CHAPTER XXV
THE LAST SEA BATTLE
The cannonading became terrific.
Now that assistance arrived, Jack ordered the Essex, which still was thenearest British vessel to the enemy, back into the fray.
"The big fellows will look out for us," he confided to Frank.
The revolving turrets of the Essex were kept on the move and guns crashedas fast as they could be brought to bear. Shells struck on all sides ofthe destroyer and occasionally one came aboard. But thanks to Jack'smaneuvering of the vessel, so far she had not been struck in a vital part.
The main British fleet bore down on the enemy from two sides, and toprotect themselves against these new foes, the Germans were forced to turntheir attention elsewhere than the Essex. Already big shells from theBritish warships were striking aboard the enemy. The range had been foundalmost with the first fire from the approaching war vessels and theGermans were replying as fast as they were able.
The fighting was at such close range now that Jack was able to distinguishthe names of the German battleships. In the center, flying the flag ofAdmiral Krauss, was the Bismarck. On the right of the flagship were theHamburg and the Potsdam, while on the left the flagship was flanked by theBaden and the Wilhelm II.
The fire of all five German vessels, at order of the admiral, was nowdirected upon the Lion, which bore down swiftly and was perhaps a quarterof a mile closer to the enemy than any other British craft except thedestroyer Essex, commanded by Jack.
The forward guns of the Lion roared angrily and spat fire in the darknessas she bore down on the Germans at full speed. As yet no enemy shell hadstruck the Lion, but she had put several shells aboard the nearest Germanbattleship--the Baden.
Now that the German fire had been momentarily lifted from the Essex, Jackordered his ship in closer; and a veritable hail of shells were dropped onthe Potsdam. For a moment or so the Germans paid no attention to thedestroyer, but the fire from Jack's men became so accurate that thecaptain of the German ship found it necessary to disregard the admiral'sorders and turn his attention to the Essex in self-defense.
The first shell from the Potsdam flew screaming over the bridge of thedestroyer, but did no damage. The second was aimed better. It struck thebow of the destroyer on the port side and plowed through. The destroyerquivered through her entire length.
"Go below and report, Mr. Chadwick," Jack commanded.
Upon investigation, Frank learned that the shell had plowed through theforward bulkheads and that the outside compartments were awash. But theinner compartments had not been penetrated. He rounded up the ship'scarpenter, who announced that the damage could be repaired in half anhour. There had been no casualties.
Jack accepted Frank's report with a brief nod; then gave his attentionagain to fighting his ship.
Forward and to the right of the Essex there sounded a terrific explosion,followed by a blinding glare. The Baden, one of the largest of the Germanwarships, sprang into a mighty sheet of flame. A shell from the Lion hadpenetrated the engine room and exploded her boilers. Came wild cries fromaboard the vessel and escaping steam and boiling water poured on the crewand scalded them.
With the searchlights of the British ships playing on her, the Badenreared high out of the water, and as men jumped into the sea for safety,she settled by the head, and sank.
This left only four of the enemy to continue the struggle and opposed tothese the British offered eight unwounded vessels. Admiral Krauss gazed inevery direction, seeking a possible avenue of escape. And at last hebelieved he saw it.
To the east--back in the direction from which he had come--the spacebetween the British battleships Peerless and Falcon seemed to offer achance. The German admiral calculated rapidly. To the eye it appeared thatthe German ships could pass through that opening before the British couldclose in.
The wireless aboard the German flagship sputtered excitedly. Instantly thefour remaining German ships turned and dashed after the flagship, whichwas showing the way.
Instantly the commander of every British ship realized the purpose of theenemy. Even the distant Falcon and Peerless seemed to know what wasexpected of them. Their speed increased and they dashed forward in aneffort to intercept the enemy.
It was nip and tuck. The Lion was the first to dash in pursuit, followedby the Tiger and the White Hawk. The Brewster and Southampton, closelyfollowed by the more or less crippled Essex, brought up the rear, eachdoing its utmost to pass the other in order to get another chance at theenemy.
Slowly the Lion, the Tiger and the White Hawk gained on the enemy; and itbecame apparent now that the Germans would be unable to get through thespace between the Peerless and Falcon without a fight.
Aboard the Bismarck, the German admiral gritted his teeth.
