The Harwich Naval Forces Part 1

The Harwich Naval Forces.

by E. F. Knight.

PREFACE

Recent visits that were made to Harwich for the purpose of writing a series of articles on the Harwich Naval Forces for the _Morning Post_ suggested to me the amplification of these articles and their reproduction in the form of a little book. This does not profess to be anything more than a summary of the gallant doings of the Harwich Forces in the course of the war. The full history, no doubt, will be written some day. But this, I hope, may serve as a record that will enable many to realise better what Britain owes to the Navy, and what a great work was done by the light cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and auxiliary vessels that had Harwich as their base throughout the war.

For the purposes of this book I have referred to no official records.

Conversations with those who were eye-witnesses of and partic.i.p.ators in the events that I have here described have served as my sole source of information.

My thanks are due to the naval officers who so readily a.s.sisted me in my quest while I was in Harwich, and to the _Morning Post_ for the kind permission which I have received to publish in book form my articles that appeared in that paper.

E.F.K.

_Part I_

THE HARWICH FORCE

CHAPTER I

THE OPENING OF THE WAR

The light cruisers and destroyers--Harwich in war time--The Harwich Force goes out--The first shots of the naval war--Sinking of the _Konigin Luise_--Loss of the _Amphion_.

He who undertakes to write the history of the Naval Forces which had Harwich as their base during the Great War will have a wonderful story indeed to tell--from the sinking, within a few days of the declaration of war, of the German mine-layer _Konigin Luise_ by a section of the force, down to the day when there steamed into Harwich harbour, under the escort of the Harwich Force, the surrendered submarines of the beaten enemy. To those who manned our s.h.i.+ps during those four terrible years it must all seem now like some strange dream--the weary, watchful patrolling through storm or fog, with no lights showing on sea or sh.o.r.e; the feeling of the way by dead reckoning and lead in dark wintry weather along the enemy's coasts, with an ever-vigilant foe above, below, and on the surface of the sea; the amazing adventures; the risks boldly taken; and ever and anon an action fought with a fierce determination on both sides.

For the Germans fought bravely and skilfully on occasion during the first years of the war. One gathers that it was not until the end that their _moral_ began to weaken. They thought that they could shake the _moral_ of the British Navy by methods of frightfulness, by the cold-blooded murder of the survivors of sinking s.h.i.+ps, and so forth.

But it was their own _moral_ that failed at last. For this parvenu German Navy, good though its s.h.i.+ps and good its personnel, was lacking in one essential--the tradition that inspires our own Navy, the significance of which tradition the German, who knows not chivalry, is incapable of understanding. A Navy with an old and glorious tradition could not have surrendered itself, as did the German Navy, without having come out and made a fight--if hopeless fight--of it, as did the Spanish s.h.i.+ps off Cuba and the Russians at Chemulpo, so saving the honour of their flag.

It is part of the tradition, too, of the British Navy at all cost to stand by a friend in distress. It will be remembered that at the beginning of the war two important s.h.i.+ps were torpedoed while rescuing the crews of sinking consorts, and that this led to the issue of an Admiralty order to the effect that no heavy s.h.i.+ps must risk valuable material by undertaking this dangerous work, which should be left to the light craft. The zeal that comes of an old tradition may need checking at times, but it leads to victory in the end. Had the _Blucher_ belonged to a Navy with a tradition, it is improbable that she would have been deserted, as she was, by the Germans after her disablement.

To any Englishman who, in these days of the armistice, looks across Harwich harbour and the broad estuary of the Stour, that scene, composed of grey wintry sky, grey sea, and grey wars.h.i.+ps at anchor, will remain to him as a stirring memory. For those are the light cruisers and destroyers of the Harwich Force, and there, too, is the Submarine Flotilla--all these have fought in the Great War; some throughout the war; while others have joined the force later to replace s.h.i.+ps that have been lost in action. On board these s.h.i.+ps are still the crews that fought them. No doubt shortly s.h.i.+ps and men will be dispersed. But at present they remain here in readiness, for it is not Peace yet. Higher up the Stour, a token of victory, lie the surrendered German submarines, on account of their dirty condition more plainly visible through the haze than are our own s.h.i.+ps; for the Huns, naturally, before giving them up, wasted no paint on the outside of these craft, and certainly no soap within.

