In the terrific naval battle now in progress the Americans were getting the worst of it fast.
Ship after ship was either going down or burning up and thousands of brave lives had already been sacrificed.
Officers and men were doing their best to hold their own, but the foreign fleet was so much larger, that defeat appeared inevitable.
The first warship the Holland attacked was a British armored cruiser which was pounding our own Iowa III.
The Iowa was suffering from several big gaps in her larboard side, but still fought on desperately.
Under the British cruiser sunk the Holland XI. a torpedo was rapidly adjusted, and then the submarine craft ran away with all speed.
Some sixteen-inch guns had just been trained on the Iowa III. and the English gunners were about to set off the pieces when a deep rumble was heard, like an earthquake, and up went the British cruiser into a million atoms.
The explosion was a surprise to everybody. The Holland had, so far not shown herself and it was thought by friends and foes alike that the British warship had been the victim of her own magazines.
Those on board might have told a different story, but all were either killed outright or drowned in the awful wreckage which followed.
"Number One!" cried Captain Oscar. "Now for Number Two!"