ead foes.

It is indeed remarkable how very little damage was ever done by
Zeppelins at sea. On one occasion, it is true, the Zeppelin crews
killed a number of their own countrymen--the survivors of the sinking
_Bluecher_--mistaking them for Englishmen. But our ships suffered
practically nothing from their frequent attacks. Yet the enemy
aircraft did their utmost to interfere with the operations of our
mine-sweepers and mine-net laying drifters. On one occasion a Zeppelin
hovered over a fleet of the latter craft which were lying in wait
watching their deadly nets off the Shipwash. The Zeppelin dropped
about seventeen bombs, some of which fell very close to the vessels,
exploding violently and throwing up huge columns of water; but not a
single hit was made and no damage was done.

But the mines amid which their duties took them daily were a very real
peril. Out of the little Harwich force, twenty-two mine-sweepers were
sunk by mines in the course of the war, while many others were
mined--some more than once--but were brought safely back to port. The
loss of life was heavy. Nearly one-quarter of the officers and men
were killed in the course of the war. In the case of the trawlers
there was small chance for the men when their vessel was mined under
them; but these tough fishermen, whose trade had taught them to face
danger from their childhood, carried on cheerily among the minefields
through all the years of the war. Many heroic deeds stand to their
account.

In times of peace, not few are the wrecks and gallant savings of life
on the stormy North Sea. But in war-time, with the far graver peril
from enemy mines and ships added to that of storm or thick weather,
many were the disasters and many were the courageous rescues of crews
and passengers by our mine-sweepers. In the period extending from the
date of the establishment of the Harwich base up to December 31, 1917,
no fewer than 1065 men, women, and children were picked up and saved
from mined vessels by the Harwich mine-sweepers--a total which was
much exceeded later. Often these craft hurried to the rescue at
fearful risk of being struck themselves by mines of the same group
that had brought about the disaster. One hears of trawlers that put
out their dinghies in the roughest weather in order to save lives; for
example, as when a trawler's dinghy rescued airmen from off the
dangerous shoal of the Longsand when a heavy sea was breaking over it.
For the North Sea