CHAPTER XVI
THE BATTLE
Dawn.
With the breaking of the intense darkness what a surprise was in storefor the Germans!
Back of the four remaining British ships that had at first engaged theGermans, interrupting their dash and holding them in check until thearrival of a force strong enough to engage the foe more closely, camenow the relief promised by Vice-Admiral Beatty.
Gathered from various parts of the North Sea, they had steamed towardJutland, and, arriving there at almost the same time, they had assumedbattle formation in the darkness.
That the British were approaching must have been known by the Germanadmiral, for their wireless apparatus had been working unceasingly,telling of their approach, and these signals must have been caught bythe German warships, though, because sent in code, they wereundecipherable. Nor could the enemy tell, by the sound, just how closethe British were.
Captain Raleigh, too, as well as the other British commanders, hadknown the other English ships were forming some distance back. Towardthese they now retreated; and just as dawn broke, and the Britishsailors obtained their first view of the promised assistance--andgreeted the new arrivals with cheers--the British advanced to theattack.
The German admiral, taking in the situation, knew that he stilloutnumbered the British--that the advantage was still with him. Hedetermined to give battle. He knew, too, that it was only a question oftime until the main British fleet would approach and he determined towin the battle before the arrival of new foes. He signalled an advance.
The British fleet was great and powerful--but not so great and powerfulas the German by far. As the _Queen Mary, Indefatigable_ and the twotorpedo boats fell back, still the center of German fire and stillhurling shell, seeking their proper places in the battle line, theother British vessels came on. And presently the _Queen Mary_ andothers had gained their places in the formation.
Ahead of the larger ships now--the _Queen Mary_, the _Indefatigable_and the _Invincible,_ advanced the speediest of light cruisers--the_Defense_, the _Biack Prince_ and the _Warrior_. Behind these, spreadout fan-wise, came the destroyers _Tipperary, Turbulent, Nestore,Alcaster, Fortune, Sparrow Hawk, Ardent_ and the _Shark_. The _Albert_and _Victoria_ also had fallen in line, though badly battered by theeffects of the German shells during the night.
Then the three battle cruisers advanced; and as the battle opened, farback came the battleship _Marlborough_, hurrying to join in thestruggle.
The German fleet advanced to the attack in a broad semi-circle. Theflagship, the _Westphalen_, a dreadnaught of 18,600 tons, was squarelyin the center. To her left was the battleship _Pommern_ and next the_Freiderich_; to her right the battleships _Wiesbaden_ and _Frauenlob_.Beyond the battleships to the left were the cruisers _Hindenburg_ and_Lutzow_, and beyond the battleships to the right the cruisers _Elbing_and _Essen_. Torpedo boats, more than a score of them, also spread faron either side.
Directly behind the single dreadnaught and the battleships came aflotilla of submarines, ready to dash forward at the proper moment andlaunch their deadly torpedoes. Overhead, and moving forward, were thethree giant Zeppelins and a flotilla of other aircraft.
Of all the vessels engaged, the _Queen Mary_ was the largest. The_Marlborough_, advancing rapidly, came next and then the Germandreadnaught _Westphalen_. The British battle cruisers _Indefatigable_and _Invincible_ were the next most powerful, in the order named, andthe other German vessels were by far superior to the British.
Now, as the battle opened with the greatest fury, another Britishvessel was sighted to the westward. It was the _Lion_, the flagship ofVice-Admiral Beatty, steaming at full speed ahead.
Over the tops of the three British cruisers, light vessels travelledswiftly toward the enemy, the larger ships opened with their big guns.The range was found almost with the first salvo and shells began todrop aboard the enemy.
The British cruiser _Defense_, making straight for the Germandreadnaught _Westphalen_, hurled a shell aboard the German flagshipthat burst amidships. There was a terrible explosion and men werehurled into the water in little pieces. A hole was blown through theupper deck.
But the _Defense_ paid dearly for this act. The forward guns of the_Westphalen_ poured a veritable rain of shells upon the British vesseland in a moment she was wounded unto death.
There was nothing the other vessels of the fleet could do to aid her;and it was plainly apparent that she must sink. But the British tarsstuck to their guns and they continued to hurl shells into the Germanline until the water of the North Sea washed over them.
The _Defense_ was gone.
This left the _Black Prince_ and the _Warrior_ alone before the largerBritish vessels and they stood to their work gallantly. The fire ofboth cruisers was centered on the German flagship; and it was plainthat if they continued at their work the _Westphalen_ was doomed.
An order was flashed to the German Zeppelins. Two sped forward.
Captain Raleigh of the _Queen Mary_ saw them advancing and the forwardanti-aircraft gun was unloosened. The first Zeppelin, flying low, waspierced before it had moved forward a hundred yards; and it fell intothe sea between the German battleships, a flaming mass. But the secondcame on.
