their torpedoes. One who took part in the
action says that the atmospheric conditions helped to make the scene
an extraordinary one. The enemy destroyers, as they rapidly turned
hither and thither in their manoeuvring across the limited space which
the action occupied, had their funnels crowned with a vivid red glow,
and the smoke from them hung like a scarlet canopy over the engaging
ships. The enemy ships must have been badly knocked about, for they
soon retired, enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke. One was sunk in
full view of our ships, and one at least was so damaged that she sank
later. About an hour afterwards British destroyers fought a short
action with the same enemy destroyers. Soon another of the enemy was
seen to be hurrying to the Dutch coast, apparently in a sinking
condition. During this action, so close was the fighting that one
British destroyer and a German T.B.D. were engaged within pistol range
of each other. The German escaped in the darkness, and had to put into
Ymuiden in a terribly damaged condition. In this fight one of our
destroyers, the _Simoon_, was blown up by an enemy shell which
exploded in her fore magazine.

It would take long to tell the whole heroic story of the Harwich Force
during the great war. At Harwich, the people, who are in close touch
with the Navy, and must know many things over which, hitherto, "Dora"
has drawn her discreet veil, speak in terms of the profoundest
admiration, pride, and respect of the officers and men of the light
force which played its part so gallantly in defending the
inviolability of England. Commodore Tyrwhitt--since 1917 Rear-Admiral
Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt--was the right man to lead such men. And how
wonderful have been his experiences throughout this long war! He has
fought in many actions; in his successive flagships he has been
torpedoed and mined--his first flagship, as we have seen, sank under
him; he was ever cruising about enemy waters; he was ever finding
himself in tight corners; and he always contrived to extricate his
squadron from the most difficult situations.

_Part II_

THE HARWICH SUBMARINE FLOTILLA

CHAPTER VII

COMPOSITION OF THE FLOTILLA

CHAPTER VII

COMPOSITION OF THE FLOTILLA

The shore establishment--Heavy losses of the
flotilla--Humorous incidents--Drowning the
mascot--Bluffing the Huns.

The Submarine Flotilla at Harwich, acting as a separate unit and
receiving its orders direc