroyer, and although attacked by submarines until
the appearance of reinforcements, the passage was safely
effected. San Giovanni di Medua and Alessio fell on the
28th, and by February 6 the gallant Serbians had been
transported to Corfu without a single loss. An attempt by
Austrian destroyers to interfere was beaten off by a British
cruiser and a French destroyer, which covered the removal,
and they were again attacked off Durazzo on the next day.

An interesting account of these operations was issued in
February, and it gives some idea of the difficulties which
were overcome so well. Since December 260,000 troops, a
great number of cattle, and 300,000 cwts. of material had
been transported by 250 steamers, 100 of which were neces-
sarily of small tonnage to enable them to sail close inshore.
Though aerial, mining, and torpedo attacks were attempted
(the latter by cruisers as well as torpedo craft), only three
small steamers were lost, two by mines and the other by
torpedo, after the cargoes had been discharged. These
facts testify to the splendid efficiency of the escorting ships
in the nineteen attacks by enemy submarines, and although
these were energetically counter-attacked we suffered no
losses. During January one Austrian submarine was
destroyed, and two others were very probably also sunk.

Vienna announced that a transport was bombed off
Durazzo towards the end of the month. On February 24 a
couple of Italian torpedo boats were unsuccessfully attacked
by a submarine, and later a French destroyer was also
attacked in Albanian waters. On March 18 the enemy

270 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

allege that the Hungarian Red Cross ship Elektra had been
torpedoed in the Northern Adriatic, and a life had been
lost and two nurses injured. The ship had to be beached
to prevent her sinking. No report from our Allies has been
made, and it seems likely that she struck a floating mine.
This incident served as a pretext for Austria's wanton attack
on the Russian Portugal in the Black Sea some time later.

The French destroyer Renaudin was sunk with three
officers and forty-four men on this day, the torpedo literally
blowing the little ship in two.

May saw a revival of activity, and on the 3rd four Italian
destroyers encountered ten enemy torpedo boats and pur-
sued them into Pola, whilst on the next day the French
submarine Bernouille torpedoed and sank an Austrian
destroyer in the southern region. On the 18th a transport
carrying war material was also torpedoed by a French craft,
and a few days later two small Italian torpedo boats fought
and put to flight a large Austrian destroyer.

On the 28th a very daring piece of work was accomplished
by a submarine which penetrated into the harbour of Trieste,
despite the mines, and sank a large Austrian transport.
Another was sunk in the Dalmatian Channel on June 5.
This success was discounted a few days later when the Italian
transport Prince Umberto with two others, accompanied by
a destroyer, was attacked by a couple of submarines; in
spite of the counter-attack of the destroyer, she was struck
by a torpedo and sank with half of the troops aboard.

Italy retaliated by another attack on the Istrian Peninsula,
when torpedo boats shelled a fort near Parenzo on the 1 1th,
returning safely despite aerial attacks. This was repeated
on the 25th when they came under violent fire.

Meanwhile on the 23rd the auxiliary cruiser Cittd di
Messina, escorted by the French destroyer Fourche, was
torpedoed and sunk in the Straits of Otranto ; although
hotly attacked by the destroyer, the submarines escaped, and
returning later, sank the Fourche, also with small loss of life.
This clever piece of work was undertaken with pluck, as the
destroyer would naturally be vary much on the qui vive.

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 271

The first attack on the line of British drifters engaged in
sweeping and watching the nets in these Straits was made on
July 9, when they were surprised by the cruiser Novara.
Opening fire upon the group she succeeded in sinking the
Astrum Spei and Clavis, capturing the crew of the former,
and damaging the Ben Bui and Frigate Bird. Our loss was
ten killed and eight wounded. On the next day the Italian
destroyer Impetuoso was torpedoed and sunk in the Lower
Adriatic with small loss of life, and our Ally also lost the
submarine Giacinto Pullino on the 1 1th, which the Austrians
claim was captured in the Northern Adriatic and brought
to Pola with twenty-one prisoners. The Zalia was also lost
by striking a submerged mine.

In August Italy had the great misfortune to lose her fine
Dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci, at any rate temporarily.
The circumstances of the disaster closely resemble the blow-
ing up of the Benedetto Erin some months earlier. Whilst
lying in Taranto harbour a fire broke out and very quickly
spread; it was feared that the flames would reach the
magazine, and she was submerged after it was ascertained
that 31 officers and 229 men had perished. It was stated
that hopes were entertained for her salvage, and a reward
of £4000 for information leading to the discovery of the
origin of the fire was offered.

On the same day enemy ships appeared off Molfetta and
shelled the airshed and factory, but on their return Aspern
and the torpedo craft were attacked by Italian ships and
pursued. On the other hand, Italian aircraft bombed
Durazzo, and the gunboat Magnet was also torpedoed and
damaged, losing nine killed and four wounded of her crew.
An enemy destroyer was sunk in the Upper Adriatic on
August 5.

A week later torpedo boats entered Durazzo and sank a
steamer, and an Austrian squadron on its return from a raid
on the Apulian seaboard was encountered and pursued into
Cattaro by French and Italian destroyers. The French
torpedo boat No. 368 sank a German submarine off Pavesta
whilst it was endeavouring to enter the Corfu Straits.

272 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

There was much aerial activity in September. In October
rumours were about of the destruction of a Dreadnought at
Pola with all its crew, but nothing definite transpired.
On the night of the 16th a remarkable incident off Corfu
was reported ; whilst escorting a transport, the Italian
destroyer Nembo was torpedoed by the German submarine
U 16 close by, but the falling debris from the stricken ship
fell upon the attacker and sank her; eleven of her crew
were captured. On the next day the French submarine
Foucault was bombed by a seaplane and sunk.

November opened with a raid on Pola, but unfortunately
the torpedoes discharged caught in the ships' nets and failed
to damage them. On the 3rd torpedo boats, whilst sinking
a large Austrian steamer, were attacked by Austrian craft
and a sharp fight ensued, in which the enemy retired. Two
nights later three enemy destroyers made a raid on Santa
Elpido, but were driven off by the batteries.

Another heavy Italian loss was the mining of the old
battleship Regina Margherita on the night of December 11,
the ship sinking rapidly with her commander, 14 officers
and 675 men.

On the 23rd another small patrol encounter in the
Straits of Otranto was reported ; four enemy destroyers
emerged and attacked the patrols, but were immediately
engaged by French destroyers, when they fled under cover
of the night. It was seen that two of them were hit, and
a French destroyer and a patrol were slightly damaged.
Several enemy submarines were also accounted for, and it
was announced that U 12 and UC 12 had been captured.

Up to this time the command of the Italian Navy had been
vested in the Due d'Abruzzi ; but on his resignation owing to
ill -health his place was taken by the Chief of the Naval Staff,
Vice- Admiral Thaon di Revel, who combined the two offices.
Under his command there has been no change in the general
plan of operations, and incidents consist purely of minor
patrolling encounters.

It will be remembered that for nearly all this period
British ships have been representing this nation in these

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 273

waters, and from time to time accounts of their services
have been published. We have a squadron of monitors here
which have greatly assisted the Army in its terrific struggles,
a few cruisers to counterbalance the marked absence of this
class of warship in the French and Italian Navies, a submarine
or two, and finally a number of drifters for service in the
Straits of Otranto. Here, on May 15, there was a large group,
numbering in all some forty-eight craft, engaged in watching
the submarine nets ; they had an armament of one small
gun and a crew of ten, reinforced by a truly heroic spirit.
On this day several Austrian cruisers and destroyers emerged
from Cattaro to attack an Italian convoy and sank a steamer
and a torpedo boat, and then proceeded to attack the line
of British drifters. The three Austrian cruisers signalled
to the little ships to surrender, but this was far from the
intention of the brave crews, and every preparation was
made to escape. One, indeed, though but 100 yards from one
cruiser, raised full speed and actually engaged her foe with
her one small gun ; it was unfortunately disabled at once
by the cruiser's fire, but the crew of the drifter, Gowan Lea,
endeavoured to repair it under heavy fire, and then ran
alongside another drifter, Floandi, of whose crew four had
been killed and three wounded, leaving but three able men
to man her. The conduct of the Floandi' s wireless operator
is typical of the bravery of these hardy fishermen; this
man, Harris, was hit but continued to send and receive
messages until he expired over his log. The skipper of the
Gowan Lea was rightly awarded the Victoria Cross for his
gallant behaviour. Of the others, Bon Espoir, British
Crown, Christmas Daisy and Garrigill refused to surrender,
and although under broadsides from the enemy, came
through the action safely. Like the Floandi, the other
wireless telegraphy drifters, Capella and Garrigill, were espe-
cially selected by the enemy for his fire, but the operators
all remained at their posts throughout. Admirable was
abandoned after her boilers blew up, and Girl Rose, Coral
Haven and Selby foundered under their crews. Altogether
fourteen drifters were lost, the remainder being Avondale,

274 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

Craignoon, Girl Grade, Felicilas, Helenora, Quarry Knowe,
Serene, Tails, Transit and Young Linnet, of whose crews
seventy- two were taken prisoners.

