THE BATTLE IN THE NORTH SEA
Nelson reached the deck confused, half-awake. In his ears was the
terrific wailing sound that had sent him instinctively tumbling from
his hammock. For an instant he blinked and strove to gather scattered
faculties. Up and down the deck hammocks were emptying and feet padded
hurriedly past. He grabbed at his clothes, his heart leaping as the
meaning of the din came to him. It was General Quarters! The bugle
had taken up the alarm and the quick notes sounded nearer and nearer.
The dim electric lamps still glowed, but a wan light from open ports
showed daylight outside. Already the watch was connecting fire hose.
Somewhere near at hand the shrill, piercing shriek of a siren drowned
the gongs and bugles. The shriek rose and fell deafeningly and grew
fainter. Nelson knew without seeing that a destroyer had dashed past
them astern. The rudder chains were groaning, and from the engine rooms
came a louder hum and clatter. Sleep was gone now, and he hurried to
his station. Shells were already coming up, and as Nelson fell in the
command of “_Stations!_” was given. Through the port, as he sprang to
the training wheel, lay a segment of choppy, drab ocean across which
a gray destroyer was hurtling with clouds of oily smoke whirling back
from her four stacks. A leaden sky was overhead and a sea-mist hung
like a curtain a few miles away. From the destroyer came a flash of
pale rosy light and the sharp bark of a four-inch gun.
“_Bore clear!_”
“_Load!_”
A geyser of water shot into the air astern of the destroyer.
“Rotten shooting, Fritz!” muttered a shellman as he rammed home.
Waiting, Nelson peered tensely into the mist. Once he thought he saw
a gray shadow there, but was not certain. “_Ready!_” The officer
spoke sharply into the telephone. Then they waited, plugman, pointer,
trainer, sight setter, shellmen and powdermen. A second destroyer
reeled past at a good thirty knots, a “Limie” this time, her siren
blowing hysterically as she demanded sea room.
“Gangway for Lord Goldashington,” murmured the sight setter.
Suddenly from farther forward came the sharp, clear explosion of one of
the _Gyandotte’s_ bow guns. Someone behind Nelson growled impatiently.
Then the fire control system awoke to life.
“Now, then, men! Look alive!” called the division officer. “Show ’em
what Number Four can do!” Wheels were turning and the gun was coming
swiftly to the unseen target. A moment of suspense, and then:
“_Commence firing!_”
It was the United States destroyer _Banks_ whose foretop lookout,
peering into the early morning mist, had caught sight of a tell-tale
streak of darker gray against the water and had sounded the warning.
Almost by the time the officer on the bridge had found the object with
his glasses it was gone, but the _Banks_, signaling the alarm to the
flagship, had swung out of line and gone tearing off in the direction
of the Fritz. The flagship gave hurried orders and the plan of action
already provided was carried into effect. The freighters crowded on
all steam and went wallowing southwestward at their best gaits, while
every second convoy swung out of line and went into action with a fine
enthusiasm. For a good two minutes nothing was seen nor heard of the
foe, but when a torpedo had missed the British destroyer _143_ by a
matter of yards only it was evident that the _Banks’_ lookout had not
been mistaken. A second torpedo a moment later tore into the stern
of a cargo boat, its direction proving that the first U-boat was not
alone. But none had sighted the second sub, and after that first fire
the Allied ships became silent and contented themselves with circling
about the supposed lurking places of the U-boats and dropping depth
bombs. Gray green water spouted over a wide radius, but the Huns
had fled. For twenty minutes the destroyers dashed here and there,
their sirens shrieking warnings to each other, while the _Gyandotte_,
for want of anything to fire at, steamed back to her position,
disgruntled. This was at a quarter past five and about one hundred
and fifty miles west-south-west of the Naze, approximately 57 North
and 4 West. The excitement lasted about one hour, at the end of which
time the destroyers in action sped back after their companions. On the
_Gyandotte_ the command “Secure” was not given, however, and the crews
stood by the guns. At shortly after six, twenty-two minutes after by
Nelson’s watch, the second engagement began.
This time three periscopes were sighted almost simultaneously to the
southeast at distances varying from six hundred to fourteen hundred
yards. Seven torpedoes were seen, three of which found marks. The
steamer _Bok Fjord_, one of the larger freighters, was struck amidships
and went down three hours later. A British destroyer, the _86_, was
put out of action and a second Norwegian, the _Ymir_, sustained slight
damage. The first shots at the Germans were well placed but the U-boats
had already submerged. Depth charges were again dropped and, it was
believed, one sub was accounted for. A quarter of an hour after the
first alarm was given lookouts spied smoke above the low bank of
mist to the eastward, which presently evolved itself into a flotilla
of enemy ships. These consisted of eight destroyers and three light
cruisers, and at about seven the first shells from the latter were
fired. Eight of the Allied ships, seven destroyers and the _Gyandotte_,
had immediately left the convoy and steamed to meet them, scattering
so as to cover the merchantmen which, with the exception of the _Bok
Fjord_, were all able to keep their course. This third engagement
became general at seven-fifteen.
