Here are some additional details of the sinking of the British cruiser
_Amphion_ when she hit a mine laid by the Germans off Harwich:
“It was 6.30 o’clock when the _Amphion_ struck the mine. A sheet of
flame instantly engulfed the bridge. The captain was rendered insensible
and he fell to the floor. As soon as the captain recovered consciousness
he rang to the engineers to stop the engines, which were still going at
revolutions for twenty knots. As all the forward part of the _Amphion_
was on fire it was found impossible to reach the bridge or flood the
fore magazine.
“The ship’s back appeared to be broken and she was already settling down
by the bows. All efforts therefore were directed to placing the wounded
in places of safety in case of an explosion and in getting the cruiser
in tow by the stern.
“By the time the destroyers had closed in it was clearly time to abandon
the ship. The men fell in for this purpose with the same composure that
had marked their behavior throughout. All was done without hurry or
confusion and twenty minutes after the cruiser struck the mine the men,
the officers, and lastly the captain had left the ship.
“Three minutes after the captain had left another explosion occurred.
This enveloped and blew up the entire fore part of the vessel. The
effect of this showed that the _Amphion_ must have struck the second
mine, which exploded the fore magazine. Débris falling from a great
height struck the rescue boats and the destroyers and one of the
_Amphion’s_ shells burst on the deck of one of the destroyers, killing
two Englishmen and one German prisoner.”