| Summary: | An account of British naval operations during World War I, including descriptions of battles, use of submarines, and blockades and bombardments. Includes appendix of badges of rank in the Royal Navy and a list of German colonial possessions surrendered to the Allies since August 1914. "The real story of what the British Navy has done in the present war, including full and graphic descriptions of the Jutland Sea Fight and other engagements great and small, as well as an illuminating account of the submarine. The author was given every facility for gathering this information, and his book is as authentic as it is thrilling." Relatively unknown today, British poet and historian William Macneile Dixon was a popular writer in the first half of the twentieth century. Includes fold-out maps and charts, some in color. . 1.! .1v .J .«n. 5. t . . I). . . u. a. n'. A‘I§r¢<svlbcnovv 1. LN". :3}; x 1;.va ‘ I . UNIVERSITY OF UTAH LIBRARY CLASS ®4O,9l BOOK DGZ‘ THE GIFT OF D YIoh n HWLdtSQC: THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. Tm; BRITISH NAVY AT WAR By W. MACNEILE DIXON, Professor in the University of Glasgow EUR!) NELSON. BOSTON Aral) NEW YORK : HOUGHTON MIFFLEN 1917 COM PANY CONTENTS. Page Chapter I. ,, ll. The War at Sea New Problems. German Tactics. The First Phase The Heligoland Action. 5 11 Germany's Fleet in Being. I'or '1" number of descriptiVe quotations ' ‘ ‘ in the H . indebted to the correspondcnu i am fullmxin") p'r‘es t 3-. _ ‘ . a}: (.(,1m._.1.; Uf The Times. and to articles 111 the Cornha 1 who" "1.,g‘-,‘.:,ie‘; I h-we also to ackngwledgc am. . ‘1 "5,111.". ~ ., mm bust ihanks hermissmn to use plans 01 ' _ ,, ,- HI. 1:18 Ocelfin'iattifiesl‘l orone . {'3 ~ ,7 I\ . " 11.! 1e 421 K am 19 8 es. J V . l‘tarthSea-Battles lhe Dogger Bank. 31 Jutland. _ 1h , b t , n S ‘dne‘u Falklands Rattle and the engagement 0 " ee y ' and Emden which appeared in The Times. 1' ,, ‘ VI. , ,, \ II. 1. D. \l' N \ Ezubmarmes . 49 Work of Blockade and Bombardment . . . . Single 59 Ship Actions Sailors and Seamanship. ,, VIII. Bridging the Seas. ,, Navies and Armies What the British for the World. IX. , l‘he Submarine Menace. British Submarines 67 76 . Navy 85 has done Appendix I. Badges of Rank in the Royal Navy Appendix II. German Colonial Possession s sur- rendered to the Allies since August, 1914 92 ILIUS STRATIONS. ["I'rUI/I'x/Wz'uc Lord Nelson ._ _ . Admiral Sir (;.(‘.\.(). John Jollimc, (J.C.I§., . .- . ()/'/)1L\'1/1'/'1l‘("1‘ l, :2 'Admirnl Sir David Bonny, K.C.V'.()., I).S,0. K.C.B., M1111 of the World showing Ocean Battles and Germany's lost Colonial Possessiom ,. 8 ,. E :11 llcligoland Portraits of Admirals Craddock 11nd Sturdee,21nd of Commodore Tyrwhitt and Connnnnder Horton ., .31) Battle of the Falkland Isles (plan) ,, .284 Firing 2.1 Salvo . L28 Map of the North Sea ,2 3.0 luttle of Jutland (plan) ,. f7 llntleshins forming into Line ahead in 11111 columns . . ,, 40 R13211-‘xd111i111 the Hon 11 L. A. Hood ), 44 8111111121121110 C. 3.4 returning to port ,, 4-5? 1- 52 ,, 52'" ,, {'3 Looking; through the Periscope of a Sulnnarinc . 2‘1 Sulnntn‘ino'a Formnost Torpedo Tubes M1111 of the D411‘dg‘anolles A Battleship Bombarding Ll:1nellles (oast the Dar, 6‘5 l11231101110111l1L2111L2L111I.M ‘x SSydney .1111] {In Fma'en (plan). ,, 5'29 .\ 121011111132, D1"). Dock " '73 S12111inels ol' the Empire: Naval Guns ,, BU? It. The British Navy at VVar., CHAPTER I . THE WAR AT SEA AND ITS NEW PROBLEMS. German Tactics. At the outbreak of war Britain was not altogether unprepared : she was superior to her enemy on the sea. But she was none the less faced by grave anxieties. The days of Trafalgar, her last great naval engagement, lay far in the past, and, however glorious her sea traditions, victories a hundred years ago afford no guarantee of Victories in the present. Empires majestic as her own, founded, as it had once seemed, upon rock-Assyria, Greece, Tyre, Carthage, Rome itself-had gone down into the dust, and who could affirm that Britain's hour had not struck? Britons indeed were confident that even if fortune proved a fickle jade, the Fates themselves might shrink from the resistance of the grim old lion of the sea. They were conscious, too, that it was a splendid quarrel in which to win or lose, a quarrel great as " ever the sword had pleaded or trumpet had proclaimed," and that if their country's day were done, a noble cause would at least make noble the last chapter of her history. Still no prophet could forecast the issue Russell, Saul/1m r\l)\lll{.v\l. SlR JOHN R, ,lizLLICOE, G.C.B., G.C.V.O. 5 'Il'lll', lil‘tl'l‘lSll NAVY AT WAR. THE WAR AT SEA. scenes of the struggle or attempt to picture the coming of the imperial drama. Since Nelson's day, if not all, almost all the renditions of warfare on the sea had been trz'tnal'nrincd. Problems hardly yet stated confronted the B: itisE; ~.'-;;ti':ralv. Wood and rope and sail had been replaced by attei and steam. The speed of ships, th‘e range of guns, the defensive armour, the offensive other flags, to hunt down Germany‘s swift commerce raiders at large in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, to weapons. all. was rt (fllz‘tilgt‘tl. A single gun from a superdreadnonght tame-1y discharges a greater weight of metal in a single shot than the whole broadside of 100 guns on Nelson‘s tiag‘ship. 'l'he fleets opposed to them, upon which Germany hall expended $300,000,000, were morrnvw: next to their awn the most powerful in the world. mnimsed of the must formidable modern vessels. {‘t; : ii‘i‘t‘tl with ex ery engine of destruction the wit of man u aw devise and manned by experienced, skilled and conduct vast operations in the Eastern Mediterranean all this and more-40 cover the transport of soldiers, literally in millions, from Canada, from India, from Australia, from Britain to every zone of war, France, Egypt,Turkey; and of munitions and supplies not alone for these but for her allies to Russian and Italian ports. A never-ending procession of troopships, munition ships, passenger ships, merchant ships, Whole armies coming and going upon the seven seas-ninety-two transports conveyed the Indian, thirty-two the Canadian troops, how many have crossed from Britain to France, from France to Britain or down the busy street of the Mediterranean since August, 1914 P-and all these with hardly a thought of Germany and the second most powerful navy every built! "I consider," said Admiral Hornby, " that I have re» the sever-en. Science had almost exhausted itself in 1neir construction, Her adversary was certainly wt l‘e (chpNQtll Naval warfare, too, is full of command of the sea when I am able to tell my xii, l"- any point Without fear of interference." is. ';".== than/:4 ear" battle, a single mistake on the , v cm. i :ii‘t‘ thlll‘lll'dlf‘v might eliminate Britain‘s ‘ ' -., a second might spell her . of Sir John Jellicoe lay a ' maxiwt, beyond all argument, that , :Hm ‘ I 2. [ting \‘elson himself, had ever borne, ' ‘3‘»? I. - ‘ 3' '; l: ‘ nitude of the operations which 4.-; was utterly without precedent, l with, the German High Seas 3 \r Lim‘i ed. and in any case, and at all '1. .u .«i 4,.:.