The _Gyandotte_ opened up at six thousand yards, by which time she
had been struck once without much damage, finding herself opposed
to a slightly more formidable cruiser which afterwards proved to be
the _Dornburg_. Separate engagements soon developed, with several of
the smaller German destroyers hanging back during the first phase of
the battle and firing at long range without much execution. A calm
sea, with little wind, made for good sighting, but smoke hung close
to the surface and frequently obscured the target. The _Gyandotte_
used only her bow guns at first, drawing the _Dornburg_ away to the
southeast. Superior speed gave an advantage to the latter, however,
and she was eventually able to choose her position. The _Gyandotte_
stood off under a heavy broadside fire and brought her stern guns
to bear, and finally her starboard broadside. Her marksmanship was
proving superior, although the _Dornburg_ had the advantage of more
guns. The two ships drew southwestward, firing at about five thousand
yards, and continued on that course until the _Dornburg_, having been
thrice hulled amidships, showed distress and was evidently unable to
answer to her helm. She turned westward and sought to escape, but the
_Gyandotte_, taking up a position to starboard, held a parallel course
and, while suffering severe damage herself, soon had the _Dornburg_ at
her mercy. After forty minutes, during which the two ships had drawn
some ten miles from the main engagement, the _Dornburg_ was seen to be
on fire aft. She was now using only three stern guns and these were
presently silent, and from the _Gyandotte_ they could see the crew
assembling forward. By this time the after part of the German cruiser
was hidden by smoke clouds. An explosion of ammunition tore a gaping
hole forward of the mainmast and a minute later the cruiser listed to
port. The _Gyandotte_ withheld her fire and demanded surrender. To this
there was no reply. A band assembled and the strains of the “Watch on
the Rhine” floated from the doomed ship. Already many of the crew were
going overboard, although apparently no order had as yet been given.
The _Gyandotte_ lowered boats, but a new enemy appeared and they were
recalled. A blue-gray destroyer of some nine hundred tons was bearing
down from the northward and the _Gyandotte_ at once engaged her. This
action was short, for the destroyer was twice hulled at seven thousand
yards, and, although she kept ahead for awhile, firing from bow guns
and launching two torpedoes, she presently turned tail and made off
toward the coast. Her shots did small damage and neither torpedo
struck, although one came to the surface within a few yards of the
_Gyandotte’s_ bow.
The _Dornburg’s_ commander refused to surrender and the _Gyandotte_
again lowered away boats. By this time the crew of the German ship were
going overboard _en masse_ and the ship was well down by the stern.
The _Gyandotte_ picked up one hundred and forty-four officers and men,
while a large number went down and many dead and wounded remained
aboard. The _Dornburg_ sunk at eight-fifty. Her captain stayed with
her, but was rescued a few minutes later apparently none the worse
for his heroism. The _Gyandotte_ attended to her own wounds, many but
mostly superficial, and rejoined the flotilla shortly before nine. She
had lost one officer and twelve men and had more than twenty injured.
Two guns were out of commission and an explosion below deck had wrecked
a port boiler. Two compartments were flooded when she made her way
back. Above deck she was pretty well littered, for the _Dornburg’s_
fire had been high.
What had been going on during her engagement was not at first apparent,
but as she drew nearer the scene of action it was evident that the
Germans had had all they wanted. Three destroyers were fleeing to the
eastward, dropping mines as they went, pursued by two British craft,
firing with telling effect. Northward a fourth had surrendered, while,
fair in the course of the _Gyandotte_, poking her nose through the
mist, a German light cruiser was in flames. The _Gyandotte_ picked up
signals and veered to the westward where the merchantmen were doggedly
holding their course. As it turned out later, they had had their
troubles, they and the ships left to guard them, for a U-boat had
again attacked and had got home on a fourth freighter which, as the
_Gyandotte_ drew near, was spouting smoke forward. Three miles away a
destroyer was circling in a vain endeavor to find the sub, while two
others were standing by the burning ship.
At ten o’clock the engagement was over, having occupied just under
four hours and resulted in a decisive victory for the Allied forces.
Germany had lost two of three cruisers and three of eight destroyers.
Of the latter, one was captured and was later able to reach Newcastle
under her own power. The cruisers, _Dornburg_ and _Ernten_, sank, the
latter, slightly larger than the _Gyandotte’s_ adversary, first burning
to the water’s edge. Of the Allied ships, the British destroyer _Jade_
was sunk by a torpedo and the _276_, attacked simultaneously by a
destroyer and cruiser, was fairly riddled before a lyddite fire broke
out and caused her abandonment. She was ultimately torpedoed and sunk
by the flagship. Of the United States ships only the _Grayson_ was
lost. She was made helpless early in the battle when a shell tore away
her whole stern. Attempts to tow her out of range were unsuccessful,
and, in spite of the efforts of her officers and crew to save her,
she sank shortly after. The Allies lost four officers and thirty-one
men and had upwards of sixty injured. Against this the German loss
was approximately eighty dead, of which fully a third were drowned,
over a hundred injured and two hundred and seventy-two taken prisoner.
Of the cargo boats the _Bok Fjord_ was sunk and three others more or
less seriously damaged, with a loss of six lives and injury to as many
more. Temporary repairs were effected by one o’clock, by which time the
warships were again in formation and the flotilla was headed back on
its course under reduced speed.
Wireless messages had been picked up promptly and soon after one
o’clock four destroyers came boiling out of the west. Too late to get
into the scrap, after a two hundred mile race at thirty-two knots or
better, the Limies looked the dejection they undoubtedly felt as they
wheeled around behind the columns and followed to within sight of the
coast. There were no more alarms, and the convoy dropped anchor off
Tynemouth at daybreak the next morning.