CHAPTER XVI
THE BATTLE
Dawn.
With the breaking of the intense darkness what a surprise was in store for the Germans!
Back of the four remaining British ships that had at first engaged the Germans, interrupting their dash and holding them in check until the arrival of a force strong enough to engage the foe more closely, came now the relief promised by Vice-Admiral Beatty.
Gathered from various parts of the North Sea, they had steamed toward Jutland, and, arriving there at almost the same time, they had assumed battle formation in the darkness.
That the British were approaching must have been known by the German admiral, for their wireless apparatus had been working unceasingly, telling of their approach, and these signals must have been caught by the German warships, though, because sent in code, they were undecipherable. Nor could the enemy tell, by the sound, just how close the British were.
Captain Raleigh, too, as well as the other British commanders, had known the other English ships were forming some distance back. Toward these they now retreated; and just as dawn broke, and the British sailors obtained their first view of the promised assistance—and greeted the new arrivals with cheers—the British advanced to the attack.
The German admiral, taking in the situation, knew that he still outnumbered the British—that the advantage was still with him. He determined to give battle. He knew, too, that it was only a question of time until the main British fleet would approach and he determined to win the battle before the arrival of new foes. He signalled an advance.
The British fleet was great and powerful—but not so great and powerful as the German by far. As the Queen Mary, Indefatigable and the two torpedo boats fell back, still the center of German fire and still hurling shell, seeking their proper places in the battle line, the other British vessels came on. And presently the Queen Mary and others had gained their places in the formation.
Ahead of the larger ships now—the Queen Mary, the Indefatigable and the Invincible, advanced the speediest of light cruisers—the Defense, the Biack Prince and the Warrior. Behind these, spread out fan-wise, came the destroyers Tipperary, Turbulent, Nestore, Alcaster, Fortune, Sparrow Hawk, Ardent and the Shark. The Albert and Victoria also had fallen in line, though badly battered by the effects of the German shells during the night.
Then the three battle cruisers advanced; and as the battle opened, far back came the battleship Marlborough, hurrying to join in the struggle.
The German fleet advanced to the attack in a broad semi-circle. The flagship, the Westphalen, a dreadnaught of 18,600 tons, was squarely in the center. To her left was the battleship Pommern and next the Freiderich; to her right the battleships Wiesbaden and Frauenlob. Beyond the battleships to the left were the cruisers Hindenburg and Lutzow, and beyond the battleships to the right the cruisers Elbing and Essen. Torpedo boats, more than a score of them, also spread far on either side.
Directly behind the single dreadnaught and the battleships came a flotilla of submarines, ready to dash forward at the proper moment and launch their deadly torpedoes. Overhead, and moving forward, were the three giant Zeppelins and a flotilla of other aircraft.
Of all the vessels engaged, the Queen Mary was the largest. The Marlborough, advancing rapidly, came next and then the German dreadnaught Westphalen. The British battle cruisers Indefatigable and Invincible were the next most powerful, in the order named, and the other German vessels were by far superior to the British.
Now, as the battle opened with the greatest fury, another British vessel was sighted to the westward. It was the Lion, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Beatty, steaming at full speed ahead.
Over the tops of the three British cruisers, light vessels travelled swiftly toward the enemy, the larger ships opened with their big guns. The range was found almost with the first salvo and shells began to drop aboard the enemy.
The British cruiser Defense, making straight for the German dreadnaught Westphalen, hurled a shell aboard the German flagship that burst amidships. There was a terrible explosion and men were hurled into the water in little pieces. A hole was blown through the upper deck.
But the Defense paid dearly for this act. The forward guns of the Westphalen poured a veritable rain of shells upon the British vessel and in a moment she was wounded unto death.
There was nothing the other vessels of the fleet could do to aid her; and it was plainly apparent that she must sink. But the British tars stuck to their guns and they continued to hurl shells into the German line until the water of the North Sea washed over them.
The Defense was gone.
This left the Black Prince and the Warrior alone before the larger British vessels and they stood to their work gallantly. The fire of both cruisers was centered on the German flagship; and it was plain that if they continued at their work the Westphalen was doomed.
An order was flashed to the German Zeppelins. Two sped forward.
Captain Raleigh of the Queen Mary saw them advancing and the forward anti-aircraft gun was unloosened. The first Zeppelin, flying low, was pierced before it had moved forward a hundred yards; and it fell into the sea between the German battleships, a flaming mass. But the second came on.