What is known as the Harwich Force, towards the end of 1914, was composed of the light cruisers _Arethusa_, _Fearless_, _Undaunted_, and _Aurora_, and forty destroyers forming two flotillas. The force gradually increased its strength of light cruisers, being joined at various times by the _Penelope_, _Conquest_, _Cleopatra_, _Canterbury_, _Carysfoot_, and others. Commodore Tyrwhitt--now Rear-Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt--commanded the force from the beginning, his first flags.h.i.+p being the _Arethusa_. He is still in command of the force, with the _Curacoa_ as his flags.h.i.+p.

Various were the duties performed by this light force--the patrolling of the enemy's coasts, keeping the Grand Fleet informed of the enemy's movements, the perpetual hara.s.sing of the enemy, the hunting down of his submarines and mine-layers, the enticing out of his heavy s.h.i.+ps to fall into our traps, the convoying of merchantmen, and so forth.

The work was extremely important and highly dangerous. Throughout the war there was always some portion of the Harwich Force upon the seas, and always a portion of it in harbour under steam, ready to rush out at a moment's notice should the wireless waves give notice of something doing on the North Sea. On one occasion practically the entire Harwich Force got out of harbour within twenty minutes of a call for its a.s.sistance. Even when there was no urgency, no longer than three hours' notice was ever given.

A force so actively engaged as was this one could not fail to suffer many casualties--in all probability heavier casualties in proportion to its numbers than any other naval force. Admiral Lord Jellicoe, on one occasion, in a message of greeting to the force, said: "Your casualties alone in this war show what your work has been," or words to that effect. What the total casualties of the force were I do not know; but the narratives that have been communicated to me account for the total loss of over twelve of the destroyers, while the number of others seriously damaged by sh.e.l.l, mines, and torpedoes is still larger.

Harwich, possibly, was nearer to the war and its tragedies than any other port in England. For often, by day or in the quiet night, would be heard the weird signal of the sirens that summoned officers and men on leave on sh.o.r.e to hurry back to their s.h.i.+ps, as something was happening on the North Sea that called for the Harwich Force, or a portion of it, to put to sea at once. This recall signal, say those who heard it in Harwich, had a most impressive effect. Taking the time from the flags.h.i.+p, each cruiser in the harbour sounded both her sirens three times, each blast being of three minutes' duration.

There is an hotel overlooking the water at Dovercourt--one of the few that had not been requisitioned by the authorities--that was a well-known rendezvous of officers during the war. Situated about half way between Harwich pier and Parkeston quay--whither men had to go to join their s.h.i.+ps--and about a quarter of an hour's walk from either place, it was recognised as being a convenient place of call for naval officers who were on sh.o.r.e for a few hours in those days of sudden summons. It had been arranged, too, that the hotel telephone should always supplement the message of the siren. At this hotel--and, by the way, what a scene was here when the armistice was announced!--there were always staying numbers of the relatives and friends of the naval officers. There was often a gay a.s.semblage here. It was the gaiety of brave men at the prospect of danger, and of women who concealed their anxiety for the sake of their men. On one occasion, when the loud siren's call, dreaded of women, came, a concert for the benefit of some naval or military fund was just opening in the great hall belonging to the hotel, and the wives and other ladies related to the naval officers were selling the programmes. There was no time for farewells; the officers left the hall and hurried down the unlit, narrow streets of the old town to the quays as fast as they were able. But the concert was not interrupted, and, a.s.suming a brave face, the ladies continued to sell the programmes. As on other occasions, of the men who left the hall that night there were some who did not come back.

There are many who were in Harwich during the war who can now read Byron's stanzas describing the scene at Brussels on the eve of Waterloo with an understanding mind. This war has shown that the spirit of the Elizabethan and Nelson days is still with us. One wonders how the people of ages hence, when, from a long way off, they look back at these "_old, unhappy, far-off things and battles long ago_," will think and write of the men and women of this day.