< 1; ., l, remain it, but at the same time l" ‘ ~' ' ‘ t :wzriczi contingencies, to establish :1 "rim t‘~"=‘l§‘¢- to keep an eye on vessels under (I Government that they can move an expedition to Such is Sir John Jellicoe's position to-day. Consider now the scale of these early operations. It is unheard of, fabulous, unimaginable, the miracle not that inevitable mistakes were made but that this stupendous thing was possible at all in the face of such opposition as Germany, putting forth all her strength, was prepared to offer and did offer. Hardly then can one say that the great glory of Britain's achievement in this war is to be found in the spectacular events, the hours of actual battle, thrilling though they be, rather is it to be found in three invisible things, 7 I)/r/mxi/1' /‘(I-'Zt' ‘5 - 'l‘lll' l'f-Rl'l‘lh‘ll NAVY .v\'l' WAR. tic, u superu the organisation that supported so gigan which the structure, the resourceful skill with solxetl and and altogether nm‘cl problems were met unthe superb spirit, which burnt tllltl burns like an en seam sh Briti the of ts breas quenchnhle finite. in the. themsc-h'es. fmtid all the changes Since Drake‘s nmy or Nelson's day that remained unchnnged. You Very properly point out that in respect of some of these nt madertnl;ingls Great Britain had the support of galla n. and powerful allies, France, Italy, Russia, Japa It en, is true tiiltl to these zillies. no one, least of all Englishm these Yet e. prais on and rati will deny unstintcti mimi nations will themselves acknowledge that in the major operations, end at the point of chiefest hazard, the new»: centre of the North See. and the English Channel, the strain has rested wholly 0n the Grand Fleet and izs auxiliaries. What now is the outstanding fact of the whole nmti‘i mt: which governs all others and gives its character to the sittmtimi from first to last? It is the unwilling and tacit, but the ftzii acceptance by Germany, with all the strategy and tactics involved in the admission, of her naval inferiority. Before a blow was struck she. accepted the position of the weaker power, framed her plans and made her (i. nositions in the light of it. That estimate of the position was just, wise, intelligible and the iiiensures which tic-wed from it logical and beyond criticism. The repourings in the German Press, the inability of Germmt admirals after prolonged 21ml. anxious; searches. to discover the British fleet, the joyful imnouncements of Victory, the flags, and compliments and speeches had all no doubt their calculated value" 8 ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY. K.C.B., K.C.V.O. D.SO THE WAR AT SEA. Make Befiu'e is a good game and Germans play it well. liut the high iayal ('(mimand, Admirals V01] Schec-r and you Schipper, have no illusions, they know where Sir David Beatty is to he found on any day and a any hour. But they know, too, that a living dog is better than a dead lion, and a fleet afloat than a fleet submerged. Inferiority, unless the gods directly intervene, spells ruin in a great engagement, and Germany has put her trust, and she was right, in harassing tactics, in attempts to deal unexpected blows, in efforts to reduce the indisputable superiority of her foe by submarine attacks, to lure pursuing squadrons into mine fields or cut off scouting cruisers by concentrations of superior strength. The‘; are the tactics of the weaker power; they lead to small, they may lead, with assistance of fortune, to considerable successes. They fail only in one particular, they cannot compass a Victory. The situation which within twenty-four hours the British Navy established remains unchanged the situation to-day. A single sentence covers it the British ships, whether men of war or merchantmen, are upon the sea, the German in their ports. Nowhere perhaps was the supreme significance of their inconspicuous, their silent presence and pressure immediately realised. Guileless men were heard to ask the question " What is the British Navy doing? " For nany months neither in German nor among neutral states did uninstructed opinion clearly perceive that the key of the whole European situation, military as well as naval, lay in the keeping of that invisible fleet, that the great arc of the Allies' communications from North to South, vital to all their efforts, depended upon its 9 Tll'li BRITISH NAVY AT "AR. . . it was, that efficiency and upon its efficiency alone, end the 1n ined l dest ‘ stee too, the hand of en circlim‘; CHAPTER II. strength and to strangle by its unremitting}, pressure the resources of the Central l'mvers. ted blow in its Working, sea power must, in a protrac struggle. prove decisive. Ifknon‘ we summarise the work of the British Navy in the present war. tour hetulings will suffice :~- 1. Battle, either with the enemy's Grand Fleet m with subrfidiarf; squadrons or commerce raiders. 2. Blockade, including the capture of enema merchant ships on the high seas. 3. Bombardment, or assistance in combined nay-a" and military operations. 4. Bridging the Seas,keeping open, that is, a secur; The Heligoland Action. Germany '3 Fleet in Being. With her Grand Fleet sentenced to inactivity within its canals and land-locked harbours, her merchant navy captured or driven from the seas-7 over half a million tons of German shipping was captured in the first month of hostilities, in two months over a million tonsiGer- many was already in evil case. Samoa taken by the New Zealand expedition and Neu Pommern in the Bismarck Archipelago by an Australian were early line of communications behind the league-loo", lost to her, the wireless stations in Togoland, South- battle from of the Allied Armies. West Africa, the Caroline Islands, in the Pacific, and All its moltitudinous activities may I) , ranged unde; this THE FIRST PHASE. eonmrehemire scheme. Each in itself German New Guinea, all went the way of her stricken raiders. came In August, 1914, Germany had numerous fast vessels of course, \itidl‘j: before the riveted gaze of the worhi only as scene sweet. ied scene in the amazing drama 'i‘he- opening phase of the struggle, for the most pai<‘<'i7lille(l to minor mentions in the North Sea‘pre liminary sin-p5. oi . wntem‘ting boxers who spar for a position and an opei‘ting‘;~\\*as mainly an on the ocean routes, but she could not maintain them. Like the hundred-handed giant of the 01d fables, the British Navy, bestriding the world, destroyed them in their far-separated hunting-grounds. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was the first victim, sunk by affair of Highflyer off the Cape Verde Islands, on August: 30th, \uhmarines and wines. Some stirring events, however lit-lune to the first months of war, the chief of these the anion oti‘ lleligol" l on August 28th, the Battle in? throne}, and the ca 1914. Next Cap Trafalgar, after a duel with Carmania, went down in the South Atlantic on September 14th. Spreewald was captured in the same month by Berwick 'ment which may be said to hat in the North Atlantic. Then it was Emden's turn, tone down the rh ruin on the first aet- the Battle of tin" by far the most successful raider, whose skilful handling l5alldand isles. under Von Muller aroused considerable admiration ll WAR. THE BRITISH NAVY A'l‘ just despntched his tunin Britain. The Kaiser bad den 0n " its (mm/slim antulntions tn the town of lim n the end came and in the Indian Ocean " whe Sydney elf the t t was battered to :1 wreck by . On December 8H: Keelingis on November 10th into Sturdee w Spee‘s powerful squadron run disposed of Sr" Falklands. and that day‘s fighting zig. ()n 7" Leip and g harst, Gneisenan, Jiirnber destroy: ‘ was n 14th of the fallen-inf; year Dresde .lunn Fernandez by Kent and Glasgow. Prinz seas, reti: Friederich, no longer able to keep the e on .-‘\.pr3' Newport News and was interned ther Ifarésruze's {site renmins unknown, she van? the w navasiblv in :1 storm. and ceased to trouble 211:" elf hers mmmeree. Kbnigsberg run and hid trees an a tropical African forest, but perished .‘viii river. under the guns of monit< in r .lnly litrl 5. and the game v "as at an end. See t stan assi m no the send . euld f 2 int»; {be I" 1 :ree. After the Falklands ber‘ guerr'e (fir: {‘OZU‘S‘: cellupsed and before five month tt mm the s, n;:l~.en but (ftrmxziy‘s zone of naval warfare vas res; 2n the b.2111 and the North Sen, except for the on , "ere end there in bursts of brief 2: at t‘lll‘IIltLL ‘t of the war she had, however, one in this»; «art; hid stntrtlitiil .ne: we against \ ‘ar vessels, which bshrxrply tn tlte cutentien of Britain and the Wt general the de‘stflttffix'e power of this venomous . emit. k single submarine under V011 \Vt‘t:" £1011 disposed within lndfam-l10ur 0f the cruisers, Abe. fiir, Hogue and Cressy, ships of considerable value 1: "ugh 12 I80 ISO I40" IZO° I00" 50° 60" 4o" 20" 0‘ ,, 7," 20° 406 506 50° 100° _:l'HE DESTRUCTION or GERMAN CCMME'RCE RAIDERS '20: I400 ' GERMAN COLONIAL POSSESSIONS SURRENDERED TO THE ALLIES SINCE AUGUST I9I4. THE BRITISH N" Y .