Suddenly an exclamation from a marine officer attracted Hamerton's attention. Following the direction of the officer's outstretched hand the Sub looked. At less than half a mile off lay the Orion. She was rolling sluggishly, owing to the immense weight and height above the waterline of her ten 13.5-inch guns. Although every unarmoured part of her above the side plating was either shot away or riddled, the rolling revealed the fact that below the waterline she was practically intact.
She was settling down on an even keel. The survivors of her crew were vainly attempting to check the inrush of water by means of collision mats, while those of her pumps which were still in a fit condition for use were engaged in throwing out large streams of water.
Then, even as Hamerton looked, the Orion ceased to recover herself. Her gigantic bulk turned slowly over to starboard till she capsized completely, and floated with her keel only a few feet above the water.
Those of her crew who were on deck were able for the most part to jump overboard. In some cases men ran up the side and gained a temporary refuge on the flat-sectioned bilges, while, seeing what had occurred, several destroyers hastened to the rescue.
Not a boat was to be found on any of the battleships and cruisers, save a few canvas collapsibles stowed under the armoured decks before the action began. Everything of a buoyant nature that was in danger of taking fire had either been left at the home dockyards or ruthlessly thrown overboard. In a modern battleship cleared for action there is no use for life-saving apparatus, however desirable it may be after the conflict is over.
Many of the swimmers of the Orion's crew were rescued by the destroyers, but before those clinging to the capsized battleship could be rescued, the compressed air within the hull burst through the comparatively thin steel plating with a roar like the explosion of a magazine. Amid a smother of foam the luckless vessel plunged to the bed of the North Sea.
This disaster was merely a repetition of the experiments made on the old Empress of India in 1913. In both cases the vessel was practically undamaged beneath the armoured deck, while the water was freely admitted above that particular deck. The result was that the stability of the vessel was completely disturbed, and the battleship capsized.
All around the sorely-stricken Royal Sovereign were equally badly-mauled vessels making temporary repairs. The captured German warships, numbering nine, had to be taken possession of by men swimming from the nearest British battleship. This done, Sir George Maynebrace, who had taken supreme command upon the death of Admiral Sir Noel Armitage, ordered those vessels that were no longer seaworthy to be destroyed, while the others were either taken in tow or proceeded under their own steam for the mouth of the Thames.
It was a matter of impossibility for the British admiral to follow up his advantage. So badly knocked about were the British battleships that they would be unable to attack the German fortified bases in the North Sea. All that could be done was to wait for the Mediterranean Fleet, mobilize the battleships in reserve, and join forces with the American squadron. Although the supremacy of the sea was decided, a hard task still remained ere the fierce and sanguinary struggle could be brought to an end.