Above the _Black Prince_ the Zeppelin paused. Something dropped throughthe air. There was a flash, an explosion and a dense black cloud rolledacross the water. When it had cleared the _Black Prince_ was gone!
The anti-aircraft guns of the _Queen Mary_ and the _Indefatigable_fired furiously at the Zeppelin; and a few moments later a shot fromthe latter struck home. The second Zeppelin fell into the sea. By thistime the _Marlborough_ had drawn up with the _Queen Mary_ and the otherlarge British ships; and now these advanced majestically.
The first to encounter the weight of their guns was the Germanbattleship _Pommern_, of 12,900 tons. Raked fore and aft, she was soonablaze. Her crew leaped into the sea, almost as one man, following anexplosion in her boiler room; and the water was dark with bobbingheads.
The _Pommern's_ sister ship, the _Freiderich_, slowed down and gaveassistance in picking up the crew of the former vessel; and while shewas engaged in this work no British gun fired at her.
Gradually the _Marlborough_, the _Queen Mary_, the _Indefatigable_ andthe _Invincible_ drew closer together as they advanced upon theGermans. Shells burst over them with regularity, but so far none hadreached a vital spot.
The _Queen Mary_ turned all her forward guns on the _Westphalen_ andraked her fore and aft. In vain the other vessels of the German fleetsought to detract the _Queen Mary's_ fire. Captain Raleigh had startedout with the intention of disposing of the German flagship and he wasdetermined not to heed the others until the _Westphalen_ had been sentto the bottom.
It was no easy task he had set for himself, for he now was the centerof fire of the whole German fleet--almost. A submarine darted forwardto save the _Westphalen_. The quick eye of a British gunner caught it.He took aim and fired. The submarine disappeared.
With a view to disposing of the enemy immediately, Captain Raleighordered that one of the two forward torpedoes be launched.
There was a hiss as the little tube was released. The distance was soclose now that a miss was impossible. There was an instant of silence,followed by a terrible rending sound; then a loud blast. The torpedohad reached the _Westphalen's_ boiler room.
Quickly the German admiral and his officers clambered over the side androwed to the _Wiesbaden_, where they were taken on board and theadmiral's flag run up. The _Westphalen_ was abandoned; and she sank afew moments later.
In the meantime, the British cruiser _Warrior_, of 13,500 tons, hadbeen sent down by the explosion of a German shell which had reached hermagazine. So rapidly had she settled that not a man of her crewescaped. Thus had the three light battle cruisers of the British--thevessels that had shown the way--been disposed of.
At this moment Vice-Admiral Beatty and his flagship, the _Lion_,entered the battle. The great guns of the flagship roared above
theothers and the battleship _Frauenlob_, singled out by her fire, soonsank.
In spite of the German losses, the British, so far, had had the worstof the encounter and the German admiral, despite the loss of hisflagship, had no mind to give up the battle. He pushed to closerquarters.
Now the fighting became more terrific. Shells struck upon all shipsengaged at intervals of a few seconds apart. Frequently loud explosionswere heard above the voices of the great guns; and in most cases thesesignified the end of a ship of war.
Among the smaller vessels--the torpedo boats--which had singled eachother out, the execution had been terrible. Dead and wounded strewedthe decks and there was no time for the uninjured to give aid. Theywere too busy attending to their guns and manoeuvering their vessels.
But the outcome of an engagement such as this could have but oneresult, it seemed. Outnumbered as they were and fighting as bravely asthey knew how, the British were getting the worst of it. Rather thansacrifice more lives and ships, Vice-Admiral Beatty, on the _Lion_,gave the signal to retire. He was in hopes that the Germans wouldfollow and thus fall into the clutches of the main British fleet whichwas advancing at full speed and with which Vice-Admiral Beatty had beenin communication by wireless.
The Germans accepted the bait as the British drew off slowly; and asthey advanced more ships steamed up from the east. It was a secondGerman squadron advancing to the aid of the first.
There was a cry of surprise from the British, for they had not knownthat there was a second fleet in such close proximity. These newvessels evidently were the reserves the German admiral had beendepending upon to turn the tide of battle should his first line shipsnot be able to overcome the British.
Seeing apparent victory within his grasp, the German admiral signalledhis fleet to full speed; so the British retreated more rapidly.
Suddenly there was a terrible explosion to the right of the _QueenMary_. Frank and Jack, as well as all others on the _Queen Mary_, gazedin that direction. The battle cruiser _Invincible_ suddenly sprang intoa sheet of flame and parted in half. A German shell had struck hervitals.
A cry of despair broke from the British as the _Invincible_--thegreatest British ship to suffer so far--dived beneath the waves.