\'I' \\'.\R. - in Britain. The Kaiser hml just Ilespmt'litwl hix gramlations to the town «If linulen on " its (hnlitt the Indian Ocean " \\'Ilt‘ll the and (Ame 1|!lll was buttered to a \Vret‘l; by Sydney oil~ thv t Keeling‘s on Nmemht‘r 10th. 011 December Sm Spee‘s powerful sqtmth‘mi ran intG Sturdee Falklands, and that tin} '\ lighting: disposed of Sr' . . I horst, Gnet‘senau,NttranI-g and Leipzig. ()II 3 14th of the following year Dresden was destroy Juan Fernandez by Kent LI Glasgow. Prinz EEK/g. I Inn- :m‘hl ~ht| Im\-III a; . V\\ II- 0 R T H ‘ W" NpRTE EA TLANTI E ' ' Th "If file! Friederich, no longer table In LL‘CD the seas. reti: \ k M E R I C A J tn kdfi Prinz 5'95, friederic (:3 > U ""9"" AP" ,'9'5 Newport News and mix inttmetl there on Ami" "ill. Karisruhe's fine r-gnLIins unknown, she \xmi: ‘ AI. possibly in :I Harm. Illlki CLtlht'II to trouble the w commen'e. Kfinigsberg rm and hid herself :m‘it 'v trees of It tropit'ttl .\Il'it n fore". but perished t7 x in the Rufigi Ther. t 'er the guns of monitw July llth. 1915. and tin E. me \V'th» at an end. . Soon. , TWP": 0‘ "NC" Altu‘ the Falklands hattlv I». ' I ‘0 -‘ ' . J1 m the Baltic and the NW! ‘I‘l ©O 20° w EQUATOR P A C I F I C > E ‘0 Kan/gsberlg S OUTHW ME RI CA I XKap Trafalétr r , » , , - - ~ 75959 95 ICQPBLCB‘E'! _______ - A , , . w- - . A _ __ _____ _. _ _ _ A _ ""k SFEE- 4 (9," _ "IS"hmfil‘im‘S here and the-1c in bursts of brief guth 41;. In ‘his 931']! part of the \\ (if she had. however. one LI 1‘ nndstartltngsttccczs I‘Si'dlnSI"31‘VCSSQIS,V\‘hiCIlI)I‘(IIH."lI o ' sharply 10 the attcminn of Britain and the "(II‘IU Ill I ~‘ A I of thzs I \enomous . I.‘eneral "10 .dCSlluLtne [Imxu t} .II» », I 40* . Dresden X Sunk III-arch [4,,19/5 and Cressy, ships of umstderable value thotlhh 12 A w - \ c 60° 40° 3 I I I I I l I I q‘ I I I I l (D Togo/and surrendered ta Brmsh and French I é 55/770" , I" ~ I) u , Arch/pelago @ GEmma/wk » " " halo/non ~ " , ls/ands 6/ . man New Guinea and DecB ' [3/4 20 u , , Aug 26 LEI/4 , ' ' ' surrendered Cog/‘10:): 9 German sou", Wes: Afr/ca , H u. H Darn eSrSalaam K , n w u ® amerun Ivo formal surrendet; but. German Governor and Ifiops rem/led Into Spams/7 Terr/cozy , ' o 0° 0 o o v 20 4o 60 so I00 Q . 80° ' I T L A N TII C Scharnhorst Sunk I .-_._._ $5M Nurnberg L A » _8IPAIg_ , I ,l3/5 "H - i 7 7 ~ ,. , { 1 J" . I For the comp/e" If" or" German Co/nn/a/ P , assesslons surrendered co the All/es smce o the outbreak of war see A endix 60 0 PD 1 IBO 160° I40" I20° 100° I destrg ed S 0 U T ' 3:3" A smgle submarine under Von \Vedtlinuh lsPosed within h'IlI-qnmuur (If the Cruisere t x. _ V I, Aboulvir H H0 ue V . .r, ' g _ W C E A V " - ~ - M .1: '. ~ O . '3 Bf) ‘__--‘ :Eé A \/~'/ ' 0° lic (Iver Germany‘s 7mm- uf nzntxl warfare was restr. __________________ "(7 ' I WKa/serWL-e-M ["7 Suns" Iggy/914 , guerre de course cullupsul and before five months \- _ I t' -11_ except for the 0pm A _ u . since the l'zltlIerlanIl L'IIIIILI ~tntl Ilium no nssisxamwu IIc greater (iernmn Chlnnigs Iva-gun to fall like ripe "Ulll from the shaken trctn mat______I__I 2/- Aug 29" '9" Sept.2/ ' Sept ‘ '9" 241/314 ' July 3,1915 , S 9p c ‘ 4, /9/6 Feb EJQIS o I?0 l40° l60° o so 150° TH!" Hill'l'lfiéll .\.'.\\‘Y .\'l‘ WAR. THE FIRST PI iASE. beyond all! 1" Visited, summe‘ and winter, i wt .md (heart mists, Itiniildllflll on that grey reel: alums outwith. and in nar time friend is ofn the shadow, and hammer, hammer, hammer at it till n :7 \i'iv distinguishable from too. L. ‘ei true Kort" haul hazy weather with the "lw :H. ' oi whith- ('Iiit' hears so often, the action'i * ,. ;._ 3: :1', "v'Q-‘fioland, ceded by Low " w; : ' Men converted by th. ll‘uvily fortified o ‘, armed with eleve: s n threattuingt wedge deep int (tens the " wet triangle" hehin German Xaval ports, providt :23ng for warships, a harhou' .-ri:.1. I cit-stroyers or Zeppelins an ' Mr signals. The Bight itse , u. . i'_rl‘l=;".‘ll miles in width, throngE ~ vegels from the Elbe boun: 2e British Admi ‘al arrange the saucy Arethusa stealinj ' Grey 5‘. *a-dogs, the destroyers .itclies appear in the mist cue-my or British? A feV the guns open fire"‘ Who; goo yards mark the forwariguisli cruiser spoke," says 0w. by "t ‘ sharp crack that hurt the ears ' .: boom of the bursting shell. l in: the inferno of noise thin ‘ it was a fight in the dark wher " ‘ brother fared and when iz E i: to malt»: out the opposing gre} it at eyes ached and smarted, and the breath whistied through lips parched with the amid, stifling fumes of picric acid. " Another German cruiser came up and, ranging by her partner, added to the rain of shells bursting around and upon the struggling Arethusa till, with all save one of her guns silenced, she stood out of the fight for a moment to regain breath. Neither of the enemy's cruisers followed, for hoth had had all they wanted. Fifty-five strenuous minutes, then, with the wreckage cleared away, the wounded carried helm ' 2 nd her guns again fit for action, the Arethusa came back for more. Into the haze she steamed, seeking her old opponents, found them, and redoubled her previous efforts. A very few minutes sufficed this time. One of the cruisers burst into flame, the otaer was visibly sinking." To understand such an affair as this, we must have some acquuiitauce with the aims and plans of the attacking squadron. Naturally, however, the British But one perceives Admiralty has not disclosed them. of a raid or nature the ing in clearly enough that someth y enemy d, whereb reconnaissance in force w‘ s intende neighthe g in light cruisers and destroyers scoutin bourhood of {{elig‘oland might be cut off from their base and destroyed. If supgorted by heavier vessels speediné to their rescue, Sir David Beatty's battle cruisers were prepared to deal with them. These tactics, old as the game of war itself, obtrude them- selves in every phase of the lIorth Sea operations, German and English. You bait your t‘ap with a small vessel or two, a larger squadron in wait to pounce upon 15 "19/1";in mg; I". TH}? BRITMH NH'Y :\'i‘ "KR. pursumwz. The mu‘m‘s' i'yinfun'ea 0r l‘L‘iil'OS mxrgin‘; mum's. mm M‘ mg}, w‘iiéril. Hui lend 1",) :1 11:4? the air": \‘uiw Hawk: 3;: [luck number {Midi mer :\ Wide oxiw n ‘ " . I 1 . i ' ~ xxiazv-t‘. mes usuauhztid isziztw .swl 0i ' Tnio "red u: (my: me ii me 111-', "are engaged, disum‘»; :T'Cd. IL, 4%?» 7‘ 111‘s: (H's-iii = s, or cruiz‘cx‘ cruiser. (L; ' . micmptaxi unsusa‘egs ully t0 cembz‘ds end Lian, Invincibfe', ‘ji speed, " ii)" making it eye ziu' arrimfi 0f :E2e g ZEQ'IUKECI', QL H? the heim," Ll\(?f(i1;10 ( torpeiia 5.10:9, {and the ovei‘wiuv fur)» (i‘ = :o the nearest shelter. am officer, 4‘ just befezw, v ‘_ , know at the time my waa. l: mgr-9 imgms‘iibic to recognise her, as (5.57;, mil) my; {Milena} ,w.