"It will have to be fight now," he muttered, "and the odds are all againstme."
The Falcon and the Peerless, from either side and forward of the Germans,now opened with their big guns almost simultaneously. Every available gunaboard the German vessels replied. From astern, the guns of the Lion werepounding the sterns of the fleeing enemy battleships. The Brewster and theSouthampton, together with the Tiger and the White Hawk, also were hurlingshells after the Germans, although with little effect, for they weretrailing too far behind.
Jack urged the Essex forward in the wake of the others. He was far behindand was rapidly being outdistanced by the larger ships, but he determinedto see the thing through if possible.
The last German ship in line, struck by a shell from the pursuing Lion,staggered and fell to one side. The Lion darted on, pouring a broadsideinto the crippled enemy as she passed, then dashed after the vesselsahead.
The Tiger, White Hawk, Brewster and Southampton, also poured broadsidesinto the Wilhelm II as they passed, but they did not even slacken theirpace.
But the Wilhelm II apparently had not received her death blow. Her crewcontinued to fight the ship heroically, and as the Essex approached shewas greeted with a heavy fire from the German.
"The big fellows don't seem to have made a very good job of this," saidJack to Frank. "We'll finish it for them."
The Essex slowed down and turned sharply toward the Wilhelm II. Her gunsstill in condition to fight burst forth anew. The British showedexcellent marksmanship. Shell after shell was poured into the crippledfoe. Jack ordered "cease firing."
Taking a megaphone that lay nearby, he put it to his mouth and called:
"Surrender!"
His answer was a shell that came crashing aboard aft from one of theWilhelm II's big guns. Jack turned quietly to Frank.
"Sink her!" he said.
Frank dashed across the deck to where the crew of the forward gun turretwas anxiously awaiting some command. He addressed the captain of the crew.
"See if you can put a shell into her engine room," he said. "Take yourtime."
The latter did so; and it was several seconds before the big gun spoke,but when it did Frank uttered an exclamation of satisfaction.
The shell had gone true. Watching eyes aboard the Essex saw it plow itsway through the side of the Wilhelm II. Then came the explosion and theWilhelm II seemed to part in the middle. She sank in less than fiveminutes.
Meanwhile, the Peerless and Falcon had headed off the other three Germanships, which, forced to fight, now stood at bay, with every gun pounding.The Lion, Tiger and the other vessels bore down on them rapidly fromastern.
For the space of half an hour the view of those aboard the Essex wasobscured by the smoke from the big guns, which could not be penetratedeven by the bright lights of the searchlights. They could hear the boom ofthe big guns, the crash of the shells as they struck home and occasionalsharp explosions that told of irrepairable damage aboard the enemyvessels, but they could see nothing.
"This will be the last of the enemy," was Frank's comment.
Jack nodded.
"I should think so," he agreed. "If they let one of those fellows get awaynow they should be court-martialed."
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br /> "Don't fret," said Frank, "they won't get away."
They didn't get away.
Firing ceased just as the first streak of light appeared in the easternsky, and when the smoke of battle cleared away, Jack and Frank saw thatthe British victory had been complete.
Only two German ships were still above water. These were the Bismarck,flagship of Admiral Krauss, and the Hamburg. The others had all been sunk.
The Hamburg, the lads could see, was slowly sinking by the head. She wasbeing abandoned by her crew, who, in small boats, some even swimming, werehurrying to the side of the Bismarck, where they were lifted aboard.
"Why didn't they sink her, too?" demanded Frank pointing to the Germanflagship.
"Why?" repeated Jack. "Why should they? Can't you see that white flagflying at the masthead?"
"By George! I hadn't noticed that."
"And there," said Jack, pointing, "goes a prize crew from the Lion to takeover the vessel."
A launch loaded with British tars had put off from the Lion and was makingtoward the German flagship.
Admiral Krauss and his officers and men were soon transferred to the Lionand a British crew was in possession of the Bismarck.
Thus ended the last sea battle of the great war. In all the times thatGermany had tested the naval power of Great Britain and her allies, shehad found it great--too much for German naval tactics to overcome. And nowthat the great war was drawing to an end, she did not test it again.
Boy Allies with the Victorious Fleets; Or, The Fall of the German Navy Page 25
