At this moment a real sea fog drifted in and mixed with the smoke-screen; our destroyers had to keep touch by siren signals, and Vindictive found herself in danger of missing her mark, like Sirius and Brilliant. She had a motor-boat escorting her on each side with huge Dover flares, but the darkness was too dense even for them. Twice she passed the entrance, and came back at last to her first position. Then, by a happy chance, a breeze cleared the fog for a moment and she saw the piers close to her with the opening dead ahead. Acting-Lieutenant Guy Cockburn, in his motor-boat, saw them too; he dashed in under heavy fire and laid his flare right in the channel; Vindictive went straight over it and into goal.
The enemy were now blazing at her with everything they had. A shell hit the after-control and killed Sub-Lieutenant Angus MacLachlan with all his men. Machine-gun bullets made the chart-room and bridges untenable, and Commander Godsal took his officers into the conning-tower. There, after steaming about 200 yards along between the piers, he left them, and went outside, calling back to them to order the ship to be laid bow on to the eastern pier and so swing across the channel. The order was no sooner given than a shell struck the conning-tower full. It killed the Commander outside and stunned Lieutenant Sir John Alleyne, who was inside with Lieutenant V. A. C. Crutchley. Lieutenant Crutchley shouted through the observation slit to the Commander, but, getting no reply, he coolly went on with the swinging of the ship by ringing full speed astern with the port engine. But he soon found that she had ceased to move, so he gave the order to abandon ship and sink her. The main charges were accordingly blown by Engineer-Lieut.-Commander William Bury and the auxiliary charges by Lieutenant Crutchley himself. Vindictive heaved, sank about six feet, and settled on the bottom at an angle of forty-five degrees across the channel. ‘Her work was done,’ says the official narrative.
The losses were two officers and six men killed, two officers and ten men missing, believed killed, and four officers and eight men wounded. The greater number of these were hit while leaving the Vindictive. They were taken off under very heavy machine-gun fire by motor-launches under Lieutenant Bourke, R.N.V.R., and Lieutenant Geoffry Drummond, R.N.V.R. When the latter reached the Warwick his launch was shot to pieces and unseaworthy, he himself was severely wounded, his second in command, Lieutenant Gordon Ross, R.N.V.R., and one seaman, were killed, and a number of others wounded. Day was breaking and they were still within easy range of the forts, so the good ship motor-launch 254 was sunk by a charge in her engine-room. The triumphant return was made without even the most distant attempt at interference by the nine German destroyers. It was a fine chance for a counterstroke with superior force, but the nine did not see it. Ostend remained, like Zeebrugge, a complete British victory.
AT THE BALLANTYNE PRESS
PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE AND CO. LTD.
COLCHESTER, LONDON AND ETON, ENGLAND
By Sir Henry Newbolt
Submarine and Anti-Submarine.
By Sir HENRY NEWBOLT, Author of “Tales of the Great War,” “The Book of the Thin Red Line,” “The Book of the Blue Sea,” etc. With Coloured Frontispiece and 20 other illustrations by Norman Wilkinson, R.I. Crown 8vo. $2.25 net.
This book contains a collection of tales of the submarine campaign, based on authentic narratives hitherto unpublished. It also traces the evolution of the undersea boat from its earliest days, demolishing the German claim that it is the product of German ingenuity and skill. Among other introductory chapters is one on the submarine war as an illustration of the contrast between the national spirit of England and that of Germany.
The Book of the Happy Warrior. With 8 Coloured Plates and 25 Pictures in black-and-white by Henry J. Ford. Crown 8vo. $2.25 net.
“A compilation of tales of chivalry; of Roland, Cœur de Lion, St. Louis, Robin Hood, Bayard, Du Gueselin and the Black Prince, the French and English wars, and other famous wars and warriors. The whole tone of it is vibrant with true heroism, which means gentleness and loyalty as well as prowess in arms; and its closeness to the text of the ‘Chanson de Roland’ and other classic tales is a quality worthy of high praise.”—N. Y. Tribune.