‘ it, the stump of one mm? M xx he'fijii"? an fire. . . . Ialso saw the 1130. up by the Whole batfie a nlsx', Lf' 5' ":~;e awed; than the M'ainz, ' Lung}: :Eirs van, on) Indiy on fire that she was 21' aimi mmpicm'rj.' erneiepcd in smoi'e " m, HIV AL‘iiéfli] \1 ‘ has to Germany 0 (‘1 mi av u dc:,-_m3c:‘e, and perhaps 1w; mic} 112'; : 135‘.» losses Were sixtyunine. m, lii‘r'mix A an»; inuuh‘eds, rescued by the ban \»\‘:1:1\'3‘H.Hi\‘} " «nui mi mil Tirpitz himself. . , ‘V . p 1M~ \\'.s‘~, 1m puiun in which the destroyer L .3 11m mus; m mu: e Um; her due Shar e of glory, an JLIHV 11 hit- «i Ui‘ikiki Hm‘ .my 102%», H of Iieiigoland r0 torpzzi M, 16 It 'l'\\'() V] [C \V S ()l" llliIJGOLANI). Tl iii FIRS'I‘ PHASE. fortune held. the cruisers lying in the harbour under the eleven-inch guns. sunk 2,1 fleet. The shells fired at her might have ‘fl'iien 021]}; one torpedo was left, and one round of mmmmitiom she thought it time away! to come AS she SVV'OPt round, 2‘. she‘tl killed her rom- nmnder and three othe s but the lieutenant tool; charge and brought her proudly home. shame the heroes of the :mcien Thus men tO-day tales. This smart and (lashing little action in the dim weather illuatrates man}: of the features of modern nmnl warfare. Fought at the utmost SPCCd of the vessels engaged. at perhaim the distance of 11 couple of miles. or, if between l.ir;.':er whips, of as much as eight or ten‘ to find and keep the range in :1 modern engagement shot proVitlt-s :1 (lose-21 problems. fall‘s short and and "correct the left. But to the right; Your first you "lengthen" and ~vour second times too for or to you iLu'e your "ln‘at‘lget " and the third or fourth should find the target. I'nhnmiily 21 turn of the wheel and the enemy sheers to port or starboard. altering; her distance, and the range again to he found. has 'l‘hese darting: salt-apes. mining": with the rapidity of fast trains, have no mind to he (‘llliglll and hehl under lire. (‘onsttmt :Ii:1z;1$3§;izi<_i mule:- lire, turning away. that is, :1. point or [M‘t‘ilttl‘f-I, two points, woen the enemy ilitS fouml the Hinge, i; now :1 teatime of all naval engagements. Remember, too, that the gun is i.:.:7tl upon 11 mxithozit g plulf'orm ‘v'y'ilit‘il, in the chop or roll of the SCJ, Lil)!lt"\‘\ with its motion, and that to " spot " the shell, itx F;l)l:l‘~,il if short or on-r, umid the xtzrf t‘hurnetl by the uintl :m-tl the opponin: \L‘Sstl'x 333t‘x‘tl into Mupettml 17 Mam, in 'tl‘. (‘Hfit‘llllul Till? llRl'i‘iHli N." Y :\'l‘ WAR. M to did?» try (minty; La 5. "vi it .mil stitoke, or hoth, (' v: meson/i. i.- l"i'_ ,3 .2, 1.1;.1_3,;~.§:»,g is ,‘l'i icy, .» if the pom}; a"! 13m;- aim-s the :sd\'nnt.:;:e ;-, _: CHAPTER Ill. ~ your own Stil' """"L:‘3'l‘:.‘. of it lml? L. . 4 . L position is free tires the gun sis; OCEAN Coronel. BATTLES. The Falklands. . , ‘ L ‘ ‘7t ' THE M p, mm: A», 3 ‘~ . 7 The presence of swift enemy cruisers 0n the ocean w. :‘i‘zqm :‘i 31227.: and, pince in all New ‘ L r Jul little. ‘ :3; 37315 Victory." , 1 . weenient between ‘ l‘f‘;‘,71‘t?3‘3. routes constituted indisputably the gravest danger to the, trading and passender vessels of the Alliance. Great Britain, therefore, whose shipping trade ., threeqinrters of the whole world‘s was particularly exposed to hem y losses from raiders. found herself ‘nlled upon to police. and none will call it an easy matter, all the waters under hem. en. from litist to \Vest and from pole to pole. Mimi, in J. v 22;" -::~: encouragement to flute _ t L 1 z. L 2 -:‘ ‘ < ‘ o 5 m L \ nit-:5; lights off the enemi 71:: the German caution, nor i l'ei‘whttt alterimtiveisoz‘ ». 1%.? ‘~ - " 7 2' ‘~u,i'::‘"vit;: stiiiedheres t0 the E1 .ii,-,L‘7.1Lji{ '5 an alert and threaten "Werstrilte. keeps thewezzg L ;. 1. ji,,:: Ft. r p- :1 mince, if it cannot GOSH" . >?:‘:,2in and distract from Ct? L ., siior but fettcred forces .\ few days before the outbreak of war. a nicely indeed nmnieln're. .\dmiral Vt)" Spec in command of the (lermim fleet in hina disappeared into the ocean silences. For some time his movements remained a mystery but his ships were soon to he heard of. Once a scat he detached from his squadron Emden, who set about her work in the Indian seas. Leipzig and Niirnberg, who sailed for the West (‘oast of America, .md with his more powerful \‘essels. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, himself made haste, to the Pacific. Raids on British mercliantmen had always formed part of the (.‘ermnn scheme of nm al \\';11‘,tlntl great hopes were entertained oi its success. Despite the size of her own fleet aind the assistance admirably rendered by her allies, Britain‘s necessities at home made it impossible to spare immediately scores of iessels for service in pursuing; the raiders, and not until mischief enough i‘) rill i il, 1": "WW l :\i\‘\'Y [\II‘ \\A\ R . ("Dustin/1.1g: 20. had been v. retrain, were the hunters successful in wiring and Mriltinsi with their quarry. By in ‘nns ()l urinan tf‘.nlet'& who found means men in \ 'nr time to 8% :re for him the necessary fuel? Von Spee renewed his 3 :pplies 2::in It-gw'. his: bunkers full of con]. Finally he e" £th a wneemrntien of tire cruisers with 2‘.‘ attlant lt nan: iztzperntire in British interests th‘ Von hint-it‘s, eztrtmr should L15? speedily as possible c cut "im't \" were present in that are; ') ac(wmmlieh "‘he‘; consisted of .‘1 riiral ti‘radclm‘k's Squflill‘i‘f‘t of three armoured ship: Good Hope, hit: turgiaftip, Monmouth, and Glasgoti'm the im 1'41 :mm' a lz‘w‘f'n. ('ruiser capable of 23 knots ‘ 101d": 9'2 inch guns of an old ‘7"1 r s‘emm‘mrj,‘ battery of sixteen :‘ <‘i *eed, Horn. veh; 11:41:}, [‘12 "with, COINBIODORE TYR\\'HITT. email speed carried n0 hem; 11'»; \H- a x 1 l.'I‘.-C()M.\[\NI)ER NIAX K. HORTON. _:3ns, hm i"r~vwrwt: (2-inch weapons Glasgow, 2: water \l""'l. \‘.; ~ tint. t'nrmhly armed with two 6-ine‘ . ms. t ' i w? ‘ m fighting value against v1.1, fps: (m i w t ' «hi the cruisers, and C» 17118, Wryhnied four 12-inch weapo; was ‘ "* i ‘ i ‘ -" 3‘ .‘ '17" 73c squadron. Against the t; man i ' fore, Craddeek was well pr! ared, t‘r‘ztirtier in addition Scharnhors and ‘ homily armoured ships e. _ 1 , l l'l l\‘ 1w t) V first; :zt'} I" , l ' M Vt «I'M/mm; 1;, (ring nest style, his case was 1‘»:"GUS- i'ere be borne in mind t}: first 1 firm is not sufficient to 2111-: 1 its 5:?" 352,0 and pattern must xii be would that 6-inch guns on tha- awer ‘l‘v‘ 3‘ "11"" "4 "w 7-. w‘r'ritd by GoodHope and Mei".'><-';€Ifhi It'll H 1!, Mud/mu. 20 ADMIRAL SIR C. CRADI)()CK. VICE-ADMIRAL SIR FREDERICK (I. l). S'l‘l RDICI-l. THE OCEAN BATTLES . may proye of little service in a horny sea. 'l‘here is no doubt the British Admiralty had ainieties about (‘raddorku recognised the danger in which he stood, and to meet it sent Canopus to strengthen him. hit this ship, men had sh‘ arriyed in time. could haye brought with her no addition to his fighting strength. Modern actions are fought at high speed. and Canopus, built in 1899, was probably capable of no more than 15 knots. llerlameness saved her,and ata laterdate debarred her from any share in the Falkland Battle. During the whole period of her cruise she remained a negligible quantity. In defence of the British i-‘idmiralty it must be remembered that the war was still in its earliest stage, the new and splendid vessels since added to the nayy not yet in commission,and the need in home waters imperatiye for an unquestionable superiority against the German High Seas Fleet, whirl) might on any day or hour make its appearance in force. There the chief danger lay, and to detach powerful units for operations; in the far seas appeared at the moment too risky a policy. So the scales of fate descended against i‘ulniiral L‘raddoek, who, sailing North from the Horn, on Sunday, November lst, ran with his three cruisers into You Spee's squadron of live. olf ('orouel. on the tom-.1 (hill. of It was an exil day. an angry gale risinti, and a heavy sea already running}, with a prospect of Worse. l"i\e o‘clock in the afternoon found the British Admiral, who signalled Canopus, still far to the South, " i am going to engage enemy nowfi‘ straining; on a paralltl course with the German lleei and distant from it about twelxe miles. ()n sighting; the iritish, \un Hpee had 21 T] I IE OCEAN BATTLES. 'l‘lll‘, lilii'i‘lfs‘ll NAVY AT \VAR. shifted his helm. maxim; l‘t:l".ltl to the South and tit in tow-lids the Mill land, 'i‘llt‘ \‘t't‘i‘tlilt‘t‘ itltl .21}: muddy "wt st} aitti was now oi the rildest, the wins.‘ , lmost hurricane lorry. the melting: drawing in as in through the storm amid ‘tlQS and the roar of fur, is of foam over the ph: 1 me: I I r; ‘ll‘S skilful manna:m u:e.;.i.2ous coast {gave him ah . . » . .7\ . , sum vessels hardl)~ Via, :in': lvlt: iil‘iti made a poor target for the Eng. ;jllll.