The Harwich Force lost no time in going out to search for the enemy after the declaration of war. War was declared by Great Britain on August 4, 1914, and at an early hour of the morning following that fateful event the people of Harwich thronged the quays and the seash.o.r.e to witness the steaming out of the harbour at high speed of the entire Harwich Force. It was a scene of wild enthusiasm on sh.o.r.e, and the population loudly cheered the s.h.i.+ps that were hurrying off to fight the enemies of England.

It was at six in the morning of that glorious summer day that the force left the harbour, and then the s.h.i.+ps spread out in accordance with orders. At 9 a.m. a section of the force, consisting of the light cruiser _Amphion_ and some destroyers, were near the Galloper, when Captain Fox, commanding the _Amphion_, hoisted the cheery signal, "_Good hunting!_" It was a signal that typified the sporting spirit in which our Navy went to work from the beginning to the end of the war.

Soon the chance came to this flotilla of firing the first shots that were fired in the naval war.

At 10.30 the _Konigin Luise_, a German mail steamer that had been fitted out as a mine-layer, was sighted. Chased by the destroyers _Lance_ and _Landrail_, she was brought to action half an hour later.

Then the destroyers _Lark_ and _Linnet_ joined in the chase, and by midday the other s.h.i.+ps had come up. The enemy had evidently been badly damaged by our fire, for she was steaming away at a considerably reduced speed. At 12.15 she was in a sinking condition; so her crew abandoned her and jumped overboard. But her engines had not been stopped, and she still went on slowly until at last she turned round on her side and began to settle down. Out of the _Konigin Luise's_ complement of one hundred men, forty-three, some of whom were badly wounded, were picked up by our boats. Of these, twenty were taken into the _Amphion_.

The mine-layer had evidently been at work on the English coast, possibly even before the declaration of war; for at 6.35 on the following morning, August 6, the _Amphion_ struck a mine. There was a violent explosion under the fore bridge. Every man on the fore mess-decks was killed, as were eighteen out of the twenty German prisoners in the s.h.i.+p. Captain Fox and the four officers on the bridge were stunned and badly burnt on hands and face. The _Amphion_ now began to settle down by the head, and her sides forward were turning black as the result of the internal fires. For three or four minutes she continued to move slowly in a circle before the word could be given to stop the engines. The men all collected on the quarter-deck.

There was absolutely no sign of panic. The boats were lowered quietly.

The discipline was magnificent. Within a quarter of an hour after the explosion the boats from the destroyers were alongside the _Amphion_, and all the survivors were taken off.

After this had been safely effected, the fire that was raging under the fore mess-decks having reached the magazines, another terrific explosion occurred in the _Amphion_. This blew away a large portion of the fore part of the s.h.i.+p, and quant.i.ties of wreckage began to fall over the surrounding sea, causing several casualties in the destroyers. One sh.e.l.l fell on board the _Lark_, killing two men of the _Amphion's_ crew and a German prisoner who had just been rescued from the _Amphion_. Thus this man, who had survived two disasters in the s.p.a.ce of a few hours, now fell a victim to the accident of falling debris.

It is worthy of mention that one of the destroyers' boats, while pa.s.sing through the floating wreckage, came upon an uninjured football that had come from the _Amphion_. The men were keen on salving it; so it was picked up and brought on board the destroyer, and it was used throughout the following football season whenever the s.h.i.+p was in port. The Hun prisoners, belonging to a race that professes to despise the British for their love of sport, were given food for thought by this incident.

CHAPTER II

THE HELIGOLAND BIGHT ACTION

CHAPTER II

THE HELIGOLAND BIGHT ACTION

The plan--The sweep by the Harwich Force--The destroyers in action--_Arethusa's_ duel with the _Frauenlob_--Off Heligoland again--Action with German light cruisers--The _Mainz_ sunk--End of the _Arethusa_.

The first naval action of the war was that in the Bight of Heligoland.