The enemy, now reinforced by the destroyers, next
encountered the British cruisers Dartmouth and Bristol,
but at once fled, closely pursued by our ships and French
and Italian destroyers. The pursuit was only broken off
when the enemy managed to get into Cattaro and was
reinforced by several battleships, but it was observed that
one cruiser was in flames and in a sinking condition, whilst
another was also badly hit. Dartmouth was struck by a
torpedo on the return journey and lost eight killed and seven
wounded, but returned safely to port. The French lost their
destroyer Boutefeu, which struck a mine and sank.

After this eventful day things quieted down, although
an Austrian torpedo boat was torpedoed off Cattaro on the
26th, and after a fierce engagement the French submarine
Circe sank a large enemy submarine off this base. The
British monitors again rendered valuable support to the Army
in an offensive on the Carso sector on August 31 from the
Gulf of Trieste, the Hermada fortifications being easily
destroyed. How soon this valuable gain was relinquished
is now a matter of bitter regret, and even in the retirement
our ships again helped to stem the advance of the enemy.
During September there was much naval aerial activity.

On the night of the 29th a very exciting action was
fought between the destroyer flotillas. It appears that on
learning of the presence of two new enemy destroyers the
new Italian leader Aquila, followed later by a flotilla, sought
them out and engaged them both off Cattaro and put them
to flight with her fire ; unfortunately, after having beaten the
enemy a fire broke out in her naphtha tanks and her engines
stopped. The pursuit was maintained by the flotilla, and
the Austrians were chased into their Durazzo defences in a
battered condition. Meanwhile Austrian aircraft hovered
over the disabled Aquila, harassed the crew as they were
repairing the damage, and presumably signalled to the
Austrian ships her whereabouts ; the cruisers Novara, Saida

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA 275

and Aspern then appeared and, thanks to the gallant
efforts of the crew, they were received by a brisk fire from
the Italian ship. Messages were sent to the returning
destroyers not to assist her but to attack the larger enemy
ships, and a very hot action ensued until the arrival of Anglo-
Italian ships, when the enemy fled into Cattaro, Novara
being considerably damaged. Aquila returned to port after
the fire was extinguished and damage repaired.

Shortly after the dramatic reports of the Mutiny in the
German Navy rumours soon were afloat that serious dis-
affection was rife in the Austrian ports, and it appears that
several fights occurred between the German submarine
crews and the Austrian sailors, in which many of the former
were killed. It was said that the overbearing manner of the
Germans was one of the causes, and that bad food and the
harshness of the Austrian officers were also responsible.
However this may be, the crew of the Austrian torpedo
boat No. 11 overpowered their officers, ran their ship ashore
south of Ancona and surrendered to the Italians.

On the 14th an enemy destroyer was bombed and hit off
Pola, and on the next day minesweepers and torpedo boats
off the Istrian Peninsula were driven away by aircraft.

All through the retreat the Italian Navy and the British
monitors did their utmost to stem the enemy's progress,
and there was evidence that tremendous havoc was wrought
on the enemy's fortifications. On November 29 the monitor
Picton made most remarkable practice on three small
bridges on the Lower Piave at a range of 18,000 yards, and
destroyed them in five shots, the first shell demolishing the
pontoons.

On the night of December 9 Italian torpedo craft entered
Trieste, attacked two battleships, sinking the Wien, and
returned safely.

CHAPTER VI

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS (AFRICAN, SYRIAN, PERSIAN,
BALKAN AND MEDITERRANEAN THEATRES)

THE Royal Navy has been called upon during the War to
perform a multitude of varied tasks far from where the real
issue will be decided. Most of these have been in collabora-
tion with the land forces, but until the seas had been swept
clear from enemy raiders the tasks assigned to our ships
stationed in foreign waters were confined to the destruction
of these pests. These side-shows, if one may use the term,
generally took place in African waters, where our numerous
colonies lie scattered about.

The conquest of Togoland was brought about very soon,
being due to the valuable support of our West African squad-
ron, comprising Cumberland (flagship), Challenger, Dwarf,
the Nigerian Government yacht Ivy, the steamers Vampire
and Walrus, and the French cruiser Bruix and the gunboat
Surprise. On August 7, 1914, Cumberland appeared off Lome,
the capital, and, under threat of bombardment, ordered the
governor to surrender to the French garrison at Dahomey.

Further down the coast off Kamerun Dwarf arrived and
patrolled off Duala, pending the arrival of the larger ships.
She was the object of several attacks during this time, and
on September 9 she captured the armed yacht Herzogin
Elisabeth ; her adventures commenced, however, on the
night of the 14th when an armed steamboat, commanded
by a missionary, attacked her with an infernal machine,
from which she narrowly escaped. The boat was captured.
Two nights later, whilst in the Bimbia river, she saw a light
coming round the bend in the river, and turning her search-
lights on it an armed steamer, the Nachtigall, was revealed
bearing straight down on her with intent to ram her.

276

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 277

Realising his peril, the commander fired all his guns on
Nachtigall, unshipping her gun and setting her ablaze from
stem to stern ; nevertheless the impetus drove her on, and
only by reversing at full speed was the main impact
avoided. Nachtigall then drifted up stream and blew up
with practically all her crew of forty-seven.

During this month Cumberland and Challenger captured
no fewer than nine Woermann and one Hamburg- Amerika
liners, in addition to the gunboat Soden, which was recom-
missioned. Operations commenced with the capture of
Duala, after the mines had been removed by Ivy and a shell-
ing of the town by Challenger; Bonabera was also taken.
Later boat expeditions to Edea and Jubassi were undertaken
by our bluejackets. Owing to the climatic and territorial
conditions, little campaigning was undertaken until 1916,
when on New Year's Day the Allied columns converged on
Jaunde, where the enemy made his stand, and the town
fell on January 3. The garrison fled to Spanish Guinea.
Near Lake Chad, in the north, the Allies took Mora on
February 18, and by the end of the month the campaign
came to a close.

In Corisco Bay the French gunboat Surprise, whilst carry-
ing troops for Libreville, encountered and sank the auxiliary
steamers Itolo and Ehios on August 24, 1914.

Beyond the transport of General Botha's main force to
Walfisch Bay in February 1915, the conquest of German
South-West Africa did not require naval assistance.

Turning to the operations in German East African waters,
we come to perhaps the most varied of these incidental
tasks. The first event was a bombardment of Dar-es-
Salaam, the capital, on September 9 by Astrcea and Pegasus,
two cruisers on the South African station. Parties were
landed to demolish the wireless installation and destroy the
engines of the steamers in the harbour, together with the
floating dock; finally the gunboat Mowe was sunk. This
port was revisited in December by Goliath and Fox, when
the town was shelled and the shipping destroyed. A
blockade of the coast was declared on February 26, 1915.