-. his efieitiies were silhouetted in the last level r of an :ttiiTvi‘j-c wins-gt. New," was naval battle foo ' (Lam . " fl ements, or in sue" Printing sky, the high "sing gale and thundeq' 9-inchers was 760 lbs., and that the British 6-inch weapons, on their lower platforms, could do little in the seas that ran that (layiwere the deeisire factors. indeed the British gunners, since they could not " spot " the fall of their shells, tired, for want of a better target, at the flashes of the German guns. No attempt at rescue appears to have been made. The sun had already "id orgy of hat Willy. fibre ten minutes '2, . broadside Monmouth sta 0: E and iii flame". She strum wily to receive more shattt- fire, too, was aflame and oi. t "Ton had lasted three-qua: and , "Xplosien signalled her ' ‘ ,3‘,<‘1‘(,‘lilélll a drifting wreck, ansr»: for him a brief t‘art't‘r. said, made it 5o resounding a Britain, not easily worsted or caught nappit‘ag'), on her Nor can he himself ha‘. e had any illu- sions in pondering that day's work for the Fatherland, splendid as it was. lie foresaw clearly t'iiough de- struction threaten him, that at no di: :mt date he must join his gallant enemy in a sailor's grate. lie made. llt)‘»\‘t"vtri‘. the lit-bl Use of his tune, and for sew-ml weeks; hvfict‘a‘d on the trade routes oi the South. Then ditlit'ulties of t‘(|;llili,.;, tor these illl‘i‘t'Jxx'tl with e\ery 2, \ 22 it is hlow against the British tleet could not he suffered with impunity It was soon to he countered with a still tiert‘er bullet. But he had secured for himself a name and fame in the annals of the sea. He had "on the first, and probably the last, of German naval \trtorics against the proudest of his rountt‘y's foes .n 'Ih-fil'w. ' V ' i-li' another half-hour. Thor . . ‘ - . : 7' w. :c was gate. The good Ct}? ‘ " " L wweral times wort the Han '; dust a sharply defined is {was}: guns threw a broadsi; 1: reply from Good Hope's. weather, \on Spec?» \it'tory was complete, but destiny had native element. 1 the Glasgow, her sides rent by shells, made her best speed south to join and warn Canopus. tit-(reed l set, i npossihle. Boats could not he launched but lines and huoys from the vesSels themselves might have had srme surress. We cannot tt-ll. Nothing"), at least was done, and not a soul of the sixteen hundred men aboard the two British ships sun i\ ed the battle. The unarmourt‘d THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. "11.1.1; ".11 "hyggh‘ 11111111 him to the 5111313911113, 11mg» 1;01915511111111! iSILUHIS , "here his 1111115115: had 1031:": been {arose-011111111 dreaded by the little ruiuny. 1 . 11y 4 Ehv 1111111 to 03'1‘1‘11033‘01‘ the feeble def;"11105 111115 «vs 115;I r" wiziim 1111,1113111 ensilx defended (2011112111 base 11-:1‘ for ‘NV‘NC‘BLE 3:11:11‘ 111111; (1111111911 his 11111111. The prmnis ing nm‘o Pi" ,, 111181 11111111113; for he, sailed straigh t 111:: she . 1 ‘ 1111111117. 111111:4 NFLEK‘BLE New CARNARVON The 111<11111111 1110 news of Cradduck's defeat revvhcd "5 "‘0" 1111111111171. fit"; 11141111111113 nude 2111 unhesitz‘tinki and (-11 if: 11,,~1,‘i_~zin=1: h111‘1ii3 13301113'.:-f(111‘ hours e111)sed "are Yi‘ 1111.1 31111211,. 1111110111111, :1 1 "' Ah 1011 :"ble ‘1‘01:111 l'TL‘d 1113 i ' i 1 I I" quiniiyu emceeded while the u11c011=_,o11s draw W By nine O'clock (3719179211011 11‘1e1:11 111 7 "1" (‘J i 1. 1 ‘ ‘ 'u‘ H ‘ ihe British were possié‘ (E1311 111L137 had reckoned. 1 1? Ti 111:1:111‘ 111011-11, 1he3‘ made the >111‘111 howeOVCI‘ did Von Spe 11W? the strength of the Opposing 1' "-1" 1111111. 11110319111111", 1119,11 heh ad anticipated. 171.1 :" in A? " ‘ :3 a 11151e11211‘i10u1‘03e1 theprojectingi .Its. ‘~ skewed off and waited for the , (‘01:1 : Z"E5609"" PM the ""ETI‘LFI‘UHI 21: hidden behind the 121:1; :md 31'1'11‘11'111 111ge and Canopus 1'1 r "1513‘ 12311119 uhhgingl 1' appeared on the he ,1111. ‘ X/ ' "'3 \ \x i / 7 "a "/ r '1; ‘ I 1/ X 2115601.‘ if 011 invitativ; /> I"I "L‘AL 1 1 141 nKnuim‘: .111121111 011 smiled, and 011 Dece111he‘ \ 1111151] 811111151? ‘2‘1‘11ed (1i1‘11e Falklan ds with : \L‘awk-a. which 1'11‘1111‘:11 the battle cruioers Inuit um; frzfiexibin 'i‘heg‘ were to 002‘1 there and ‘i , Liih 1‘ 1113114; 5.1311331 for .011 Spee. But ' he sawed, (1 1:11' 11121111111 10 his 0111 4219 1111 and the 211"H‘sht (1f the British 52.11013. The very 111? i fl ' MES" 7" L5 i :11, v 3 ‘1‘ "(V L r" 57 g (I 7‘ [Aid]. .1‘ 1""? U "1. 6 Q. ‘ JV] ~77?» \ 3 {7 \‘ BR'S'OL‘N‘ACEUU"‘A 'V Dhn‘bL‘M‘ b} 'PANSPORYS 24 BATTLE OF _THE FALKLANDISLE-S W' TI ll". ()(fli AN BA'I‘TLlCS. threatening? Ile waited and y'atched, nor guessed that ere the sun had set. his fighting days would he done. Then the British began to emerge. First came the smaller ships, Glasgow and Kent, and after them the hattle-cruisers but shroud-ed in smoke. When it cleared a little the German Admiral saw that only speed, if speed indeed availed, couid help him. lie turned, and. before that menacing ar ‘ny. fled under fuii steam to the East. The weather offered a remnrnable contrast to that in which the battle off Coronel hnd been ft'HIQlli, for on this December morning sunshine flooded the calm sea and the breeze was light. When the chase finally settled down the rival tleets were within about twelre miles of each other, and in View of the inhabitants of Port Stanley for about two hours. The British made no great haste, for the issues were not in doubt. All hands were piped to dinner as usual. and time yas even allowed for a smoke before Sturdee decided to close with the enemy. 'l‘hen under the peaceful heaven the sleuth hounds stretched themselyes on the course that could only end in death. The prospect of imminent nction hardly at all disturbs the routine of a British warship. She is always prepared and in fighting trim. i‘:\t‘t‘j.' man on board knows exactly what is required of him, and from the call of the bugle to "Action Stations," till the whole tremtndous machine is wot-Lin}; at its highest tension and prepared to hurl itself upon the enemy hardly lixe minutes is required. \‘t'ntertigiht doors and portholes are closed, woodwork thrown overboard, inflammable gear stowed and the men at 25 Tllli BRITISH NAVY AT \VAR. . _ quarters ll] a few X , monunts. x C . THE OCEAN BATTLES. M Jhen the ship 5115 deserted for all the crew are behind armour. strange as it may seem, hardly more than fetwj tittv men out of seven or eight: hundred on bout xv: a u nrship are actual witnesses of a modern engagenw in the toretup ere stationed the observation oth: : >rs who " spot " the all of the shells and signal rm: Hes to the tlifie‘cnt batteries, in the conning tower captain. the imii "Em", and a few other officers men. ()n the, decks hoses are laid spouting water Let-p down lire in the depths, to which you descen: uni‘row, almost perpendicular, steel ladders, are cnuit‘tt'ci‘s. the men at the ammunition hoists, the pnnne and lk'l'.‘ ' ph men, and all the mighty machi Ht t‘tltllllt's, hits, pumps, torpedoes, shells with w «in; inn of {twice in L1 warship is crowded. 3. plum-d L3 t as ,Eiushin long ago wrote, " as i ' 'ience, commonsense, foretho: <~' twin-mum} philosnpiiy, self-control, habits of <, ,nn‘ . t tintroughnwrought handiwork, ‘. .; «.‘cmet‘lts, careless courage, c; a: , W2; :.=_cceptance of the judgmt <3 i ,\ "up; he put into a. space three bu *. . ll 12': 3)} mm; broad." in (J, 21,3}. recanted away Scharnhorsi Von Spee‘s attendant colliers. The battle thus re- solved itself into a main and sever al subsidiary actions. Firing, as they ran, Gneisenau and Schar nhorst, about two o'clock. changed course to the South -East. By three the battle was at its height, Infle xible engaging Scharnhorst, Invincible, Sturdee‘s flagship, Gneisenau, and it was clear that the German vesse ls were already receiving severe punishment. ()utranged by the British their return lire was almo st negligible. .\t times a shell would cause a large hole to appear in Scharnhorst‘s side. " throntih whic h could be seen a dull red glow of flame." u very glimpse of the pit. Soon her masts and funnel; went m or the side by four o‘clock in :1 great cloud of smolte and steam she vanished vith her entire crew. The pursu it of Gneisentzu con- tinued and made attempts at rescue impossible. Later on, about five o‘clock. under the concentrated tire of the British cruisers she could do no more, turned over at first slowly, showim'; tlc men gathering}, on her side, and then like her unha ppy consort, in a great burst of steam and smoke. her stern high in the air, plunged to the ocean depths. 