With Beatty off Jutland: A Romance of the Great Sea Fight

r's eyes, and now conscious of a commotion on deck as the ship's company went to action

ough the light haze were half a dozen large grey forms emitting tell-tale columns of smoke; for, combined with the lack of Welsh st

nd, having left Smith's Knoll well on the starboard hand, w

hwaite. "The bounders have got wind of the fa

s. Grasping a megaphone, the lieutenant-comman

sight," he shouted. "You ha

ith a hairy, tanned hand and looked

ll this fuss, fetchin' the cable an' all, I'm nae keen on dropping it

aite, secretly gratified at the old man's bravery, and y

nmoved. "It wouldna be the first by many a o

Gowrie and the Dimpled Lassie were to remain with the fished cable, since it was just pos

stood a chance. By remaining quietly, and riding to the raised cable, they certainly had the appearance of fishing boats using their trawl,

eed ahead towards the huge German battle-cruisers, Crosthwaite realized that such a step would be utterly useless. Long before the destroyer could get within torpedo-range of the foe, she would be swept clean and sent to the bottom under the concentrated fire of fifty or more quick-firers. Had

exchanging wireless signals with their far-flung line of covering torpedo-boats, and with a couple of Z

ithin a few minutes of the receipt of the Calder's message, and Beatty's Cat Squadron was heading

nvisible German ships--a single report that was quickly taken up by other heavy we

-makers. Before we left port, didn't we see some idiotic report in the papers

ff again," said the sub. "Another B

lear. Before the submarines from Harwich can come up they'll be off. And with twelve hours of dayligh

now lay exposed to the enemy guns. Realizing their helplessness, they could only hope that the damage done was no greater than that of the pre

crew waited long and anxiously for the renewal of the cannonade in the offing that wou

she had left the two trawlers. With feelings of relief it was

raised the shout of: "Submar

telegraphed for full speed, at the same ti

periscopes of a large submarine, although why in broad daylight the unterseeboot--for such sh

pt forward at a good 24 knots, ready at the first sign of the submerging of the submarine to

on the starboard bow. It was not until Sefton reminded him of the fact that he realized that the destroyer was doing her level best to pile hers

of the treacherous shoal, and for the first time Crosthwaite

lder to be swung round, bows on to the stranded craft, speed having been reduced to give the destro

the head and shoulders of a petty officer appeared. For a few moments he hes

n the rest of the crew--twenty-two all told. The officers stood upon the steel grating surrounding the conning-tower, for the tide had now fallen sufficiently to allow the platform to show a

ordered the lieutenant-comman

boat. As he did so Dr. Stirling n

nd you a sa

fton in astonishment

ime," explained the irresponsible medico with a gri

b. "If it's surgery you're after, yo

b as the boat drew clear of the

tan of the submarine as the boat range

AKE.... WE HAF

ar it," rejo

perplexed German, mystifie

r have collared the strafed submarine intact. We

ed. "I'll take eleven

convenient projections of the submarine's conning-tower, while the spe

immediately running alongside the prize, he ordered his men to lie on their oars. With the boat d

ff. Never before had Sefton seen a greater anxiety on the part of the Germans to abandon their ship, and in the

unable to restrain their panic, leapt

Sefton. "Show them what we mean to do. Knock them ove

Huns in dolorous chorus, seeing their co

old me that already. A few minutes' wait

ed beyond measure, slid from the submarine's deck int

d sound of an explosion. A thin wreath of

uously. "It would not have flicked a fly from her deck.

l procedure they had fixed three detonators in the hull of the stranded vessel, and upon th

ns, not a bad quarter of an hour, but a worse three minutes. He, too, ex

th the rest of the prisoners, Sefton mad

tances we would have done the same, but with better results,

the fuses. Putting on his fiercest expression, Lieutenant-Commander Crosthwaite st

e man admitted

onators?" ask

Herr K

at time

tes," was

r as he motioned for the prisoner to be removed below. "We'l

se of the interval, Harwich being communicated with by wireless, announcing the capture of the

" remarked Crosthwaite. "Su

d skin. His skipper was quick

e jolly well known you better. Off you go, and

ub. Asking for volunteers for a hazardous service was merely a matter of form. Ther

, each of which was securely fastened. Through the open aperture in the conning-tower Sefton made his way. Below all was in darkness, for

ad taken the precaution to bring with him. The ra

o jolly thick. It is a c

equired article. Donning the safety-helmet, one of the bluejacket

and in ten minutes the midship portion of the

ew, "did you ever see such a lash up? Strikes me they

justified. The submarine had every appearance of being roughly built in se

orce was very feeble--insufficient even to start any of the hull plating. But it had performed a useful service to the British prize crew:

detonators were dropped overboard. Guncotton, especia

foremost was found to have four feet of water--the same depth as that of the sea over the bank on which the vessel had str

ne's crew. Of torpedo-tubes there were no signs; nor were these to be found anywhere else on board. Aft was a "gantry" communicating with an ingeniously contrived air-lock. The submarine was not designed for torpe