e got home, were repaired, and
fought again. Some of our ships, now looking spick and span, with
nothing to show that they have ever suffered, have been mined several
times. The numerous watertight compartments into which a warship is
divided keep her afloat even after terrible injuries.

Thus the _Centaur_, light cruiser, was mined in the Bight of
Heligoland. The mine struck her forward, and so damaged her bows that
her bulkheads would have given way had she attempted to steam ahead,
so she steamed back across the North Sea stern first. The _Centaur_
was mined on yet another occasion, during the great gale of October
1917. The Harwich Force had gone out to look for the enemy--on
information received, as the police would say. A terrific westerly
gale was encountered by the ships on their homeward voyage. All lost
their topmasts, their wireless thus being put out of action. At noon,
while the gale was at its worst, a loud explosion was heard on the
_Centaur_--at that time the flagship of the Harwich Force. She had
been badly mined aft. It must have been an anxious moment, for in such
fearful weather her consorts could not have come to her assistance had
she been totally disabled. One of her two condenser doors had been
broken in by the concussion. Fortunately, the other door held, and she
was enabled to steam home with one engine.

As an example of the way in which a naval ship can be mined and yet be
little the worse for it, may be mentioned the case of a Harwich
destroyer which struck a mine off Orfordness in April 1916. The
explosion blew her stern off and threw her four-inch gun up into the
air. It did not go overboard, but fell back upon her deck. No lives
were lost; no one was even hurt. She got back to port, was repaired,
and very soon was at work again.

CHAPTER V

ESCORTING SEAPLANES

CHAPTER V

ESCORTING SEAPLANES

The Cuxhaven raid--The Sylt raid--Enemy patrol boats
sunk--Loss of the _Medusa_--The flagship rams an enemy
destroyer--Saving of the _Landrail_.

The Harwich Force also took its part in the numerous air raids that
were made from the close of 1914 onwards on the German mainland and
islands. It was perilous work not only for the seaplanes but for the
seaplane-carriers and the ships forming the escort; for, after the
seaplanes had been launched and had flown away on their mission of
destruction, these ships had to repair to an appointed rendezvous off
the German