'l‘ownrds the end of the actio n, reports one of her survhinQ oilicers, one could not get along: the upper tl‘ct‘l; as there was practically none left. " Nearly every : one o'clock Admiral Sturdee sigt. man on the upper deck had been killed , all the guns were ' tn: 1] n _ . «t t'w‘; gee enemy." Almost it t ‘ , .1 1 . st their chances of escapt tun ' 1m. c z; . »:‘.cll the German line and, dret, u wines as they went, scat. l" "W " MHz. w i at once by Glasgow. Ken. ('o/‘mc:.r:'£ 9' , A. i.:.1 already been detache d to d< out of action, and one turret had been thrown bodily owrbodrd by .Z-Aiuch lydditc shell. ioth their engines n 2t; were broken up and they had :1 lire in the after part of the ship. They would probubl}. haw had many more tires, but our shells striking}, the water near the ship sent up columns of water which ht'lll on putting out the 27 THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. The spouts of water sent up by our shell», hitting the outer near them went up as high again :5 their c ~91" the feel." about 300 in Higwmpg prolmhlj.‘ in; ' tre She tire Shell by killed were men 's Gncisentm \wut tlthE]. ()ne Germ-an oi‘rice ‘ at least has 31- quarrel with fortune. The turret in which he stood w», struck tires. mil there ms no other survivor. He joined due crew til .mmher gun and the same thing littppcw-tl. He 2.2:] to still another gun station and a third shell sitsposed of that. While he was at work with a fourth gun the the icy ship snul; and, after over an hour's exposure \Ytlltjl‘, he was picked up. Some men are sum 73' born llllt'lt‘l‘ 2t lucky star! The work of saving the ht'.'1'i\‘Ol‘S, smdred wen, including}; the Capt; in, rescued from the i: 5 water. [ i tctx-tiihiu as it may seem, these men expettv to be Lllitl exhibited astonishment Math treated. How little the l Msltiinl and her sea t‘adition! "wltt‘i‘. and deli-c Germ-a; s ville: Glasgow pursuing Leipzig receii when ,.:ow of about a o‘clrwt; it ‘fi‘ti‘leSS message that the main i gale was ‘l :w Goring-tn cruiser, already severel; -tmllet., I '4 _ 1 . when l L‘:,,:ltwl1.:1 ilV-JLHCY, very gallautly till 9 o‘es‘n . ‘21:. w». of; iitpt‘d‘t‘eti with all hands, sate li-»_ »._,.i'i'it:‘c1‘b .'.l x ml Incl) picked up by the Victor. \Hwtl aimile combat, the most stirring, thunk-SE and tit‘w-l equal of tall in this engagement, took plat: Meth'et‘ll Ittlli intsl ht ‘nberg, which had a knot gram speed thiu the British cruiser. The story is hen: térld ill ll‘n‘ \‘mI'L‘w-t ml the Kent‘s Captain. 28 " It ms: ,2 single A llll :u.:il.:hle heats swung out, and nearly two FIRING the anytime. at once oegan, lines and buoys wet-t altt'own, SALVO. timttinai " like 11 great patch of brown seamtvtl " 0n THE OCEAN BATTLES . ship action," he wrote, " as no other ship was in sight at the time. action The chase commenced at noon and the at, 5 pant .\fter a sharp action, commenced during; which Kent was struck by the enemy‘s shell no less than thirty-lire times, Niirnberg sank at 7.26 p.111. " Niirnberg‘ is a faster ship than Kent, but I appealed to the engineers and stokers to do all in their power to catch her and finely they responded to my appeal. The Kent went faster and faster until she was going 25 knots. more than a knot faster than she had ever been before. The enemy got nearer and nearer until at last she got. within range of our guns. Soon Kent's shell began to fall thick and fast around her and she y'as struck many time till she was in flames. The enemy continued tiring their guns until the ship w as sinking, and as she sank below the surface some brave men on her quarter deck were waving the (.‘erman ensign. No sooner had she sunk than the Kent‘s tnen displayed the same zeal and activity in endeaVouring to save life as they had done in lighting the ship. Boats were hastily repaired and lowered by men eagerly Volunteering; to help. Untortunately the s "a was rough and the water may cold, so we only succeeded in picking up twelve men, of whom lire subsequently died." 'l‘lws, then, in its various episodes the Falkland lsles was fought and won. the Battle ot A crushing and decisiye blow had been struck, but two (.‘erman ships, Prinz Eitel Friederich, an armed liner, and Dresden, a light cruiser, had made their escape and were still at large in the Pacific. dealt with. They, too, had to be For some months longer they ‘coutrived 29 B CHAPTER 1V. NORTH SEA BATTLES. The Dogger Bank.' Jutland. The swift cruiser raids on the East Coast of England served a double purpose. They wounded British while they heartened German homes. They had, however, a military as well as a political objectn" to entice," said a German sailor who was present, " the British fleet out of port." "In the first place," he remarked, " our small cruisers, which were packed full of mines, had strewn the local waters with them. . . . In the second place we had shown the Englishman who is always boasting of his command of the sea that he cannot protect his own coast. . . . In the third place we have given the inhabitants of England. and especially the people of Yarmouth. a thorough fright." These then were the aims, illustrating clearly enough German tactics and German psychology. In the first raid on Yarmouth, on November 3rd, 1914, the attacking vessels were invisible from the shore in the autumnal haze and were too distant and too frightened themselves to do much damage in the second, on December 16th, the casualties were heavy in IIartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough; many women and children were slaughtered and churches and houses wrecked, firing: being}, quite indiscriminate and at the a venture. Once more in the mist the German vessels, retiring at full speed, escaped their pursuers. The third was planned but intercepted. 31 82 THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. NORTH SEA BATTLES . On January 24th, 1915, Admiral Beattv's patrolling s, squadron siahted a German fleet of four battle wttiser . and s accompanied bv (a number of ligiht cruiscr nt destroyers, making for the English coast ant? dista Without hesita"~n the from it about thirty miles. for their best p: at fled Germans turned and high as her mast head. and Derflitnger. ahead of her, was in hardly better case. Some hundreds of grateful survivors were picked up by the British from Bliicher's crew. one of whom is reported to have said, " On land we can beat you, but here. no." Despite the German tales not a single British vessel failed to return and A erim chase and a running, fight ensued. s The disposition of the German guns, for their essel the casualties were very few. are more hxavily armed for flight than for 'gr‘msuit, under such a sustained dellule of some advantage, while the Btuish in brim: to bear only their bow own. and could the rear upon the luckless Germans. home. (gave, imagination cannot picture the condition of a vessel shells as crashed Read the account given them we. not broadsides upon the escaping raiders. flaring the ereater part of the engagement only the Toding British ships, Lion and Tiger came within rewtvnable ranQe of the enemy. It should be borne in not? that in a Qene‘al engagement, however desirable i. "av be for the superior force to close with the enemy 1 thus ensure his destruction, a complete overlap in: :3 first be established by superior speed. Until that is Sinained the enemy screen of destroyers thwart any i» 't‘ll attempt by dropping mines, the line of which cannot safely be crossed to secure a close range. ".ith the by one of Bliicher‘s survivors. " Shots cattle slowly at tirst. They tell ahead and over, raising vast columns of water; now they fell astern and The British guns were ranging. spouts crept nearer and nearer. short. 