278 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

In the meantime Pegasus had been disabled in Zanzibar
harbour on September 20, and in turn her attacker, the
Konigsberg, had been compelled to seek refuge in the
estuary of the Rufiji River on October 30, where later she
was destroyed. Coastal operations, excluding the neces-
sary vigilance required to enforce the blockade, have been
infrequent ; but in January our ships supported the troops
in the retaking of our frontier town, Vanga. The subjuga-
tion of the enemy was not seriously undertaken until the
conquest of German S.W. Africa was completed, and the
forces thus liberated were free to be used here to reinforce
the native regiments. The offensive began in earnest in
March 1916, under the leadership of General Smuts. During
the summer the Navy supported the Army, progressing along
the coast ; Sudani was occupied on August 1, Bagamojo on
the 15th, and Dar-es-Salaam on September 4, being attacked
by a naval force in whalers in conjunction with the troops.
The ports of Kilwa Kisiwani and Kilwa Kiwindsche were
occupied by naval forces under threat of naval bombard-
ment on the 7th, and a Portuguese force crossed the Mozam-
bique frontier on the 20th supported by our warships. The
enemy made his stand in the Rufiji valley and put up a very
good fight.

Far more interesting are the various actions which have
taken place on the great inland seas which form another
seaboard to this colony. On the three large lakes, Victoria
Nyanza, Tanganyika and Nyassa, duels have been fought
between small armed steamers and, latterly, pigmy gunboats.

Taking the first named, an action was reported to have
occurred on September 13, when the armed steamer Kavi-
rondo fought and captured the armed dhow Harold, which,
however, foundered whilst in tow with a seaman aboard,
and sank another dhow. Two days later an attack by the
armed steamer Owangu on our steamer Winifred forced her
to retire, but returning with the Kavirondo later we found
the port of Karunga abandoned. Since then we have
remained undisputed masters of Victoria Nyanza, the remain-
ing small enemy ships being scuttled in July 1916.

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 279

On Lake Nyassa the enemy possessed but one gunboat,
the Hermann von Wissman, which was attacked off Sphinx-
haven by the armed steamer Gwendolen in August 1914 and
disabled. When the offensive in this region was taken a
party of the King's African Rifles was landed on May 30
and, aided by the fire from our ships, carried the town and
destroyed the gunboat.

Not until December 1915 did any action occur on Lake
Tanganyika, a lake of 400 miles length covering over two-
thirds of the Belgian Congo frontier, the remainder of the
Belgo- German frontier comprising a stretch of land about
150 miles long. Here, under General Tombeur, the Belgians
marched on Ujiji in July 1916 and encountered the enemy
at Tabora, which fell after a four days' battle on Decem-
ber 22, the Germans retiring on the main force in the S.E.
Previous to this several actions were fought on the large
lake, where for a time the enemy remained dominant. It
must be remembered that these lake -steamers have, to be
constructed at home first, then sail for Africa, where they
are taken down and transported overland to the lakes,
and then rebuilt. In the summer of 1915 two small
British gunboats left for the Cape, when they were trans-
ported overland, and ultimately reached the lake after a
journey of over 2000 miles through the heart of Africa.
These gunboats, the Mimi and Tou-Tou, on December 26,
1915, attacked the large German steamer Kingani, manned
by gunners from the Kbnigsberg, and it is reported that so
small were the assailants that they were unperceived until
they were close enough for their small guns to bear. Such
good shooting and spirited manoeuvres followed that after
five shots the Kingani, ten minutes later, was disabled,
with all her officers killed, and was brought into port in a
sinking condition. Repaired, she was renamed Fife, and
later reinforced our flotilla. The second action occurred
on February 9, 1916, when Fife and Mimi, after a running
fight lasting one and a half hours, sank the Hedwig von
Wissman. Then came the offensive by the Belgian forces,
by which time the enemy had completed a new gunboat

280 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

larger than the other. This, the Graf von Gotzen, was bombed
and damaged on June 10, 1916, and was then destroyed
by the Belgian gunboat Netta on July 28, being surprised
whilst disembarking troops. The new Adjutant was blown
up on the stocks.

Thus ended the last of these interesting little affairs in
which the old element of naval warfare remained, where
ship fought ship to the end without the treachery of lurking
submarines, and in which our sailors came out without loss
owing to their superior shooting and spirit.

The remaining African theatre in which the Navy has
lent a hand is in the Syrian and Egyptian regions. It will
be recollected that hostilities with Turkey commenced with
an attack on the fort at Akaba in the Gulf of Sinai on
November 3, 1914. This was delivered by Minerva, assisted
by the destroyers Savage and Scorpion, which, finding the
town occupied by Turkish troops in command of a German
officer, opened fire on the fort and landed a party who
drove out the garrison with considerable loss to the enemy.
Nearly a month later the Doris, on December 17, shelled
Alexandretta, and after a further bombardment on January
6-7, landed a party. A patrol of the Palestine seaboard was
instituted, and on February 6 Philomel was fired on from
the shore in the Gulf of Alexandretta, losing three killed
and three wounded ; she opened fire on the Turkish trenches
and killed about fifty Turks. The Russian cruiser Askold
also assisted in the patrol.

Meanwhile a few Turkish brigades under Djemal Pasha
managed to march through the desert and on January 26
came into contact with our advance guards east of El
Kantara. In anticipation of the attack the battleships
Swiftsure and Ocean, Minerva and Clio arrived in the Canal
to reinforce Hardinge of the Royal Indian Marine, two
torpedo boats and the French Eequin and Z>' Entrecasteaux.
On February 3 the enemy reached Lake Timsah and opened
fire on Hardinge; she had her funnel carried away by a
shell which also killed two of her crew and wounded seven,
including her navigating officer. This officer had a knee

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 281

shattered, an arm broken and several other injuries, but
calmly continued to direct the course of his ship. Swiftsure
took Hardinge's place. Torpedo boat 0 23 landed a party to
destroy pontoons brought by the enemy to bridge the Canal
south of Tussum, and Eequin did good work on their artil-
lery; later at El Kantara Swiftsure lost one killed by the
enemy's fire, and Clio repulsed an attack at El Fardan.
Thus was this much-heralded attack^ brought to nought.

Operations were then confined to a surveillance of the
coast, and with the opening of the Dardanelles bombard-
ment the French took over this task. El Arish and Gaza
near the frontier were shelled by St. Louis on April 12, and
in May she again shelled Gaza. On April 29 Z>' Entrecasteaux
opened fire on the Turkish trenches at Tarsus, and El Arish
was again bombarded by Jeanne $ Arc, ; D'Estrees shelled the
petrol tanks at Alexandretta on May 13. An act of treachery
by the Turks, who fired on a white flag parley boat, was
punished by the bombardment of Budrum by Dupleix ;
and at Latakia, when a tug and boat belonging to her was
fired on, another shelling was delivered. The German
consulate at Haifa was also destroyed.

In the Red Sea Desaix landed a party at Akaba on
February 23 and put to flight fifty Turks from the village ;
subsequently the Royal Indian Marine took over this patrol.
Dufferin experienced another white flag outrage, and lost
one killed whilst off Muweilah, which she punished with a
shelling of the fort. In May Nortkbrook captured a dhow
with sixteen Germans aboard.

These are but the bare details of an arduous and tedious
yet necessary task which has been continued with few events
to record. Practically all subsequent reports are confined to
the losses incurred, and little has been heard of the successes.

Returning to the Mediterranean, both the armed boarding
steamer Tara and the horse transport Moorina were attacked
and sunk on November 5 in the Bay of Sollum, together
with the Anglo-Egyptian gunboats Abdul Menim and Prince
Abbas. The experiences of the crews of the two former
proved very thrilling, for after the loss of their ships they

282 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

landed on the inhospitable shore and were immediately
surrounded by ferocious tribesmen ; they were taken inland
to their camp and were treated in a very rough manner.
They were kept for several months, their captors hoping
doubtless for ransom, but with the reoccupation of Sollum
by British troops a force under the command of the Duke
of Westminster, comprising nine armoured and twenty-six
other cars and ten aeroplanes, left on a 121 mile journey
into the desert to rescue the captives. The amazed Senussi,
seeing this most extraordinary force sweeping over the
sands towards them, took to their heels, leaving their
prisoners, numbering ninety-one, behind. These were taken
back to Sollum in the cars, and two others who were absent
from the camp on this day, March 20, arrived at Tobruk
two months later.

