conjunction with the
Harwich Force during the Cuxhaven air raid, found herself in a
perilous position. While diving to the bottom early that morning she
struck an obstacle and knocked off her forward drop-keel. Relieved of
this heavy weight, she shot to the surface. The order was given to
fill her empty tanks with sea-water; but this failed to destroy her
buoyancy, and it was found impossible to bring her below the surface.
To remain with a submarine that refused to sink, so near to the enemy
shore, was to invite disaster; so the only thing possible was done.
The S1 recrossed the North Sea as fast as she was able, and
fortunately reached Harwich without encountering the enemy.

On one occasion E31 came across a disabled Zeppelin--which earlier in
the day had been winged by light cruisers of the Harwich
Force--sitting on the water. The Zeppelin showed fight; she was sunk
by the submarine's gunfire, and the survivors, seven in number, were
taken off as prisoners. During the night, on the homeward voyage, the
submarine was overtaken by a German light cruiser, which opened fire
on her. "Ach, zey com!" triumphantly exclaimed one of the prisoners,
a sulky German officer, who up till then had not uttered a word. The
order had been given to dive, but for some reason this could not be
effected quickly. Delay was dangerous, so the officer of the watch put
the submarine's helm hard over, and she went round in circles,
presenting a difficult target. The German cruiser now proceeded to
steam round in still larger circles. For a while she was so close to
the submarine that she could not get her guns to bear on her. Then she
attempted to ram her, but in vain. Eventually the E31 dived, and, just
before her stern went under, she was struck in the after casing by a
six-inch shell. When she had sunk she released some oil, and the
Germans, seeing this, reported her as lost. But she was not much
damaged, and got home. This throwing out of oil from a diving
submarine was a ruse employed by both sides, and soon the appearance
of a volume of oil upon the surface of the sea was no longer accepted
as proof of a successful hit. But at any rate it left the other side
in doubt as to what had happened.

Several submarines of the Harwich Flotilla have fine records to show.
Take the E9, for example. She was the first of the flotilla to send an
enemy ship to the bottom. Within a few weeks of the declaration of war
she was lying off Heligoland, at tim