'l‘hose deadly water- The men on watched them with a strange fascination. pitched close to the ship and a vast Soon deck one watery pillar, a hundred metres high one of them atlirmcd. fell lashing on the deck. ging‘s Ios / The range had been found. Dunn aber " \‘ow the shells came thick and fast with a horrible droning; hum. .\t once they did terrible execution. great ships racing, at thirty miles an hour, one ‘1'1211‘V'015 'lhe electric plant was soon destroyed, and the that the range could be kept at all, yet the *re was deztdly. The unhappy Bliicher, a great iii. 3' plutttlctl in a darkness that could be felt. ‘ You could not see your hand before your nose, t said one. Down Ship below tlt't‘l\\ there was horror and confusion, mintiled ship but slower than her colleagues, fell out shockingly mangled, and was torpedoed out o?" : ziStE‘IlCG with gasping shouts and moans as the shells plunged thtouoh the decks. it} Arethzm. The. rest fled on. It was only later. when the range Favoured it: t'trtune. \iitlllt'llt‘ti. that their trajectory flattened and they tore, tor :l l'lt‘li}‘ shot disabled one of Lion's feed t2 teatht-d in n‘telancholy straits their own tra?‘ ‘49. the." holes in the ship's side and raked her decks. Which forbade further pursuit, but when his seen the lhe\ came dropping from the skit-s. the decks. time». \‘lll'fi‘ mounting on Seydlitz, the next 'l'hey penetrated 'l‘ht-y bored their way even to the slokel-old. line, :15 3‘5 32 \t lirst fields. l: I; THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. NORTH SEA BATTLES . Sow vi', the set on fire. The coal in the bunkers was " The Bliicher had run her course. burned merrii. . In bunkers were half empty the fire oil and sprnr ad it the the engine-room a shell licked up "aims around in flames of blue and green, scarring its it. :tark and blaring where it fell. Men huddled together :1nd on:m the ht soug s shell the but . compartments tltt't‘v (hath had a rich harvest. sion "‘ l‘he terrific air-pressure resulting from ex" «inds . tht on on essi in a confined space. left a deep impr m, oi the men of the. Bliicher. The air, it would .».-:\e roars through every opening"; and tears its way r virug'h All loose or insecure fittirr are vycry weak spot. transformed into moving instruments of destw *tion. She \ "as lagging lame, and with the steering: {par gone was beginning: slowly to circle. It was seen that she was doomed. The hell that rang: the men to church parade each Sunday was tolled. those who were able assembled on deck. helping as well as they could their wounded comrades. Some had to creep out through shot holes. They gathered in groups on deck awaiting the end. were given for the Bliicher. and three more Kaiser. Cheers for the ‘ Die Wacht am Rhein' was sung, and per- mission given to leave the ship. already gone. liut some of them had The British ships were now silent, but .\ cruiser their torpedoes had done their deadly work. floors and destroyers were at hand to rescue the survivors. hcnd ootw ‘rd like tinplates, and through it all the ' odies The wounded Blucher settled down, turned wearily over, of men are whirled about like dead leaves in a winter . . . hlast.to he battered to death against the iron 9.3.: and disappeared in a swirl of water." ‘lpen doors hang: to, and jambmand Closed iros where "' In one of the engine-roomsiit was the I‘OOl't This action time pause to Germany. Licking: her wounds and nursing unhappy memories she decided to lhc high Velocity engines for ventilation and ":rrced that thought were ~.=.t workimen were picked up tct‘t‘ilitlc Lzzftdruck, like the whirl-drift at a street . winter, of raiding and to spread for Britain less costly lures. and [warned to a horrible death amidst the my. Winery. serious result, was, indeed. made in .\pril. 1916~ a half- there were other horrors too fearful to recoor . " it it was zimialling below deck, it was nu» 2" than .tppdllifl". above. The Blucher was under til" fire of hour‘s friendly cull : so many aitips. Even the little destroyers juJ‘rDQI‘ed fort-go for a time the pleasures and political advantages halt-hearted attempt on Lowestolt. which Sir John .lellicoe had would A little have prelerred a longer \isit. but in these matters Germany presumes a rigid etiquette. Hf raids great and small it may be obseryed that ht-t . ‘ It was one continuous explosion,' said 2; runner. 'l he ship heeled ore ‘ as the broadsides struck :i, then Vii-mud he" wit. rocking like a cradle. Gun c. , > s were they are the only actiyities, no great things, left to the Herman n.t\y, powerful as it is. Other and better M» destined that stokers had to be requisi . ned t0 dECkS ‘1‘") immhmition. Men lay flat for safety. to protect, no mines to sweep, no transports or wide presented a tangled mass of scrap iron. choose its own hour, dash out at night or in fog, tire 34 . . occupations. indeed, it has none, no mercantile marine c‘xlt‘nt of coast to guard. 35 .\ raiding: squadron ls l can THE BRITISH NAVY A'I‘ WAR. ill anything it may chance to see, trawler o7 fisher or warship, enemy or neutral, mu! \,"\pi‘c.\‘i speed, 0:" these trivial trader, ,, earn at :lt‘lliL‘H‘l'i‘u'J. is it pussfihlu that so tji‘Q'Ji n fleet, delmrred from it other undertakings, can really be proud P (‘nme now in} that stern and decisiVe coniiiag, which climbed, M: it. were, the naval situation. the 7‘ (tie of Jutland, in respect of all particulars that male battle ermt, the nmgnitnde of the forces engaged. iii: .t‘nle of the experutions 11nd. the significance of the re: 1-), the fiercest clash of fleets since 'l‘rafalgur. Fun" '1 on a summer‘s day, the: eve of the glorious " first - June," so thmous in the annals of the British navy, it s. . spares in lmnliy single feature with any navel at :fict in history. tz'fl'v‘pi perhaps with that mino ‘ activ 2 in the High: oi lit li ohm-l. which in some fashion it r: , ""nbles. lot like that ._ was a far-flung and disperse: :ries of conflict», ;1 L‘i-‘Silillg of ships in mist and dark \1 or in pntthtw ot'xnurt-lired light. At extreme rant: , <1 avoid I'm- (in til}; I urwdo attacks, the great warVeSSt (: xtriliided tun h Hills 1' maid haze and smoke screens, be? 3 rm (In was when pressed withdrew fr' , which sight- ‘\"« iilltlt‘ii Ml drifted out of the scene {uni 12m in doubt destroyers dashed to and if!" «i [LEM " chips, the flames licking; :5kang 331‘ im" mu: i‘w .i hmnlred "feet aloft, loomed up for a fen: As "was anticiz‘ :‘flment5 we "the mil; in mugs}; in the mist. "2"»; their (J‘l‘ilwllik pm their trust chieflyintorpedo' . (Sweasil.V "limit «unlike, approaching, difficult to (lit/w against I‘vlil in: \a \MVM. 'i‘hroughout destroyers oz; path sides WIN"! a n‘ 'nihcent and conspicuous " huwm " antics of a naval action. 36 :af‘t, the But so numerous , k LONDON \ 6‘ \s ‘ A19 MI A A‘ AA‘\ \\ ZBELGIUM K ''''' ' THE HOOK HOLLA ND -‘ \\D . THE NAZE +\ 4‘ HM! 5 FRANce*"g CAL/us": ‘. 106 MILES BANK THAMES I? DOVER ) i ENGUSH CHANNEL o SOUTHAMPTON YARMOUTH HARW‘CH ., _‘ 60 ‘WIES I DQGGER 45K) .-. \ LOW ESTOFT ‘\\\ \ \ SCARBOROUGH TBY ENGLAND 0 W \ m ‘ ‘ [with/NV { . LFITH‘J F, /\ ‘ J 3 ABFPDEEN/ ORKNEY l5 43; SHETLAND 0 I5 ?" NFWL"‘"*"‘ Kr) {W \ 1 ‘ w. \ ‘ v \ i v 0 SCALE OF MILES so --- ,-__. SKAGERRAC 100 NORTH SEA BATTLES were the vessels engaged and so dim the weather that a certain confusion inseparable from the conditions reigned the entire day. Indubitahly a lime-impot hfnr opportunity had come to the British. the German fleet had actually emerged in strength and "upon an enterprise." Yet emerged only to withdraw, to tantalise, and, if possible, to lure into fatal areas the pursuing foe. The annoyance which Neison suffered from the French Admiral Latouche Treyille. who used " to play bo-peep in and out of Toulon, like a mouse at the edge of her hole," as the British Admiral expressed it. was the lot also of Sir John Jellicoe. Yon Itichecr repea ts the tactics of Latouche. Ilis orders were, no doubt, the same. to show the " greatest rircumspection." to risk nothing. But this " fettered and timid " warfa re, as a French writer once complained. must alwa ys fail. The chief hope and aim of the, British fleet in the prese nt \y or has been the same as Nelson's, to compel a decisive engagement the aim of the enemy's fleet to awid one. it perfectly legitimate and perfectiy intelligib le policy, with which no one can quarrel. Hermany consistently refuses all actions except on :hosen ground at her own front door, where railt‘ can, Mien the odds are against her, withdraw her altips immediately within her protected ports. and slam the nor in the face of her antagonist. 