-if hopeless fight--of it, as did the
Spanish ships off Cuba and the Russians at Chemulpo, so saving the
honour of their flag.

It is part of the tradition, too, of the British Navy at all cost to
stand by a friend in distress. It will be remembered that at the
beginning of the war two important ships were torpedoed while
rescuing the crews of sinking consorts, and that this led to the issue
of an Admiralty order to the effect that no heavy ships must risk
valuable material by undertaking this dangerous work, which should be
left to the light craft. The zeal that comes of an old tradition may
need checking at times, but it leads to victory in the end. Had the
_Bluecher_ belonged to a Navy with a tradition, it is improbable that
she would have been deserted, as she was, by the Germans after her
disablement.

To any Englishman who, in these days of the armistice, looks across
Harwich harbour and the broad estuary of the Stour, that scene,
composed of grey wintry sky, grey sea, and grey warships at anchor,
will remain to him as a stirring memory. For those are the light
cruisers and destroyers of the Harwich Force, and there, too, is the
Submarine Flotilla--all these have fought in the Great War; some
throughout the war; while others have joined the force later to
replace ships that have been lost in action. On board these ships are
still the crews that fought them. No doubt shortly ships and men will
be dispersed. But at present they remain here in readiness, for it is
not Peace yet. Higher up the Stour, a token of victory, lie the
surrendered German submarines, on account of their dirty condition
more plainly visible through the haze than are our own ships; for the
Huns, naturally, before giving them up, wasted no paint on the outside
of these craft, and certainly no soap within.

What is known as the Harwich Force, towards the end of 1914, was
composed of the light cruisers _Arethusa_, _Fearless_, _Undaunted_,
and _Aurora_, and forty destroyers forming two flotillas. The force
gradually increased its strength of light cruisers, being joined at
various times by the _Penelope_, _Conquest_, _Cleopatra_,
_Canterbury_, _Carysfoot_, and others. Commodore Tyrwhitt--now
Rear-Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt--commanded the force from the
beginning, his first flagship being the _Arethusa_. He is still in
command of the force, with the _Curacoa_ as his flagship.

Various were the duties performed by this light force--the patroll