the destroyers out of action.

At this juncture there came up out of the mist our own 1st Light
Cruiser Squadron, and with its assistance the _Mainz_ was finished off
and sunk. Shortly afterwards our battle cruiser squadron hove in
sight. This brought the enemy's attack on our light force to an end,
and the German ships turned and made for home. But they had fallen
into a trap from which there was no escape. The _Arethusa_, after she
had passed through our light cruiser squadron, came suddenly out of
the fog into blue sky and glorious sunshine. Behind her to the
eastward rose like a wall the dense fog-bank concealing all from view;
but there was heard coming out of the fog-bank the roar of a
tremendous cannonading. It was the roar of the guns of Beatty's ships
which attacked and sank the remaining two German light cruisers.

The fight was over for the ships of the Harwich Force; they slowly
steamed homeward, the _Arethusa_ crawling ever slower, the salt water
getting into her boilers, while such of our destroyers as had been
badly damaged were being towed back. But none of the ships was lost;
they all got safely into harbour. At 7 p.m. the _Arethusa_ was
compelled to stop her engines, and two hours later she was taken in
tow by the _Hogue_ and taken to Chatham, where I happened to be when
she arrived. Looking at her battered condition, one wondered that her
casualties had not been even heavier than they were. I wish that I
could have supplemented this brief description with the narratives of
some of the destroyer captains who had fought their ships so
gallantly. Among other honours given, the D.S.O. was conferred on
Captain W.F. Blunt, the captain of the _Fearless_ light cruiser, in
recognition of his repeated vigorous and dashing attacks on the enemy.

In the course of this action we had not lost a ship, and our ships
that had been damaged were repaired and at sea again within a few
weeks; whereas the enemy had lost three light cruisers and one
destroyer, and withdrew with many ships badly damaged.

As for the _Arethusa_, her repairs were made good at Chatham, and a
month later she was able to rejoin the Harwich Force. She had further
adventures and narrow escapes, but her life, if stirring and most
useful to her country, was a short one, and her end was tragic. In
February 1916, only eighteen months after she had been launched, while
returning from an attempt to intercept an enemy force, she was struck
by a mine o