On February 8, 1916, the old French cruiser Amiral
Charnier was struck by a torpedo and sank in a very few
minutes. No time was left to launch any boats, and only
one raft containing twelve bodies and one living man was
picked up a few days later off the Syrian coast.

During the winter months Germany announced that
Japan had retroceded to Russia the cruisers Sagami, Soya
and Tango (captured in the Russo-Japanese War), and that
they were on service in the Mediterranean.

The spring of 1916 witnessed further activities of the
enemy submarines. Our minesweeper Primula was tor-
pedoed off Port Said on March 1, whilst on patrol duty, and
three lives were lost. This was followed by the mining of
the sweepers Nasturtium and Mgusa (ex Erin, Sir T. Lipton's
yacht, which had done such good work as a hospital ship for
the typhus-stricken Serbs in 1915), on April 30, when thirteen
lives were lost. Off the Turkish coast the monitor M 30
shelled Smyrna on May 6 and Seddul-Bahr on the 12th,
but a shell striking her she was set ablaze and was burnt
out next day. Two of her crew were killed and two injured.

On August 3 the sweeper Clacton was torpedoed and
sunk with five of her crew in the ^Egean Sea, and later the
armed yacht Zaida (Lord Rosebery's ship), whilst engaged

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 283

in minesweeping in the Gulf of Alexandretta, became over-
due. A Turkish message stated that she was torpedoed,
and that four officers and nineteen men were captured,
whilst ten were lost.

Then followed a period of immunity, during which time
the second attack on the defences of the Canal was delivered.
This was on August 4, when the Army was again supported
by our monitors, who wrought great execution on the enemy
from the Bay of Tina, and he was thoroughly beaten and
pursued.

In 1917 he has been driven right over the frontier beyond
Gaza, and the forces are once again supported by the Allied
ships, Eequin especially distinguishing herself. This is a
matter for much satisfaction, as the importance of the Canal
is inestimable. Through it, in addition to the enormous
trade, thousands of troops have passed on their way to the
various battlefields. It is a wonder that the enemy has
not made more serious attacks upon it.

The Palestine campaign was the one bright spot during
the latter days of 1917, and our troops have been brilliantly
led by General Allenby. Supported by the French Syrian
Division and a flotilla of British monitors and light craft,
he was enabled to make rapid progress. Prior to its capture
Gaza was continuously shelled during the first week in
November, and the old French Eequin was struck by a shell
on the 1st and lost nine killed and twenty-nine wounded, but
escaped serious damage. During the pursuit of the enemy,
enemy submarines were successful in sinking one of our
destroyers and a small monitor, in which we lost thirty-three
killed. On December 9 Jerusalem fell to our troops, and
our ships are still assisting the coastal operations.

THE MESOPOTAMIAN CAMPAIGN

Turning to the last of these joint campaigns, one cannot
help contrasting the similarity between this and the Darda-
nelles venture. The original object in this theatre was to
arrest any advance by the common enemy upon India,
which would most assuredly have been undertaken if the

284 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

situation in Europe had gone as well as had been intended
by Germany. In addition the pressure of the Turks in the
Caucasus would have been relieved, and also that on Egypt.

Basra was the port of Mesopotamia, and its early occupa-
tion was necessary if the plan was to be nipped in the bud.
Thus far the campaign had been successful, also the safe-
guarding of the Admiralty oil-pipe from the Persian oil
fields, but it is the subsequent operations which call forth
so much criticism — the advance on Baghdad by General
Townshend with insufficient forces, and the criminal lack of
medical stores and transport which have needlessly cost
this country the loss of so many lives. The troops were
pitted against every natural disadvantage imaginable ; for
when the dust from the arid plains was not stifling to the
men and the terrific heat not causing sunstroke, then the
whole country was a sea of mud, with the ice-cold waters
from the Caucasus bursting the banks of the river and flood-
ing the land. In addition they were at grips with some
of the finest fighters in the world.

The failure of the first part of this campaign, like the
Gallipoli catastrophe, only serves to accentuate the in-
domitable will of our troops in the face of such odds. The
fault lies not with them but with the administrative powers,
either the Indian Government or the War Office.

On October 16 an Indian brigade sailed from Bombay,
under General Delamain, for the Persian Gulf, accompanied
by a naval flotilla, and arrived off the Shatt-el-Arab on
November 3. Operations opened with an attack on the old
fort of Fao at the estuary, supported by fire from Ocean and
Duke of Edinburgh, covered by Odin and the launch Sirdar.
The fort was silenced in an hour and the forces landed on
the 10th under General Barrett. On the next day and on
the 15th two actions were fought with the Turks, in which
latter Espiegle and Odin rendered support, and by the 23rd
the enemy was in flight towards Baghdad, leaving Basra
in our hands. The advance up the river now commenced,
and the troops were supported by the flotilla (sloops Espiegle

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 285

and Odin, Royal Indian Marine Lawrence, gunboat Shaitan,
the 80-ton launch Miner, and the yacht Lewis Petty of 100
tons).

On December 3 the flotilla, under Captain Nunn (with
the exception of Odin which had rudder trouble), sailed for
Kurna in advance of the troops and came under heavy fire
on the next day, both Lawrence and Miner being hit. The
troops invested the town on the 6th, and they were greatly
assisted by the ships. They suffered several losses on the
next day, when Espiegle and Shaitan were struck by shells,
the latter losing her rudder and her commander, and Miner
went aground but later refloated. Kurna fell on the 8th,
and for his services Captain Nunn received the D.S.O.

After this things quieted down for a few months until
the arrival of General Sir John Nixon, who succeeded Sir
A. A. Barrett. In May and June two advances began —
one along the Euphrates to Nasriyeh, which fell to General
Gorringe on July 24 with the enemy in flight, and the other
under General Townshend up the Tigris to Amara, which
surrendered to the flotilla and the troops on June 4, with
the gunboat Marmariss, one large and three small steamers,
and several barges. On September 28 a battle was fought
at Sanna-i-yat, which also fell, together with Kut-el- Amara,
and 1650 prisoners were taken. The enemy was pursued
by the cavalry, and the infantry were transported upstream
to Aziziyah, where it was discovered that the Turks, now
reinforced, were entrenched at Ctesiphon.

During this advance a very heroic incident occurred on
Comet, one of the gunboats. On September 28 she was
ordered to examine and destroy an obstruction across the
river ; though heavily fired upon by machine-gun and rifle
fire, she made an attempt to destroy the middle dhow, but
it failed. Lt.-Comm. Cookson then ordered Comet along-
side, and himself jumped aboard to cut the steel hawsers
with an axe. He was at once hit in several places and
expired almost immediately, but for this gallant act he was
rightly awarded the Victoria Cross, though unfortunately
posthumously.

286 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

On November 18 General Townshend, being promised
reinforcements, advanced on Ctesiphon to give battle, and on
the 22nd, supported by the flotilla, attacked the enemy.
Apparently he beat their 45th Division, but the Turkish
commander, Nur-Ed-Din, receiving reinforcements from
Baghdad, counter-attacked and the battle continued till the
night of the 27th, when Townshend was compelled to retire
to the river for water for his weary troops, having lost
4567 men. His own promised reinforcements failed to arrive,
and he commenced his retreat on Kut-el-Amara, which he
re-entered on December 3 ; here he became invested on the
5th. During these operations the gunboat flotilla rendered
valuable assistance, but during the retreat it came under
heavy fire whilst helping the shipping to escape, and suffered
its first losses.

