finished up by destroyer attack, and the
_Stettin_ and two fresh cruisers, _Koeln_ and _Ariadne_, were
rushing to her assistance, Beatty's five battle cruisers appeared
to westward and rose swiftly out of the haze.

Admiral Beatty's opportune dash into action at this time, from
his position 40 miles away, was in response to an urgent call from
Tyrwhitt at 11.15, coupled with the fact that, as the Admiral states
in his report, "The flotillas had advanced only 2 miles since 8
a.m., and were only about 25 miles from two enemy bases." "Our high
speed," the report continues, "made submarine attack difficult,
and the smoothness of the sea made their detection fairly easy. I
considered that we were powerful enough to deal with any sortie
except by a battle squadron, which was unlikely to come out in
time, provided our stroke was sufficiently rapid."

The _Stettin_ broke backward just in the nick of time. The _Koeln_
flagship of the German commodore, was soon staggering off in a
blaze, and was later sunk with her total complement of 380 officers
and men. The _Ariadne_, steaming at high speed across the bows of
the British flagship _Lion_, was put out of action by two well-placed
salvos. At 1.10 the _Lion_ gave the general signal "Retire."

[Illustration: HELIGOLAND BIGHT ACTION, FINAL PHASE, 12:30-1:40
From 20 to 40 miles slightly S. of W. from Heligoland.]

Though the German cruisers had fought hard and with remarkable
accuracy of fire, their movements had been tardy and not well concerted.
The British losses amounted altogether to only 33 killed and 40
wounded; while the enemy lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners
over 1000 men. Very satisfactory, from the British standpoint, was
the effect of the victory upon their own and upon enemy morale.

Encouragement of this kind was desirable, for German submarines
and mines were already beginning to take their toll. Off the Forth
on September 5, a single torpedo sank the light cruiser _Pathfinder_
with nearly all hands. This loss was avenged when a week later the
_E 9_, under Lieut. Commander Max Harton, struck down the German
cruiser _Hela_ within 6 miles of Heligoland. But on September 22,
at 6.30 a.m., a single old-type German craft, the _U 9_, dealt a
staggering blow. With a total of 6 torpedoes Commander Weddigen sank
first the _Aboukir_, and then in quick succession the _Hogue_
and the _Cressy_, both dead in the water at the work of rescue.
The loss of these rather anti