The Boy Allies at Jutland Part 28

Next came the stampede for life preservers. Men fought over their possession, whereas, in cooler moments, hardly a man aboard either s.h.i.+p who would not willingly have given the life preservers to companions.

Had the men thrown themselves into the sea immediately, it is likely that many of them would have been saved; but their hesitation cost them dearly.

In vain did the reversed engines of both s.h.i.+ps work. The sharp steel bow of the _Indefatigable_ had become so firmly embedded in the side of the _Queen Mary_ that it could not be unloosened.

And so the two battles.h.i.+ps sank, together in their last moments as they had been when they had faced almost certain destruction under the muzzles of the great German guns such a short time before.

Now men from both s.h.i.+ps hurled themselves into the sea in an effort to cheat the waters of their prey. Commanders and officers, however, realizing that there was no hope of life even in the sea, so swiftly were the s.h.i.+ps sinking, stood calmly on the bridges and awaited the end. For, they realized, the suction would be so strong when the vessels took their final plunge, that all those anywhere near in the water would be drawn under.

Captain Raleigh sent a hail across the water in a loud voice.

"Are you there, Reynolds?"

"Right here, Raleigh," came back the response. "There is no hope here.

How about you?"

"No hope here either," was Captain Raleigh's answer.

"Goodbye, then," shouted Captain Reynolds.

"Goodbye, old man!"

They were the last words spoken by these two old friends, who had been boys together, schoolmates and bosom companions.

Suddenly the two s.h.i.+ps took their final plunge. Men still on board, those of the crew who had been frightened and had not cast themselves into the sea, straightened instinctively as they felt the vessels give beneath them. In the presence of death--when they knew it had arrived-- they were as brave and courageous as in the midst of battle.

So there was silence aboard the _Queen Mary_ and aboard the _Indefatigable_ as the waves parted for their coming. All on board, officers and members of the two crews as well, stood calmly, waiting for the dark waters to close over them.

The two s.h.i.+ps made a last desperate effort to resist the call of the sea. They failed. A moment later they disappeared from sight. No sound came from the depths.

When Frank and Jack had felt themselves in the water, the latter, realizing immediately what would happen if the s.h.i.+ps sank before they had put some distance in between them, struck out swiftly toward what he felt to be the south, giving Frank a hand as he did so.

The latter recovered himself a moment later, however, and gasped.

"I'm all right, Jack. Let me swim for myself."

"All right," said Jack, "but keep close beside me. We'll have to hurry or we shall be pulled under by the suction when the s.h.i.+ps sink."

Keeping close together they swam with powerful strokes.

And so it was that they were out of harm's way when the two s.h.i.+ps disappeared from sight with a deafening roar as the waters closed over them; they were beyond reach of the suction.

"There they go," said Frank, sadly.

"And it is only a miracle that prevented us from going with them," said Jack.

"We might as well have gone as to be in the middle of the North Sea,"

said Frank.

"Nonsense. While there's life there's hope."

They swam on.

Suddenly Jack's hand came in contact with something in the darkness.

"A man!" he exclaimed.

"What did you think I was? A fish?" came the reply. "I've a right to escape as well as you."

"Who are you?" asked Frank.

At that moment, as suddenly as it had descended, the fog lifted.

Jack looked at the other man in the water and uttered an exclamation of pleasure.

"Harris!" he cried.

CHAPTER XIX

ADRIFT

The great naval battle of Jutland was over.

The British fleet now had given up pursuit of the fleeing Germans and Vice-Admiral Beatty paused to take stock of his losses; and they were enormous.

Three great battle cruisers had gone to the bottom--the _Queen Mary_, of 27,000 tons; the _Indefatigable_, of 18,750 tons, and the _Invincible_, of 17,250 tons. Cruisers lost included the _Defense_, of 14,600 tons; the _Black Prince_; of 13,550 tons, and the _Warrior_, of 13,550 tons. The giant battle cruiser _Marlborough,_ of 27,500 tons, had been badly damaged, as had the _Lion_ and other vessels. The destroyers _Tipperary, Turbulent, Nestore, Alcaster, Fortune, Sparrow Hawk, Ardent_ and _Shark_ had been sunk. Total losses ran high into the millions and in the number of men above 7,000.

The German losses had been less, but nevertheless, taking into consideration damage done to the effectiveness of the two fleets as a whole, the enemy had sustained the harder blow. The British fleet still maintained control of the North Sea, while the Germans, because of their losses, had been deprived of a large part of the fighting strength of their fleet. The British, in spite of their heavier losses, would recover more quickly than could the enemy.

The dreadnaught _Westphalen_ was the largest s.h.i.+p lost by the Germans.

It was of 18,600 tons. The three German battles.h.i.+ps lost, the _Pommern_, the _Freiderich_ and the _Frauenlob_, were each of 13,350 tons. Four battle cruisers had been sent to the bottom. They were the _Elbing_, the _Essen_, the _Lutzow_ and the _Hindenburg_, each of 14,400 tons. The German losses in torpedo destroyers had been particularly heavy, an even dozen having been sent to the bottom.

Besides this, the enemy had lost three submarines and two Zeppelin airs.h.i.+ps, besides a number of smaller aircraft. In men the Germans had lost slightly less than the British.

And so both British and Germans counted the battle a victory; the Germans because in total tonnage sunk they had the best of it; the British, because they held the scene of battle when the fighting was over and because the enemy had retired.

But, no matter with which side rested the victory, there was no gainsaying the fact that the battle of Jutland was the greatest naval struggle of all time.

After giving up pursuit of the enemy, the British withdrew. Damage to the various vessels was repaired as well as could be done at sea and the s.h.i.+ps in need of a more thorough overhauling steamed for England, where they would go into dry-dock. The bulk of the British fleet, however, still in perfect fighting trim, again took up the task of patrolling the North Sea, that no German vessels might make their escape from the fortress of Heligoland, for which point the enemy headed immediately after the battle.

In spite of the severe losses of the Germans, the return of the high sea fleet to Heligoland was marked by a grand ovation by the civil population. Various reports were circulated on the island, and all through Germany for that matter. One report had it that the entire British fleet had been sent to the bottom; and Berlin, and all Germany, rejoiced.

But as time pa.s.sed and the German fleet still remained secure behind its fortifications, the German people began to realize that the victory had not been so great as they had been led to believe. They knew they had been fooled; and they vented their anger in many ways.

Street riots occurred in Berlin and in others of the large cities. The people demanded to be told the facts. Later they were told, in a measure, but even then they were denied the whole truth. So conditions in the central empires grew from bad to worse.