On November 28 the gunboat Shaitan grounded above
Aziziyah, some thirty miles below, and in spite of all efforts
she remained fast ; her guns and stores were therefore
salved by Firefly and Shushan on the next day. At Umm-
el-Tubal Comet and Firefly engaged a large body of troops
on December 1, causing great havoc in their ranks with their
lyddite shells ; unfortunately a shell, bursting aboard
Firefly, pierced her boilers and disabled her. Comet then
took her in tow, but misfortune continued and both ships
grounded in one of the bends of the river. Firefly being
the last to strike was soon refloated and sent drifting down-
stream, but Comet had been driven further on and defied
all efforts of the launch Sumana to save her ; both boats,
burning furiously, had to be abandoned after their guns
were disabled and crews removed. In addition one tug
and three lighters were also abandoned, but the remainder
of the shipping and flotilla regained Kut-el-Amara.

On December 5 this famous siege commenced and con-
tinued for many months, despite several attempts to raise it
by the main force lower down the river. The first of these,
under General Aylmer, was made on January 7, when the
enemy was attacked at Sheikh Saad and driven back for
ten miles, and again at Wadi when they retired a further

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 287

five miles. On the 19th Sir Percy Lake, having succeeded
Sir John Nixon, attacked the Turkish position at Umm-el-
Hannah on the left bank twenty-three miles below Kut, and
also Es Sinn on the right bank fourteen miles away. Between
January 19 and March 10 several attacks were delivered by
General Aylmer, but not until April 5 did General Gorringe,
with reinforcements, capture Umm-el-Hannah and Falahi-
yah. On the 9th the Sanna-i-yat position was unsuccessfully
attacked, and again on the night of the 20th.

The greatest privations were now being suffered by the
beleaguered force, and aeroplane attempts at landing sup-
plies in the town were but partially successful. A last
attempt to avert the inevitable collapse was undertaken by
the naval flotilla. It was decided to attempt to get food
through on the steamer Julnar, and two officers, Lt.-Com.
Cowley and Lt. Firman, with several men, volunteered to
run the blockade. At 8 p.m. on April 24 the ship left
Falahiyah with 270 tons of supplies on board; covered by
our artillery she managed to dash past the Es Sinn position,
but was heavily shelled and later captured at Magasis,
only two and a half miles from Kut. Both officers were
killed and the crew captured. For their brave sacrifice
they were both posthumously awarded the V.C. All the
crew volunteered for the task knowing full well that the
chances of winning through were practically nil, but with
the truly wonderful spirit of our men, sailors and soldiers,
they counted not the cost, and gloriously died in the attempt
to bring succour to their stricken comrades.

On the 29th of April General Townshend surrendered with
his 200 officers and 11,000 men, together with 28 guns and
a few craft, after a siege lasting for 143 days.

After the disappearance of their objective the next eight
months were spent in completely reorganising the whole
transport and medical services, which, to say the least, were
in a very deplorable condition owing to the obstinacy of the
Indian Government. Numerous hospital barges were sent
out and the troops were properly equipped, with the result
that even in December 1916 the sick list was reduced by

288 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

one-third per week. In the early stages of this campaign
ammunition and animal transports had to be temporarily
utilised as hospital ships, and as they were at times com-
pelled to carry both patients and material no claim for
immunity could be made for them. Fortunately this state
of affairs was remedied in the autumn of 1915, but until this
reorganisation was completed everything was in chaos.

On December 13 Sir Stanley Maude commenced the pre-
liminary movements which culminated so successfully. He
opened an offensive along the Shatt-el-Hai, the river which
bifurcates at Kut and flows southwards to the Euphrates,
and drove the enemy back as far as Kut on the right bank
of the Tigris during January. On the 21st the attack on
Kut began, and from February 6-16 he was engaged in
attacking the enemy in the Dahra Bend of the Tigris, west
of Kut, and ultimately succeeded in capturing some 2000
Turks here. Next he attacked the Sanna-i-yat position on
the left bank on the* 17th, and drove the enemy into the
peninsula formed by the river at Kut. On the 22nd the
assault was more successful, and on the next day our troops
effected a crossing at the Shuniran Bend. Kut-el-Amara
was retaken the next day, February 24, and the first to
enter the town again were the naval forces, who hoisted
the Union Jack on the Citadel.

Being requested to follow and pursue the retreating enemy,
Captain Nunn pressed on and at 9.30 a.m. on the 25th sighted
the Turkish rearguard and opened fire on it. The flotilla
consisted of Butterfly, Gadfly, Mantis, Moth, and Tarantula,
and all of them were hit ; the battle continued all day, when
the enemy recommenced his retreat pursued by cavalry,
infantry and gunboats. On the next day, the Turks being
much demoralised, Sir Stanley Maude ordered the flotilla to
follow them up with all speed ; Baghailah was passed, and
shortly afterwards several steamers were sighted ahead,
including the captured Firefly. Fire was opened upon her
and upon the armed steamer Pioneer, which replied effec-
tively with its 4" guns, and the rearguard was also engaged,
although they were in force. Great execution was wrought

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 289

on them, and our ships were all hit time after time, Moth
in particular being heavily shelled, as she was the rearmost
ship and was caught by their artillery as she was turning a
bend ; she lost three officers and two men. The ships thus
passed the rearguard of the Turkish Army, and opened
fire upon the main force ; they also recaptured the launch
Sumana, and the Basra, with many wounded aboard, sur-
rendered after being hit by Tarantula. Firefly, however,
maintained her fire, but later, becoming disabled, grounded
and was captured. The pursuit was broken off when the
light failed, our flotilla having also taken 3 ships, 10 barges,
and 30 pontoons. The enemy, in great haste, passed
through Aziziyah on the 27th, and until March 7 the voyage
upstream was uneventful.

On this day the enemy was discovered by the gunboats and
cavalry to be holding the Diala, having evacuated Ctesiphon
on the previous day. On the 10th the gunboats assisted in
the crossing of the river, and next day Baghdad fell to
General Maude. Even up to February 27, 7000 Turks had
been taken prisoners during the advance, and since Feb-
ruary 23, the day before Kut fell, 28 guns, 19 trench mortars
and 1 1 machine-guns had been captured.

Thus the misfortune of 1915-16 was retrieved, and but
for the Russian revolution paralysing all offensives we
should have very soon afterwards joined up with them from
the Caucasus. Indeed, a detachment had won through
from the Grand Duke Nicholas' Army, and at that time
everything pointed to a speedy reunion.

The brilliant leadership of General Maude needs no
emphasis, for this bare outline of his advance clearly shows
his remarkable skill in putting to flight his foes, in spite of
their numbers. When the Gallipoli venture had definitely
come to an end. The valuable assistance of Captain Nunn, his
officers, and men was also recognised ; four received the
D.S.O., ten the D.S.C., and eighteen petty officers and men
received the D.S.M. Captain Nunn received the C.B.

u

290 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

IN THE AEGEAN AND MEDITERRANEAN SEAS

In these regions the operations were confined to the safe
convoying of thousands of transports conveying troops,
stores, animals, etc., to the various overseas campaigns,
and in the stupendous task of combating the enemy sub-
marines. Many serious losses have occurred in the trans-
portation, and the menace has been far more difficult to fight
than it has been in northern waters. Here with the numer-
ous islands inhabited with natives of doubtful sympathy,
many bases have been established for these craft, which
obviate the necessity of returning to the Adriatic through
the dangerous Otranto Straits. Great quantities of mines
have been set adrift from the Adriatic and ^Egean Seas in
addition to those sown in the shipping routes.

The submarines made their first appearance in the
Mediterranean in the spring of 1915 by way of the Straits of
Gibraltar, and since then many have safely emerged from the
narrow waters of the Adriatic to take part in their murderous
activities. Until the Allied landing at Salonika the bulk of
the transports were destined for the Gallipoli Peninsula, but
with this additional task, and with the arrival of numerous
submarines, our patrols had their hands full.

Excluding all events off the Dardanelles and Syrian
coasts, the first loss occurred on June 3, 1915, when the
French minelayer Casabianca struck a mine and sank.