'l‘here only \\ tll she light. within a few miles of her own coast, in shallow Hers suitable for the operation of under water craft, vnxi in the immediate neighbourhood of her mm mine - {Mix llad Nelson been alive to-daj,‘ he, could have dom- H m more than the British Admirals imH‘ done 37 ntler . THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR NORTH SEA BATTLES. erms. Certainty battle to the unwillingenemyon his ownt cruiser squadron that the enemy was out and in force. she \xtlishes.1l:tt{t{:i takes only as much of the war as all‘t 1t "1:1."ka takes the whole, everywhere and .\ seaplane scout went aloft and confirmed the signals. German battle cruisers were in sight, but falling back ti: si‘lLin‘5 peatetllv Sir David Beatty has facet: upon probably still stronger forces. To engag e or not to engage was hardly Beatty's problem. Shoul d he with its attendant risks. Repeatedly VVIEhfl ts ((i "m; 1t 1:: . .If .0 squadron he appeared withln Sight ).{L to own his from s defences. four hundred mile at‘heax 31 tI 1d he could engage the Germans even hIS' teet:I-,t1_-;t‘d himself. " cling to them as longas on Lit Kill g hold." in an entangling and detainin acti an overw he- Hg l7‘it‘et might reach him in time to secure virtorv. admitted more he do more ttm‘ts? "hat was his hope. And let it be it} the hope was not fulfilled. At Jutlant mite took the risks isome say unwisely, in: Vii-1y than contain the German navy useless~ its he incurred the inevitable losses, the 01am t-‘n itr h lit't'l arrived in time to strike a shattermr olow Tran ‘tttt failed to administer the coup de grace. ttillx sxtittwthise with his feelings," wrote Si .ttohn .lv-ll‘iwtn " when the evening mist and fadim tight iohlwd the Flt-m of that complete victory for w: . 't he nut in lilti'llYl'tfai, and for which the vessels in company with him had stt‘iven so hard." 'lu lltttlt‘l‘Mililitl, even in a measure, this . it'e‘irtense ("l‘llit I. Haw must bear in mind that the British hrand . t it» t t1'NIv‘T"it‘.lHl-lll.lt‘lliCOO, was on May 30th .tt stat. to the north of Sir David Beatty's battle 1' (losers. at all cost pursue, encounter and detai n the foe or, avoiding more than a mere exchange of shots, conti nue on his course to join Admiral Jellicoe P Faint heart never won a great decision. He chose the heroic , the British way, and determined to force the battle " to engage the enemy in sight." We may, perhaps. best understand the action if we divide it into three stages, .it pursuit, (b) retreat, (c) again pursuit the first, that in which Beatty was engaged with the enemy 's tmttle cruisers falling back upon their main fleet, which Listed about an hour, from 3.48 when the opening shots "ere fired till the German High Seas Fleet showed twelf at 4.38. At this point Beatty swung round to draw the enemy towards Jellicoe approachin g from the worth, and the second stage of the battle began in which the British were heavily engaged with a greatly super ior turn, in fact, the whole German navy. They had, howWar. the assistance of the fifth Battle Squadron under tutti Thomas, four powerful battleships which had ‘ie tip during the first phase, fired a few shots at t t extreme range of about twelve miles and took the it. at tire of Von Scheer's battleships. Steaming north wiltt, on tlw Alt-t. hating completed his sweep from the w, nth to rejoin the Commander- .ti'ned I] t hicf. "‘llt'" the int lit"? which led to it cannot be 2 dis- ‘-_ ‘l‘tl it t 11-: pass at once to the encounter itsel .xlt‘JUl much with the heavy ships. This stage of the action lasted about an hour or more, when about six o'clock .Iellicoe came in sight five miles to the north, in.‘ the third phase began. Beatty towards the end 'tu‘tt»tt:\t two liettttv received signals from 38 1152‘" instead of south Beatty slackened speed to keep 39 Oj'f‘csilc raga 4n. of the scrozni stage had drawn ahead of than anemy, pruSsins; in upon andcurving round his line, ;. .5 now drove straight across it to the east, Closing ti range CI abb, \ DUI/55!". THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. to 12,000 yards, with two objects, first to l?" at: the lending: German ships under concentrated sI and 13m thc [out was snatched from the Briti» grasp. lt tam alum} amen o'clock and the evening; ' 011E211t nit‘r it lib.) um». Mirth Sea haze behind whicl- tzd hi5 . Von Scheer turned and flea :or his 1"" ‘f . " Ural mm: was necessary," wrote M»; John u». n 'xt‘mvlw : ('i‘w Wham. to insure that our own ships nuwwmlttn m entail} tessels." we not By half-past mght or 11""? tom-UNHE all was over, save for Uh. Ut‘itiSh thiNltutt't‘ marks, which lasted far into the ty‘rkness. (-11 the scattered and fleeing enemy. 40 Only ivy-.1 hours IN 'l‘\\'() INTO LINE AHEAD twaterly COSHNG It was a HLUIIUHY‘C Which enabled the Third Battle , s‘uiser :a‘qthuron. in adVance of Jellicoe, under Admit" rlood, to join at once in the battle, and assist in " cm mling up " the head of the German line. l he supreme moment had come. Jellicoe's 5;: t fleet was in line behind lloods bearing down on Von :' \ oer in nwrwm-imim: force. By beautiful handling ti; mritish meso enacted. the junction of his fleets * very thing rm conditions. There still remains in in» warm: 0 much of, lllt.‘ splendid pageantry of old, whicz' 1 land oymmmns is 21pm.- beyond recall. " The gram sight I luv» mm seen." wrote an officer in the fleck '* was 1hr («ism at our battle line-miles of it fading in: . mist-~ «than; up their positions like clock-work and thv , belchill‘si WW txl‘iuil whects of fire and clouds of stoke." li\'l"lL!.SllU'S and complete their destruction. COLURINS. swam! to allow a clear space for Jellicoe to coax ~ down NORTH SEA BATTLES. of a misty daylight had been left to Sir John Jellicoe to accomplish his task. Then came night, and in the night the shattered and shaken Germans creptmone is not quite clear by what routemthrough their mine fields to the blessed security of protected harbours. Had the weather been different-well who knows whether in that case the German Fleet would have put to sea? Now as ever in naval warfare commanders must choose conditions the most favourable to their designs. The British Admiral remained on the scene of the battle, picking up survivors from some of the smaller craft till after mid-day (1.15 p.m.) on June lst. On that day not one German ship was in sight on a sea strewn with the tangled and shape less wreckage of proud vessels, the melancholy litter of war. l‘erhaps Jutland, inconclusive as it seemed, may wt be judged by the world the true crisis of the struggle. While Germany, after her manner, poured forth to the sceptical world tidings of amaz ing victory, Britain, too, after her manner, said little save bluntly to record her losses, and later published merely the reports of the Admirals engaged. They are very plain and matter of fact, ill ;.:.1, these documents without So they can be recommended to the atten tion of seekers after truth. Fm lovers of romance, of course, lll'.‘ German versions will afford brighter reading. "are, however, is the unofficial account of a Midship- nm: on board one of the battleships :m " We were all as cheery as Punch when actio n was wonded off. The battle cruisers, which, by the way, \x H t‘ first sighted by your eldest son, who went without his tea to look out in the foretop, were away on the bow, 41 THE BRITISH NAVY AT WAR. NORTH SEA BATTLES. firing like blazes, and doing a colossal turn at Speed, I expect they were very pleased to see us. tleet put itacross them properly
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