he fate
that subsequently overwhelmed two of her consorts. By this time
the range had decreased to 16,000 yards (British reckoning) and
Beatty shifted his course more to the south to confuse the enemy's
fire control. Apparently this move did not succeed in its purpose
for at 4.06 a salvo struck the _Indefatigable_ on a line with her
after turret, and exploded a magazine. As she staggered out of
column and began sinking, another salvo smashed into her forward
decks and she rolled over and sank like a stone.

About this time the Fifth Battle Squadron came into action, but
it was not able to do effective service. The range was extreme,
about 20,000 yards, and being some distance astern of the battle
cruisers, on account of its inferior speed, it had to contend with
the battle smoke of the squadron ahead as well as the gradually
thickening atmospheric conditions. In addition the Germans frequently
laid smoke screens and zigzagged. Evan-Thomas's division never saw
more than two enemy ships at a time.

The shift of course taken by Beatty at four o'clock, accompanied
possibly by a corresponding shift of Hipper, opened the range so
far in a few minutes that fire slackened on both sides. Beatty
then swung to port in order to close to effective range. At 4.15
twelve of his destroyers, acting on the general order to attack
when conditions were favorable, dashed out toward the German line.
At the same instant German destroyers, to the number of fifteen
accompanied by the light cruiser _Regensburg_, advanced toward
the British line, both forces maneuvering to get on the bows of
the opposing battle cruisers. For this purpose the British flotilla
was better placed because their battle cruisers were well ahead of
the Germans. The German destroyers, therefore, concentrated their
efforts on the battleship division, which turned away to avoid
the torpedoes. In numbers the advantage lay with the Germans, and a
fiercely contested action took place between the lines conducted with
superb gallantry on both sides. The Germans succeeded in breaking up
the British attack at a cost of two destroyers. Two of the British
destroyers also were rendered unmanageable and sank later when the
High Seas Fleet arrived on the scene.

[Illustration: BATTLE OF JUTLAND, FIRST PHASE

Action Between Battle Cruiser Forces.]

Meanwhile, at 4.26, just before the destroyers clashed, a salvo
struck the _Queen Mary_, blew up a magazine, and she disappeared
wit