We came up to a periscope depth, and I surveyed her from a position off her stern. She was sinking fast, but I felt so furious at being nearly trapped that I could not resist giving her a torpedo; detonation was complete, and a mass of wreckage shot into the air as the hull of the ship disappeared. As to the two boats, I left them to make the best course to land that they could.
As they were fifty miles off the shore when I left them and it blew force six a few hours afterwards, I rather think they have joined the list of "Missing." We are now steering due west to our second position.
Received orders last night to return to base forthwith on the north about route. [[18]]
[18.] This means into the North Sea round Scotland.--
I have shaped course to pass fifty miles north of Muckle Flugga; no more Fair Island Channel for me.
Statlandlet in sight, with the Norwegian coast looking very lovely under the snow--we never saw a ship from north of the Shetlands to this place, when we saw a light cruiser of the town class steaming south-west at high speed.
She had probably been on patrol off this place, where the Inner and Outer Leads join up and ships have to leave the three-mile limit.
She was well away from me, and an attack would have been useless. I did not shed any tears; I have lost much of the fire-eating ideas which filled my mind when I first joined this service.