Then came the landing of an Anglo-French force under
General Sarrail at Salonika on October 3. The force landed
under cover of the Allied ships under Vice-Admiral d'Artige
du Fournet, as a result of the refusal of King Constantine
to abide by his treaty to ally himself with the Serbs, who
were now in full retreat before the hosts of Mackensen,
comprising Germans, Austrians, Bulgarians and Turks.
A blockade of the Bulgarian coast was declared on the 17th,
and a formal protest by the Greek Government against the
landing on Greek soil was disregarded on account of the
most unworthy conduct of the King and his party. It is
difficult to understand the policy of the Allied Governments

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 291

in the subsequent events, but the idea was apparently to
land a considerable force to endeavour to encourage the
assistance of the Greeks and prevent the overwhelming of
Greece by a catastrophe such as that which had befallen
Serbia. Even passive assistance was withheld, and every
obstacle was placed in our way to delay and impede our
development.

Taking the situation broadly, the Greeks were no doubt
not at all anxious to incur the terrible fate of Belgium,
Poland, Montenegro, and Serbia, and in some measure we
have but ourselves to blame for this. Against this was their
word of honour and the tangible support from the Allies
whose troops were already at hand. However, they chose the
path of dishonour, and after a year of vacillation a collision
inevitably occurred between the Allied and Royalist troops
in Athens, and was followed by diabolical outrages, of the
approved German style, on many Venezelists, whose bodies
were disinterred months later and afforded terrible evidence
of brutality. It is unnecessary to recapitulate the whole
sordid trend of events to the final " abdication " of the King
and his flight on June 12, 1917, leaving his second son
Alexander on the throne. The degrading offer of Cyprus
for the assistance of Greece and her refusal of it will be
remembered with shame by every Englishman.

Immediately afterwards M. Venezelos returned to power
and declared war on the Central Powers, and this hesitating
nation at last redeemed her pledge, though far too late to
render any assistance to her ally.

The first loss at sea was of only a slight character, when
the empty French transport France, homeward bound, was
torpedoed and sunk off Sardinia on November 7, 1915,
without loss of life. The destroyer Branlebas was also
mined in this month.

A shelling of Dedeagatch and Port Lagos by an Allied
squadron, including the Russian Askold, several monitors,
and a few cruisers and destroyers, under the command of
Vice-Admiral de Roebeck, was carried out on October 21,

292 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

and the shipping and harbour were much damaged. This
was repeated on December 17 and on January 18, 1916,
when the Italian cruiser Piemonte participated.

Through a collision in the Straits of Gibraltar in the early
hours of November 1 our torpedo boat No. 96 was sunk,
and a like fate befell the French destroyers Fantassin on
June 5, 1916, and Yatagan during December 1916.

By the end of 1915 a large force was collected at Salonika,
the troops and stores being transported without loss until
January 25, when the Norseman, carrying animals and stores,
was torpedoed off Salonika and had to be beached in a sink-
ing condition. More serious was the sinking of the French
Provence II by U 35 in the Mediterranean on February 26
whilst carrying 1800 troops to Salonika; the torpedo struck
her in the engine-room, and she quickly sank in fourteen
minutes with 930 lives.

During April Cephalonia and several other islands in the
JSgean and Ionian Seas were occupied as naval bases to
reduce the distance from Alexandria, Cyprus, or Malta.

On April 27 we lost our first warship in these operations.
This was the mining of the Russell, flying the flag of Rear-
Admiral Fremantle, but fortunately all but 124 officers
and men were saved. Our ships also shot down the Zeppelin
LZ 85 in the mouth of the Vardar on May 5.

Rumania's entry into the war on August 27 did not affect
the situation in the JSgean to any great degree, but a
stronger watch over the doings of the Greeks became neces-
sary; and a premonition of the subsequent undertakings
against them was the arrival of twenty-seven Allied war-
ships off Athens on the 31st, detachments being landed
ostensibly to protect the Legations. On this day the Bul-
garian coast was shelled, and several bombings of Bulgarian
troops, depots, etc. were undertaken in September by our
airmen.

On October 10, with a view to securing a greater sense of
safety, Admiral Fournet demanded the surrender of the
Grecian Navy, excluding Kilkis, Lemnos, and Georgios
Averoff, the occupation of two forts which commanded the

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 293

Piraeus, the disarming of the three above-mentioned war-
ships, and the transference of the light squadron to Ker-
satsini. It was reported unofficially that a very dangerous
plot to our fleet had been nipped in the bud by this drastic
action. The three warships were handed over a week later,
and a strong force of Italians and French marines were
landed in Athens. The Navy Yard was also taken over.

But when Admiral Fournet demanded the handing over
of six batteries of field-guns the King refused, and further
French and Italians were landed. Fights took place in
Athens in which we lost about forty killed, and several
outrages were committed on Venezelists and a few British
subjects by the Royalist soldiery and mob. The King
evidently found that matters had gone too far, and offered
the surrender of eight batteries, but the offer was disregarded
and an ultimatum was dispatched. After a great deal of
unnecessary intercourse he climbed down, and all our
demands were met. For some unknown reason Admiral
Fournet was superseded in January by Vice- Admiral Gauchet,
and was given a post ashore.

In the meantime several further losses are to be recorded.
On October 2 the French submarine-destroyer Rigel was
torpedoed and sunk. Far more serious was the torpedoing
of the large transport Gallia two days later whilst carrying
2000 French and Serbian troops ; the explosion blew up the
ammunition hold and destroyed the wireless before messages
for help could be sent out, and the ship sank in fifteen
minutes with 600 soldiers, the survivors not being picked
up till next day. On the same day our transport Franconia,
homeward bound without any troops aboard, was also sunk,
but only twelve of her crew of 314 were lost.

In the winter months further losses occurred. On
November 22 the huge hospital ship Britannic, en route for
Salonika, was struck by a torpedo in the Zea Channel, but
very fortunately remained afloat until 1106 of her staff and
crew were taken off by French warships. The German
submarine is reported to have tried to jam the wireless
messages, but in spite of the attempt only nineteen lives

294 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

were lost. Two days later the hospital ship Braemar Castle,
from Salonika to Malta, was also sunk in the Mykoni Channel,
and one life was lost. There is no excuse for these attacks,
and although the Admiralty stated that the inquiry failed
to ascertain whether the cause was a mine or torpedo, in
either case the origin of the outrages is the same. Un-
official reports leave no doubt on this point, and the enemy
received much help from the Grecian population.

On November 25 the French battleship Suffren was tor-
pedoed and sunk with all her crew fifty miles north-west of
Lisbon. Following this came the sinking off Pontelleria
Island (near Sicily) of the French transport Magellan on
December 11, whilst carrying 1000 soldiers; and three days
later the British horse transport Russian was torpedoed
in the Mediterranean with the loss of twenty-eight lives.
Another French battleship, the Gaulois, was sunk on the
27th, but fortunately remained afloat for half an hour,
thereby enabling all but four of the crew to escape. The
career of this old ship will be remembered in connection
with the Dardanelles campaign.

The transport Ivernia was torpedoed and sunk in very
heavy weather on New Year's Day, and four officers and
eighty-five soldiers, together with two officers and thirty-
three of the crew, were lost. Eight days later the old battle-
ship Cornwallis was sunk with only thirteen of her crew,
and on the llth the seaplane carrier Ben-My-Chree, under
that famous airman Commander Samson, was shelled and
sunk whilst lying in Kastelorizo harbour, one officer and
four men being wounded. The details of this Grecian
treachery have not been revealed.

More transports were put down. On the 25th the French
Amiral Magon, whilst carrying 900 soldiers to Salonika,
was torpedoed, and she sank in ten minutes ; thanks to the
splendid efforts of the escorting destroyers Arc and Bom-
barde and some trawlers, only ninety-three lives were lost.
The Italian Minas was sunk off Cape Matapan on Feb-
ruary 15 with troops for Salonika aboard, and several
Serbians were lost. This was closely followed by the sinking

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 295

of the French Athos, carrying Senegalese soldiers and a
Chinese labour party from Hong Kong ; with the utmost
skill and heroism the captain and his officers and crew
transferred over a thousand Chinese to the patrol ships,
but perished at their posts, having saved in all 1450 lives.