In this the Harwich Forces played a notable part. The Harwich submarine flotilla under Commodore Roger Keyes (now Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes) had a good deal to do with the preparation for the battle. At the beginning of the war these submarines were sent to guard the approaches to the English Channel, their object being to prevent any portion of the German fleet from pa.s.sing through the straits and attacking the s.h.i.+ps that were conveying our first Expeditionary Force to France. While thus employed they did valuable work in observing the movements of the enemy light forces in the North Sea. Acting on the information supplied by the submarines, the Commander-in-Chief decided to send the fast s.h.i.+ps of the Harwich Force to make a sweep of the North Sea up to Heligoland and cut off enemy light craft known to be operating within that area.

August 28 was the day appointed for this raid. The Harwich submarines were sent out in advance to scout and to attack any enemy s.h.i.+ps that might issue from the German bases to support their light craft. At the same time, from the Grand Fleet base, a squadron of cruisers was sent to the westward of Heligoland in order to intercept the German light craft should the Harwich Force succeed in cutting them out and driving them to the west. Beatty, with battle cruisers and light cruisers, went to an appointed position to be in readiness to support the Harwich Force when the time came. Probably one of the objects of this expedition was to entice the German capital s.h.i.+ps to come out from their base and fight. If so, the expedition, though quite successful in its other aims, failed in that respect. For even at this early stage of the war the enemy refused to accept the challenge of the British Navy. The fighting took place within thirty miles of the German base. Within a very short time the enemy could have put an overwhelming force into action against our s.h.i.+ps. But he did not do so, and allowed his light cruisers and destroyers to be sunk within hearing of his pa.s.sive battles.h.i.+ps and battle cruisers.

So on the morning of August 28 the Harwich Force, composed of two light cruisers--the _Arethusa_, Commodore Tyrwhitt's flags.h.i.+p, and the _Fearless_, commanded by Captain W.F. Blunt--with forty destroyers, were sweeping round towards Heligoland. This, of course, was very early in the war, and the _Arethusa_, a brand-new s.h.i.+p, had had no time to carry out her gun practice and complete other preparations when she was ordered out. At 4 a.m. the _Arethusa_ and twenty of the destroyers were within seventy miles of Heligoland, sweeping down towards the island at twenty knots, the _Fearless_ and the other twenty destroyers following five miles astern. The weather was fine, but when it is not rough in the North Sea it is usually misty, and it was so on this occasion, the visibility being only 5000 yards. Just before 7 a.m. an enemy destroyer appeared on _Arethusa's_ port bow.

One of our destroyer divisions was ordered to chase her. This, as one who took part in the action put it, "started the ball." The fog lifted a bit, and the sun's rays occasionally broke through it. And now out of the mists ahead loomed several objects which proved to be enemy destroyers and torpedo-boats. It was evident that the Harwich Force had run into the patrols that it had been sent to seek out. A very brisk engagement was now fought between our destroyers and those of the enemy. In the course of this destroyer action, the 4th Destroyer Division, composed of the _Liberty_, _Laurel_, _Lysander_, and _Laertes_, engaged an enemy light cruiser and torpedoed her, but did not put her out of action. Both _Liberty_ and _Lysander_ were a good deal knocked about and had numerous casualties, the captain of the _Liberty_ being among the killed.

A curious incident occurred at the close of this destroyer action.

Another of our destroyer divisions had engaged and sunk an enemy destroyer. The British destroyer _Defender_ had lowered a boat to save the survivors, who were struggling in the water. The boat had picked up several of the men, when a German light cruiser opened fire both upon our destroyers and upon the boat. The order came to the _Defender_ and the other destroyers to retire at once, and this they had to do, leaving the boat behind. To the men in the boat the outlook was not a cheerful one. Imprisonment in Germany for the duration of the war seemed their probable fate. But the retirement of the enemy had by this time commenced, and the German light cruiser which had been sh.e.l.ling them now steamed away without stopping to pick them up.

At this juncture, while the enemy light cruiser was still in sight, there popped up close to the boat the periscope of a submarine. The submarine rose to the surface, and to the delight of our men proved to be British--the E4, under the command of Captain E.W. Leir. She took off the British sailors and a few sample Huns, and, not having accommodation for more, left the other Germans in the boat, having first provided them with biscuit, water, and a compa.s.s.