Battle of the Bight of Heligoland (Aug. 28).
The morning of the 28th broke calm and windless. There was a thick haze over the waters, and the keenest eyes in the fleet could not pierce the mist for more than three miles around. Just before 7 a.m. the gaunt island of Heligoland, with its forts, painted lodging-houses, and crumbling sea cliffs, loomed out of the fog. This diagram will show you the position of our various squadrons at this time. The submarines, you will observe, were close to Heligoland; but they made no attempt to conceal themselves, as the sea was like a mill-pond, and their periscopes were plainly visible. Approaching rapidly from the north-west were Commodore Tyrwhitt's two destroyer flotillas, led by the Arethusa and the Fearless. The Arethusa, which I have already described, was a new ship with an old and honoured name. She had just left the builder's yard, and was now about to undergo her baptism of fire. Perhaps you have heard or read the famous old song "The Arethusa;" it tells how a British man-of-war in June 1778 was attacked by four French ships, and how she gallantly drove them off after a fight which lasted two hours.
"The fight was off the Frenchman's land; We forced them back upon the strand, For we fought till not a stick would stand Of the gallant Arethusa."
The new Arethusa was now about to prove herself worthy of her ancient renown.
Behind the destroyers, and a little to the south-west of them, was the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. To the north-east of the destroyers lay the First Light Cruiser Squadron, and Sir David Beatty's Battle Cruiser Squadron, consisting of the Lion, Queen Mary, New Zealand, and Invincible.
The submarines near Heligoland were the decoy ducks. They were probably first sighted by a German seaplane, and shortly afterwards a number of German destroyers, two cruisers, and some submarines came out from behind the island to attack them. When our submarines saw them they and their attendant destroyers fled westward, and the German destroyers followed them, and thus were drawn away from the island into the open sea. Soon, however, they sighted the British flotillas bearing down on them from the north-east. Then they turned tail and tried to make for home; but our destroyers and the two cruisers altered their course to port, so as to cut them off. For about half an hour the Arethusa and the destroyers were engaged with the German destroyers; but at 7.57 a.m. two enemy cruisers, one with four funnels and the other with two, appeared, and the nearest of them, the one with two funnels, was engaged. She was the Ariadne, and the other was probably the Strassburg. Both of them attacked the Arethusa, and for about a quarter of an hour she received the heavy fire of both ships. Then the Strassburg turned her attention to the Fearless, and left the Ariadne to cope with the Arethusa.
During the action the Arethusa was hit many times, and was much damaged. All her guns were out of action except one 6-inch gun, with which she replied to the enemy's fire. About 8.15 one of her shells wrecked the forebridge of the Ariadne, whereupon she turned tail and made for Heligoland. Meanwhile the Fearless had driven off the Strassburg, and the destroyers had sunk the German commodore's destroyer, and had damaged some of the others. With that humanity which has always distinguished British seamen, the destroyers lowered their boats and attempted to save the lives of the German sailors struggling in the water. While engaged in this work of mercy a German cruiser fired on them, and two of the boats could not be picked up. Later on, when these open boats were twenty-five miles from the nearest land, and that land the enemy's fortress, with nothing but fog and foes around them, they were wondrously saved. "Suddenly," writes an officer, "a swirl alongside, and up, if you please, pops His Britannic Majesty's submarine E4, opens his conning tower, takes them all on board, shuts up again, dives, and brings them home 250 miles! Is that not magnificent? No novel would dare to face the critics with an episode like that in it, except, perhaps, Jules Verne; and all true."
All the British ships were now ordered to turn to the westward and reduce speed to twenty knots. The Arethusa was badly in need of repair. A water tank had been hit; all the guns but one were for the time being out of action, and a fierce fire broke out which was only got under with difficulty. She soon repaired herself, however; got nearly all of her guns into working order; and brought ammunition on deck, ready for the next bout.
The bulk of our fleet had kept out of sight, and the Germans believed that they had only submarines, destroyers, and two cruisers to fight. Here was a glorious chance to wipe out the two British cruisers. About ten o'clock two of our destroyers reported that they were being chased by three cruisers of the enemy—the Mainz, the Köln, and a heavier vessel, probably the Strassburg. The Arethusa, with the Fearless and the First Flotilla, at once made for the three German cruisers, and about eleven o'clock sighted the Strassburg, if that was her name. She opened a heavy fire at once, and the poor, battered Arethusa was again in peril. Thanks to a vigorous attack by the Fearless and the destroyers, the Strassburg drew off and disappeared in the haze. Ten minutes later she appeared on the starboard quarter, and again attacked the Arethusa; but her shots fell short. No such mistake was made by the British gunners; both the Arethusa and the Fearless hit the German ship repeatedly, and so badly damaged her that she finally drew out of the fight and ran for home.