The French destroyer Cassini was torpedoed on the 28th,
and owing to the magazine blowing up she sank in two
minutes ; the submarine, calling the drowning sailors to her,
opened fire on them and the death-roll was 107. This act was
typical of the state of savagery to which the enemy had sunk.

On March 19 the French Dreadnought Danton was also
sunk, despite an energetic counter-attack by the escorting
destroyer Massul. The ship sank in half an hour, but 806
lives were saved. During April several more transports
were lost ; on the 15th two British ships were sunk, these
being the Arcadian with 233 soldiers and 36 of her crew,
and the Cameronia with 129 soldiers and 11 of the crew,
both in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ten days later the
Australian troopship Ballarat was also torpedoed, but her
living freight was quickly transhipped without a single
casualty, owing to the steadiness of the men and the skill
of the officers and crew ; the liner remained afloat, and an
attempt was made to tow her into port, but she foundered
fourteen and a half hours later.

On May 4 the transport Transylvania, escorted by two
Japanese destroyers, was sunk with serious loss of life ; in
all 402 military ratings were lost in addition to the captain
and ten of the crew.

The third hospital ship to be torpedoed in the Mediter-
ranean was the Dover Castle. This ship was struck by a
torpedo on May 26 at about 6 p.m., and the patients were
immediately transhipped without loss ; the ship did not
sink, however, and the captain and several of the crew
returned to her and, raising steam, attempted to bring her
into port. Two hours later the submarine reappeared and
finished her work, six of the crew being killed by the explosion.

A week later the transport Cameronidn was sunk in the
Eastern Mediterranean and fifty-two soldiers, the captain, one

296 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

officer, and nine of the crew were lost. A British minesweeper
was mined on July 4 and ten of her crew were drowned.

It will have been noticed after the extraordinary activity
of the submarines during the winter a lull followed. This
was no doubt due to the arrival of several Japanese and
American flotillas during the summer; these valuable addi-
tions to the Allied patrols have produced an excellent
effect ; also when Greece came in her flotilla became avail-
able. Curiously enough, she lost one of her destroyers quite
early whilst on convoy duty. The Doxa, manned by a
French crew, was blown up by two explosions on June 28,
and twenty-nine French seamen perished. The Japanese
Sakaki was also hit by a torpedo on June 12, but regained
her port with the loss of fifty-five men ; next day the
Japanese flotilla was again attacked without success, and
the enemy retired with the loss of one of his submarines.
Again, whilst convoying British transports on July 22 they
sighted a submarine about to attack, opened fire and
smashed her periscope, pursued and sank her. Further, it
was announced from Washington on May 1 1 that since mid-
April the Italians had destroyed thirteen Austrian craft in
the Mediterranean. In a duel between an enemy vessel
and the French submarine Ariane, the latter was sunk with
all but nine of her crew on June 19.

There was slight activity during November and December
in these waters. On November 18 one of our patrols was
torpedoed and sunk with the loss of four officers and five
men. On the other hand, the Grecian destroyer Niki
claims to have sunk a German submarine on the 28th in the
^Egean Sea. Again the French patrol Paris II was shelled
and sunk in the Gulf of Avala on December 13, and her
commander and sixteen of the crew were captured. On
the same day two French destroyers attacked and sank
two large German submarines in the Ionian Sea : one
sank immediately, and the other was abandoned by her crew
of nineteen, who were captured.

On the 15th the old French cruiser Chdteaurenault, used

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 297

as a transport, was torpedoed and sunk, but fortunately all
but ten of the crew were saved. Her attacker was reported
to have been sunk.

The last two days of 1917 witnessed a triple disaster in
the Mediterranean, and the notification of the losses was
delayed for a month. It appears that the transport Aragon
(ex-R.M.S.P.) was nearing her destination on the morning
of December 30 when at 10.55 a.m. she was struck by a
torpedo, and immediately commenced to sink by the stern.
She was carrying a large number of troops and a few nurses,
and these latter were speedily transferred to trawlers and
destroyers. Many of the men were unable to be taken off,
and in fifteen minutes the ship foundered with hundreds
of soldiers still on her decks, singing to the last. One of
the destroyers who had closed in was herself torpedoed and,
blown in two, sank immediately with ten of her crew and
many of the rescued. No fewer than ten officers and 581
soldiers, and the captain, three officers and fifteen of the
crew, were thus drowned, and the survivors reached shore
on board trawlers.

On the next day the Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary Osmanieh
had the misfortune to strike a mine in this vicinity, and took
down with her the captain, two officers and 'twenty-one
men, and one officer and 166 troops and eight nurses. Thus
altogether on these two days a total of 819 lives were lost.

The submarine menace still remains a serious factor in the
Mediterranean, and most of our shipping losses occur here.
Whereas we have met with success more or less around our
shores, the French and Italian flotillas are encountering
great difficulties in hunting down these assassins of the
seas ; and it appears that the problem will continue to prove
much more obstinate in these waters, owing to the large
amount of coast available for the establishment of bases.

ON THE DANUBE

In 1914 Austria had a flotilla of half a dozen river moni-
tors, supplemented by a few old torpedo boats, for service

298 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

on the great river Danube. These ships were the first to
fire a gun in this tremendous war, opening hostilities by the
seizure of Serbian steamers. They also were of great assist-
ance to the troops in the attacks on Serbia, for with their
4* 7" pieces they wrought havoc on the Serbian trenches.
Although the T ernes was sunk by a mine on October 23
with thirty-five of her crew, the other craft were of value
in the first unsuccessful Austrian assault on their small
neighbour.

Realising the menace afforded by these ships when the
enemy should recommence his offensive, the Admiralty sent
out Rear- Admiral Troubridge with a brigade of five officers
and sixty men to assist in the defence of the capital. He
immediately mined the river, and with his battery later
severely handled the Austrian troops. Amongst his officers
was a Lieut. Kerr, who had arrived in Serbia in November,
and by his efforts prevented the Austrian monitors from
descending the Danube.

Serbia did not possess any sort of gunboat to oppose the
enemy, but this ingenious officer took over an old ferry-
boat, armed her with machine-guns, and then awaited the
enemy with his " fleet." The second attack came during
November, and the Serbians retired into the hills, followed
by the Austrians ; under the impression that the Serbs
were beaten, only a weak force was left to develop the
success, but on December 3 the Serbian Army turned upon
the invader and put him to flight. Belgrade was re-occupied
on the 15th, in which operations the antique Terror of the
Danube embarked upon her career. One dark night
Lieut. Kerr steamed up to an island in possession of the
enemy and compelled the amazed Austrians to evacuate it
hurriedly. The next exploit took place on the night of
April 21, when this officer again attacked the enemy and
succeeded in torpedoing a monitor and sinking her. For
these and other services Lieut. Kerr received the D.S.O.,
in addition to two Serbian decorations.

During the year 1915 several Russian armed launches also
arrived and assisted in the defence of Belgrade against

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 299

Mackensen's Austro- German army, which for the third
time attacked Serbia. The fall of the capital on October 9
was considerably delayed by the work of the Naval Brigade,
which prevented the Austrian monitors from getting behind
the Serbian flank, and on the 8th was successful in sinking
two more monitors by well-directed gunfire. The Brigade
retired with the Serbian Army with its guns, and the
Danube was once more in the hands of the enemy, who
were enabled to bring supplies to their treacherous ally,
Bulgaria.

Until the entry of Rumania into the conflict this traffic
remained unmolested, but afterwards the enemy monitors
again came into prominence. The new monitor Alnos
shelled several towns near Turnu Severin during August
28-30, 1916, but she was forced to retire by the fire from the
Rumanian flotilla. When the retreat of the hard-pressed
Rumanians commenced the Danube was crossed during
November, after Constanza had fallen on October 22 ; con-
sequently all the enemy shipping interned there was recap-
tured, and the Rumanian flotilla was forced to evacuate
the Danube and take refuge in Russian ports.

THE VALUABLE AID FROM THE COLONIES

Our colonies have all nobly responded to the call of the
Old Country, and an account of the naval warfare would be
incomplete without a brief resume of the valuable assistance
which they have sent us, both in personnel and in ships.