Above the Black Prince the Zeppelin paused. Something dropped through the air. There was a flash, an explosion and a dense black cloud rolled across the water. When it had cleared the Black Prince was gone!
The anti-aircraft guns of the Queen Mary and the Indefatigable fired furiously at the Zeppelin; and a few moments later a shot from the latter struck home. The second Zeppelin fell into the sea. By this time the Marlborough had drawn up with the Queen Mary and the other large British ships; and now these advanced majestically.
The first to encounter the weight of their guns was the German battleship Pommern, of 12,900 tons. Raked fore and aft, she was soon ablaze. Her crew leaped into the sea, almost as one man, following an explosion in her boiler room; and the water was dark with bobbing heads.
The Pommern's sister ship, the Freiderich, slowed down and gave assistance in picking up the crew of the former vessel; and while she was engaged in this work no British gun fired at her.
Gradually the Marlborough, the Queen Mary, the Indefatigable and the Invincible drew closer together as they advanced upon the Germans. Shells burst over them with regularity, but so far none had reached a vital spot.
The Queen Mary turned all her forward guns on the Westphalen and raked her fore and aft. In vain the other vessels of the German fleet sought to detract the Queen Mary's fire. Captain Raleigh had started out with the intention of disposing of the German flagship and he was determined not to heed the others until the Westphalen had been sent to the bottom.
It was no easy task he had set for himself, for he now was the center of fire of the whole German fleet—almost. A submarine darted forward to save the Westphalen. The quick eye of a British gunner caught it. He took aim and fired. The submarine disappeared.
With a view to disposing of the enemy immediately, Captain Raleigh ordered that one of the two forward torpedoes be launched.
There was a hiss as the little tube was released. The distance was so close now that a miss was impossible. There was an instant of silence, followed by a terrible rending sound; then a loud blast. The torpedo had reached the Westphalen's boiler room.
Quickly the German admiral and his officers clambered over the side and rowed to the Wiesbaden, where they were taken on board and the admiral's flag run up. The Westphalen was abandoned; and she sank a few moments later.
In the meantime, the British cruiser Warrior, of 13,500 tons, had been sent down by the explosion of a German shell which had reached her magazine. So rapidly had she settled that not a man of her crew escaped. Thus had the three light battle cruisers of the British—the vessels that had shown the way—been disposed of.
At this moment Vice-Admiral Beatty and his flagship, the Lion, entered the battle. The great guns of the flagship roared above the others and the battleship Frauenlob, singled out by her fire, soon sank.
In spite of the German losses, the British, so far, had had the worst of the encounter and the German admiral, despite the loss of his flagship, had no mind to give up the battle. He pushed to closer quarters.
Now the fighting became more terrific. Shells struck upon all ships engaged at intervals of a few seconds apart. Frequently loud explosions were heard above the voices of the great guns; and in most cases these signified the end of a ship of war.
Among the smaller vessels—the torpedo boats—which had singled each other out, the execution had been terrible. Dead and wounded strewed the decks and there was no time for the uninjured to give aid. They were too busy attending to their guns and manoeuvering their vessels.
But the outcome of an engagement such as this could have but one result, it seemed. Outnumbered as they were and fighting as bravely as they knew how, the British were getting the worst of it. Rather than sacrifice more lives and ships, Vice-Admiral Beatty, on the Lion, gave the signal to retire. He was in hopes that the Germans would follow and thus fall into the clutches of the main British fleet which was advancing at full speed and with which Vice-Admiral Beatty had been in communication by wireless.
The Germans accepted the bait as the British drew off slowly; and as they advanced more ships steamed up from the east. It was a second German squadron advancing to the aid of the first.
There was a cry of surprise from the British, for they had not known that there was a second fleet in such close proximity. These new vessels evidently were the reserves the German admiral had been depending upon to turn the tide of battle should his first line ships not be able to overcome the British.
Seeing apparent victory within his grasp, the German admiral signalled his fleet to full speed; so the British retreated more rapidly.
Suddenly there was a terrible explosion to the right of the Queen Mary. Frank and Jack, as well as all others on the Queen Mary, gazed in that direction. The battle cruiser Invincible suddenly sprang into a sheet of flame and parted in half. A German shell had struck her vitals.
A cry of despair broke from the British as the Invincible—the greatest British ship to suffer so far—dived beneath the waves.