Taking them in order we begin of course with AUSTRALIA,
the first colony to establish a Navy of her own. In 1909 she
commenced the task with the order for a large battle-cruiser
to be named Australia, and two light cruisers Melbourne
and Sydney, three destroyers Parramatta, Warrego, Yarra,
and the submarines AE 1 and AE 2. All of these were to
be built in England, whilst she commenced the construc-
tion of another cruiser Brisbane, and three more destroyers,
Derwent, Swan, and Torrens, to be built at Port Jackson.

In the meantime the Admiralty lent the cruiser Encounter

300 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

to them, pending the completion of the Brisbane, and handed
over the two old light cruisers Pioneer and Psyche in 1913-
14 ; in addition there were two old torpedo boats and three
gunboats which were used as training ships, depots, etc.

There is no need to enter into the advantages and dis-
advantages of a local unit ; suffice it to say that the presence
of the Australia certainly did render the Australian coasts
immune from the German raiders, but, on the other hand,
she was distinctly wasted upon the comparatively unim-
portant task of convoying military expeditions to annex
the German colonies. Until the reverse off Coronel on
November 1, 1914, she was not engaged in seeking the
enemy, but merely in policing the vast archipelago in the
Pacific Ocean.

On August 11 the various elements of the Australian
squadron met at a rendezvous and commenced their work
under Admiralty orders. Making for Simpsonhaven, New
Britain, in the hope of discovering the enemy there, they
landed forces to destroy the wireless plant at Rabaul, and
Sydney left to meet the expedition for the occupation of
the colony. Australia and Melbourne also sailed to convoy
the New Zealand Expedition to Samoa, whilst the three de-
stroyers returned to New Guinea. The Expeditionary Force
arrived at Simpsonhaven on board the troopship Berrima on
September 11, and occupied Rabaul without trouble ; by the
21st the Marshall and Caroline Islands and New Guinea
had also surrendered. The two cruisers then proceeded to
destroy wireless stations, the Melbourne to Nauru (Pleasant
Island) and Sydney to Angaur (Pelew Group), whilst the
battle-cruiser remained to assist in the occupation of New
Guinea, as there seemed a possibility of Von Spee returning
to the west, and on October 1 she commenced a systematic
search of the island-studded waters. The movements of
Von Spee are recorded elsewhere, and it will be recollected
that by this time the whole German squadron in reality
had reached Easter Island. Von Spee enjoyed the most
remarkable luck in his passage across the Pacific, evading
all observation, and it was at least expected that he

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 301

would attempt to attack the Australian and New Zealand
transports.

It was during this search of the Polynesian waters that
the gunboat Nusa captured the German dispatch boat
Komet near Rabaul on October 14, where she had been
sending out wireless messages about the dispositions of our
cruisers. Meanwhile the one loss sustained in these opera-
tions had occurred on September 14, when the AE 1, whilst
patrolling off the coast of New Britain, disappeared without
leaving the slightest trace behind as a clue to her fate ; it
seems likely that she struck a submerged reef which ripped
her thin hull, and immediately went to the bottom.

On the receipt of the news of the battle off Coronel
Australia was at once sent to reinforce the pursuing cruisers,
and passing Fanning Island on November 14, she joined
several Japanese cruisers in Magdalena Bay, California, and
slowly swept down the western coast of South America.
There is no doubt that this Australian-Japanese Squadron
was largely instrumental in driving Von Spee on to Sturdee's
guns, though they themselves were unable to come up with
him. In January this battle-cruiser destroyed the supply
ship Eleonore Woermann off the Falkland Islands.

In the meantime the action which brought this young
Navy so much before the public had been fought. It was
whilst the famous Australian and New Zealand contingent
was nine days out from Albany, and convoyed by Minotaur,
Sydney, Melbourne, Pyramus, and the Japanese Ibuki, that
a message was received by Minotaur that the Emden was
about to attack the wireless station at Cocos-Keeling Island,
which was then 100 miles to the north-east. Melbourne was
ordered to proceed at once to the spot, but as Sydney was
the nearest to the island (the whole fleet of thirty-eight
transports with the escorting cruisers covering a wide area)
she unselfishly passed on the order to this cruiser. The
famous fight has already been described in detail, and the
Australians were justly proud of their Navy's first action
which ended so well.

Since then nothing more has been published of the splendid

302 THREE YEARS OF NAVAL WARFARE

doings of the Australian Navy, but we know that soon after
the rounding up of Von Spee the Australia arrived in home
waters and became the flagship of the 2nd Battle-cruiser
Squadron ; it was through no fault of hers that she did not
take part in the battle fought off Jutland on May 31, 1916.
This ship covered no less than 50,000 miles up to March
1915, whilst Melbourne alone cruised 11,000 miles in the first
six weeks of war; finally, 40,000 troops were transported
without the loss of a single life up to May 1915 — not a bad
record for a Navy only three years old.

In 1917 it was announced that following the launch of
Brisbane in 1915, another cruiser named Adelaide had been
laid down at Port Jackson ; also that two submarines had
been ordered to replace AE 1 and AE 2, which latter had
been lost in the Dardanelles.

NEW ZEALAND had, of course, at the same time con-
tributed a similar battle-cruiser, the New Zealand, to the
Imperial Navy in 1909, which had originally been intended
for service in her waters ; unselfishly she allowed her to be
stationed in home waters, where it was rightly considered
she would be of more value. She took prominent parts in
the Dogger Bank and Jutland battles. New Zealand was,
therefore, dependent upon the Australian squadron for the
security of her coasts from the marauding cruisers under
Von Spee, and for the safe transport of the expedition to
Samoa; this latter was only escorted by their old cruiser
Pioneer, although Von Spee's two armoured cruisers were
in the vicinity. Fortunately they were not encountered,
and the convoy was later reinforced by Sydney, Melbourne,
and the French Montcalm. The successful occupation of
Samoa was accomplished without opposition, and the capital,
Apia, surrendered on August 29. It must be borne in mind
that without the protecting influence of the Royal Australian
Navy, and similarly without the support of the Royal Navy,
not a man of this expeditionary force could have left his
shore. Such is the influence of sea power, and the New
Zealanders were not slow to realise it ; with the object of

THE NAVY IN THE DISTANT SEAS 303

creating a New Zealand-owned Navy to be under Admiralty
orders in war time, the Admiralty handed over in 1916 the
light cruiser Philomel as a nucleus.

CANADA very early placed her ships entirely at the dis-
posal of the Admiralty. These were the two old cruisers
Niobe and Rainbow, which had been purchased from the
Admiralty in 1910, and several small customs cruisers, etc.
It has also been officially stated that several submarines
have been constructed in Canada and brought over. The
Dreadnought Canada, acquired from Chile, gave a good
account of herself in the Jutland battle.

NEWFOUNDLAND, our oldest colony, had provided up to
March 1915 no fewer than 1000 sailors and 1040 soldiers
from her small population to fight for their Motherland.
The sailors were, of course, of an excellent type for the Navy,
seeing that her only industry is fishing. Her first step was
to raise the strength of the normal 600 of her Royal Naval
Reserve to 1000, which was speedily accomplished. Early
in November 300 embarked in the transport Franconia ;
a monthly draft of 150 was subsequently transported to
England by the small Allan liners Mongolian, Numidian,
Pomeranian, etc., and by March 1000 had been thus dis-
patched. Of these 58 had made the great sacrifice before
the end of this month — 25 on the Viknor, 22 on the Clan
Macnaughton, and 11 on the Bayano. Many have since
then fallen in the service of their King and Country, but
these early losses had no deterrent effect upon the spirit
of the Newfoundlanders.

Mention must be made of the very fine battleship Malaya,
whose cost was defrayed by the MALAY STRAITS SETTLE-
MENTS, and whose part in the terrific combat off the Jutland
coast on May 31, 1916, was especially mentioned in Sir
J. R. Jellicoe's dispatch.

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PRINTS D IN GRKAT BRITAIN BY
RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED,

BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., 8.JC. 1,
AND BUNOAY, SUFFOLK.

ATE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY