Zeebrugge

"ZEEBRUGGE. - Among the British naval operations in the World War none created more interest than the attack on the Germans at Zeebrugge and Ostend, on the Belgian coast, in 1918. Ever since the German occupation of the Belgian coast, Zeebrugge had been a source of anxiety to the Dover Patrol. There the German torpedo craft and German submarines lay in a safe base only some 60 m. from the Straits, a danger to the Downs and a constant menace to British transports and trade in the Channel. Vice-Adml. Sir Reginald Bacon had contemplated an attack on it with monitors, but the Admiralty had disapproved, and it was not till the appointment of Rear-Adml. Sir Roger Keyes in Dec. 1917, that preparations were actually begun. The main object of the enterprise was to block the harbours of Zeebrugge and Ostend.

The actual harbour of Zeebrugge is small and is formed by a long curved mole on the western side, whose assault was an important part of the operation. This mole was r2 m. long, connected with the shore by a viaduct built on steel pillars. On the outside the western wall rose 27 ft. 10 in. above high water, with a ledge 2 ft. 9 in. wide running along it about 12 ft. above high water. The parapet on top was some 3 ft. wide with a drop of 4 ft. to a ledge 12 ft. wide which ran 161 ft. above the quay. The quay on the harbour side was 2 7 ft. wide, equipped in the usual way with cranes and three large sheds and shelters. At the outer end was a battery of 3 5.9-in. guns, and a narrower portion ran on to the lighthouse where 6 4-in. guns, were mounted.

The general plan of operations was simple. Three old cruisers," Iphigenia," Thetis "and" Intre p id "(all built about 1891), filled with cement, were to enter the harbour and be sunk at the entrance to the ship canal to Bruges. The" Vindictive,"supported by two auxiliary vessels" Iris II."and" Daffodil,"was to assault the mole on its outer and western side and by creating an impression that this was the main operation, divert the enemy's fire from the blocking ships. As Bruges was accessible by canal from Ostend, Ostend was to be blocked at the same time by the old cruisers" Brilliant "and" Sirius."The main obstacle to th3 enterprise lay in the powerful batteries. On the 40 m. of coast-line there were mounted 153 guns, including 6 15-in., 4 12-in., 33 1r-in., I 9.4-in., 23.8. 2-in., 73 5'9-in., 6 5-in., 11 4 . 7-in., and 52 4-in. The coast positively bristled with guns. Only 3 m. E. of the Zeebrugge canal stood the Kaiser Wilhelm II. battery (known at Dover as the Knocke) armed with 4 12-in. with a range of 41,000 yd. One and a quarter 1n. W. of Ostend was the Tirpitz battery with 4 r r-in: ranging 35, 000 yd., and 3 m. E. of the town was the Deutschland (old Jacobynessen) equipped with 4 15-in. ranging 43,500 yards.

The approach to the entrance of the ship canal at Zeebrugge was under the :fire of the Goeben battery of 4 8.2-in. guns at 1,000 yd., and the chance of success depended largely on an effective smoke screen.

The attack on the mole was to be made by the" Vindictive "(Capt. Alfred B. Carpenter), an old cruiser of 5,750 tons, 320 ft. long, 24 ft. draught specially fitted for the occasion, assisted by the" Iris II. "(Comm. Valentine Gibbs) and" Daffodil "(Lt. Harold G. Campbell), two Liverpool ferry boats of large capacity and light draught. The viaduct of the mole was to be blown up by two submarines, CI (Lt. Aubrey Newbold) and C3 (Lt. Richard D. Sandford). A strong body of 15 destroyers was attached to the Zeebrugge force under Capt. Wilfred Tomkinson (" Phoebe," North Star," Trident," Mansfield," Whirlwind," Myngs," Velox," Morris Moorsom Melpomene, "Tempest" and "Tetrarch" to escort the force and cover it to seaward; "Termagant," "Truculent" and "Manly" to screen the Zeebrugge monitors). A force of 18 coastal motor boats (55 ft. long, 3 ft. draught, 35 knots, 2 18-in. torpedoes) under Lt. Arthur E. Welman accompanied the expedition, of which 8 were allocated for the smoke screen, 5 to support the "Vindictive," and 4 to attack vessels inside the harbour. With them were 33 motor launches under Capt. Ralph Collins for smoke screens, and inshore rescue work. Out to seaward were the two monitors "Erebus" and "Terror" for bombarding the batteries. The Rear Admiral's flag flew in the destroyer "Warwick." The three old cruisers "Thetis" (Comm. R. S. Sneyd), "Intrepid" (Lt. Stuart Bonham-Carter) and "Iphigenia" (Lt. E. W. Billyard-Leake) were to act as blocking ships. The two latter were of 3,600 tons displacement, 300 ft. long x 431 ft. x 182 ft., and the "Thetis" was a little smaller (3,400 tons and 171 ft. draught).

A similar attempt was to be made at Ostend. There the blocking ships were to be the old cruisers "Brilliant" (Comm.

A. E. Godsal) and "Sirius" (Lt.-Comm. H. N. Hardy) of 3,600 tons. They were to be supported by five bombarding monitors ("Marshal Soult," "Lord Clive," "Prince Eugene," "General Crawford," M24 and M26) and covered by five British destroyers ("Swift," "Faulknor," "Matchless," "Mastiff" and "Afridi"), with three British destroyers and six French torpedo boats attending on the monitors ("Mentor," "Lightfoot," "Zubian," "Lestin," "Capitaine Mehl," "Francis Gamier," "Roux," "Bouclier"). Eighteen British motor launches under Comm. Hamilton Benn and four French were attached for smoke screen, inshore and rescue work, and the whole force was under Commodore Hubert Lynes.

The object of the attack on the mole at Zeebrugge was first to seize the battery at the seaward end and prevent it firing at the block ships, and then to demolish the structures on it as far as possible. The battery was 250 yd. from the lighthouse, and to` facilitate its seizure the "Vindictive" was to berth nearly abreast of it on the outer side of the wall. It was then to be stormed by three companies of bluejackets - A company under Lt.-Comm. Bayan Adams ("Princess Royal"), B under Lt. Arth. G. Chamberlain ("Neptune"), D under Lt.-Comm. G. N. Bradford; all under Lt.-Comm. Arthur Harrison ("Lion").

Some 150 yd. to shoreward of the battery and 400 yd. from the lighthouse there was a "fortified zone" of barbed wire and machine-guns. As this commanded the "Vindictive's" berth and would form a rallying point for reinforcements from landward, it was to be seized by four companies of Royal Marines - A (Chatham) under Maj. Chas. Eagles, B (Portsmouth) Capt. Ed. Bamford, C (Plymouth) Maj. Bernard Weller, and machine-guns under Capt. Chas. B. Conybeare.

The storming parties numbered 50 officers and 980 men of the Royal Navy, drawn chiefly from the Grand Fleet and the Nore, and 32 officers and 718 men of the Royal Marines. The seamen were under Capt. Henry C. Halahan and the marines under Lt.-Col. Bertram Elliot. Preparations began early in the year. The force was segregated in the Swin (Thames) and specially trained in all its various tasks. The blocking ships were stripped of all fittings and filled with rubble and concrete. The "Vindictive" in addition to her to 6-in. guns was given a special equipment of 2 7.5-in. howitzers (1 ford. and r aft), 1-in. howitzer (aft), r6 Stokes mortars, flame throwers, 16 Lewis guns, and 4 12-in. pompoms. The success of the attack depended largely on an effective smoke screen, and WingComm. F. A. Brock and 60 ratings were lent to the Dover command, where a small factory was set up to prepare the materials for it.

The lessons of history were not very favourable to the enterprise. Naval Constructor R. P. Hobson had tried to block Santiago in 1898. The Japanese had thrice attempted to block Port Arthur in 1904. None of these attempts had been wholly successful. Let us glance for a moment at the conditions under which the attack was to be made. The distance from Dover to Zeebrugge was 63 miles. This meant that the expedition must start in daylight to be off the port by midnight. The night must be dark and the wind on shore.

Twice the force was assembled and twice unfavourable conditions supervened. On the night of April 11-12, it was within 13 m. of its rallying point. Finally the night of April 22-23 was fixed for the attack. The main force started at 4 53 .M. on Monday, April 22. The bombardment was to begin at 11:20 P.M., simultaneously at Zeebrugge and Ostend. The smoke screen was to start at 11:40 P.M. The "Vindictive" was to reach the mole at midnight. The "Thetis" was to pass the end of the mole 25 minutes later. The last point of departure was at a point called G in lat. 51° 27' N., long. 2° 50' E. This and other points on the route were marked by buoys laid after careful triangulation by Capt. H. P. Douglas and Lt.-Comm. Francis E. Haselfoot. It was here, some 12 m. off Zeebrugge and Ostend, that the vessels took up their formation for attack. The "Vindictive," which had been towing the "Iris II." and "Daffodil," cast them off. The "Sirius" and "Brilliant" shaped course for Ostend, the "Thetis" and her companions eased down. The host of small craft dispersed for their various tasks. The night was overcast, with a light wind from the N.E., and a thick column of smoke soon began to roll down the coast, hiding everything.

Plan A Plan B As they approached the shore about 11:40 P.M. a great star shell soared into the sky, which was soon thick with them shining dimly through the eddies of the smoke. They were close to the harbour when a great disappointment overtook them. The wind, which had died away, shifted to the southward, greatly reducing the efficiency of the screen. The searchlights fastened on the vessels. At 11:56 the "Vindictive" emerged out of the smoke into the full glare of their beams. The mole could be seen 300 yd. on the port bow. Capt. Carpenter increased to full speed and approached it at an angle of 45°. A heavy fire was opened on her and she replied with her port 6-in. battery, the upper deck pompoms and the guns in the fore top. The storming parties drawn up ready to rush ashore lost both their leaders at this point. Col. Bertram Elliot, waiting to lead the Royals just abaft the bridge, was struck down by a shell which did fearful execution forward. Capt. H. C. Halahan at the head of the bluejackets amidships was killed by machine-gun fire.

At one minute past midnight, the ship came alongside the mole. It was intended to do this 300 yd. from the lighthouse abreast of the 4-in. battery, but the starboard anchor was hung up with a strong tide sluicing down the mole, and the ship was carried some 700 yd. from the lighthouse or nearly 400 yd. to landward of the intended spot. The port anchor was dropped and bowsed to with only a shackle (75 ft.) out. A further difficulty now arose. The rush of the 3-knot tide between the ship and mole created a heavy swell which threw the ship off the mole; only two of the 18 brows could reach the parapet, and the ship could not be kept into the mole. Swaying upward with the roll of the ship the two foremost brows came down scraping and grinding along the mole. The naval storming parties led by Lt.-Comm. Bryan Adams ran out along them, followed closely by the Royal Marines led by Capt. and Adj. A. R. Chater. As the seamen got to the wall they leapt down and tried to make the mole grapnels fast (for hauling the ship into the mole), but only one was got in place and a heavy roll broke it up.

This was a critical time, and it was four minutes past midnight when the little "Daffodil" came up and pushed the ship bodily into the mole. Two more brows were got into place and the landing parties got ashore. The "Vindictive's" guns had suffered heavily. The marine crew of the foremost 7.5-in. howitzer had all been killed or wounded. A naval crew from one of the 6-in. guns, which took its place, was almost entirely swept away. In the foretop the Royal Marines under Lt. Chas. Rigby had kept up a continuous fire with their pompoms and Lewis guns till two heavy shells got home on it, killing or disabling everyone there except Sergt. Norman Finch, who though severely wounded continued to fight his gun singlehanded till the top was wrecked by another shell. The "Iris II." with the Chatham company of Royal Marines and D company of seamen had suffered even more severely. She had gone alongside the mole about 150 yd. ahead of the "Vindictive." The swell broke up the scaling ladders. Lt. Claude Hawkings ("Erin"), who led the way, made a grapnel fast and was shot down on the mole. Lt.-Comm. G. N. Bradford ("Orion") got to the top of a derrick with a grapnel, leapt on to the mole, secured it and fell back shot into the water. Comm. Val. Gibbs fell, with both legs shot away. The grapnels tore away, and the "Iris II.," slipping her cable, dropped alongside the "Vindictive" to land her men across her. Here she again suffered heavily.

A big shell went through the upper deck and burst just where 56 marines were waiting to charge up the gangways, killing 49 and wounding seven. Another shell in the wardroom killed 4 officers and 26 men. The heavy swell made it difficult to get alongside the "Vindictive," and only a few men had got across when the siren sounded the retire.

To return to the landing on the mole. The 400 yd. or so by which the "Vindictive" overran her position had a considerable effect on the plan. The seamen, instead of dropping down on the battery, had to go back to it 400 yd. along the mole. The "fortified zone," instead of being between the "Vindictive" and the shore, was now between the "Vindictive" and the battery on the mole, increasing the difficulty of an assault.

The seamen of A and B companies under Lt.-Comm. B. F. Adams, got ashore, and dropping on to the ledge below the parapet made their way toward the lighthouse. They came to Zeebrugge r Ostend kc a lookout station which they captured. Here an iron ladder led down on the quay and three of the party went down it.

A machine-gun in the fortified zone was firing on them, and Lt.-Comm. Adams advanced towards it for some 40 yd. and after taking up a position returned to collect more men. Lieutenant-Commander Harrison, severely wounded in the head, arrived about this time and took charge. Lieutenant-Commander Adams met Maj. Weller who gave him reinforcements, but by the time he got back Lt.-Comm. Harrison had led a rush along the parapet, where he and several of his men were killed by machine-gun fire. Able seaman Mackenzie's courage here gained him a V.C., and able seaman Evans was seriously wounded and taken prisoner in trying to bring in Lt.-Comm. Harrison's body.

D Company was still in the "Iris II.," but the marines were forming up on the mole to make an assault.

They had been busy at first in the other direction. The first platoon to get ashore made to the right toward the shore and silenced a party of snipers near No. 2 shed. Captain Bamford (awarded the V.C.) joined them and they reached and held a point 200 yd. toward the shore. Another party of marines dropping straight to the mole had established a strong point by No. 3 shed close to the "Vindictive." About 12:20 a terrific roar and a great sheet of flame rose high above the din. The viaduct had gone up, and the mole was secure from landward side. Major Weller now received Lt.-Comm. Adams' request for reinforcements and sent a platoon and the remains of another to help him.

They advanced toward the lighthouse and reached the lookout station, where they were held up again by machine-gun fire. Lieutenant-Commander Adams and his men were some 40 or 50 yd. ahead. Nos. 5, 7 and 8 platoons were forming up under Capt. Bamford for an assault on the fortified zone. This was the position when the signal to retire blared out.

The demolition company (C Company of seamen) had got ashore under Lt.-Comm. Dickinson, but the storming parties were too close to permit of the sheds being blown up, and an attempt to blow up the destroyers was beaten back. The danger of the attack from landward had been removed by the destruction of the viaduct. Submarine CI had parted its tow and did not reach the scene in time. Lieutenant R. D. Sandford (awarded the V.C.) in C3 had sighted the viaduct about half a mile off, and running into the iron piers at oi knots had jammed the vessel with its 52 tons of amatol hard and fast. The fuze was lighted and the crew of six were pushing off in their little motor skiff when the propellor was torn off by fouling the submarine, and they had to take to the oars. A rain of bullets fell close to them, and struck down two oarsmen in succession. They were 3 00 yd. away when the viaduct went up, scattering huge pieces of iron and concrete around them.

Another bullet struck Lt. Sandford, but just at that moment the picket boat with his brother (Lieut.-Comm. Francis Sandford) came up and took them off. Meanwhile, in the "Vindictive," Capt. Carpenter had seen the block ships go in. The position of the storming party and of the ship was precarious. None of the mole anchors had grappled. The ship was being held into the mole by the "Daffodil," and if she were disabled it was practically certain that the men in the mole would not get back. He decided it was time to retire. His own siren was riddled through and through, but the order was passed to the "Daffodil," and the shriek of its siren rose above the din.

It was 12:50 A.M. The parties came gradually back, the marines retiring in perfect order, bringing their wounded with them. Capt. T. M. Palmer refused to leave the shore while any of his men were there, and joined the ranks of the missing. Wing-Comm. F. A. Brock, too, never returned. He was last seen fighting on the mole.

A hawser was passed from the "Vindictive," and at r:10 A.M. the "Daffodil" began to pull her bows off the mole. The hawser just held long enough to swing her bows round, and she got clear. The "Iris II." came under a heavy fire as she left the mole. A large shell carried away the port side of the bridge, mortally wounding Comm. V. Gibbs and Maj. Chas. Eagles.

Lieutenant Spencer, though seriously wounded, continued to con the ship and got her clear. Three more shells hit the ship and caused heavy casualties in the crowded decks, but Motor Launch 55 8 (Lt.-Comm. Lionel Chappell, with Capt. Ralph Collins on board) came up, and throwing a smoke screen round her helped her to get away.

To return to the blocking ships. With the "Thetis" leading they had rounded the lighthouse in a storm of shot and shell. The "Thetis" propeller fouled a net laid at the entrance to the harbour and carried it with her. Both engines brought up, and she grounded 300 yd. from the pierhead. She was under heavy fire, and as she appeared to be sinking, the order was given to abandon ship and blow the charges; they detonated and the ship sank. The crew manned the remaining cutter and pulled to ML526 (Lt. Hugh Littleton) which was lying near.

The "Intrepid" astern had come under heavy shrapnel fire from the guns as she approached the mole, but after rounding it escaped their attention. She had 87 officers and men in her instead of 54, as the surplus had contrived to stay on board rather than miss the fight. She ran right into the canal, and Lt. Bonham Carter went full speed ahead with the starboard engine and full speed astern with the port to turn her round. As the ship commenced to make stern way he blew the charges, and the crews got into two cutters which were picked up by the "Whirlwind" and a motor launch. Lt. Bonham Carter with two officers and four petty officers had got on a Carley raft and floated down the canal. ML582 (Lt. Percy T. Dean, awarded the V.C.) had come right into the canal behind the "Iphigenia," and under a heavy fire picked them up and took them off. All the crew except one were saved. In the "Iphigenia," like the "Intrepid," the engine room ratings had avoided being taken off, so as to be present at the fight. She came under shrapnel fire off the mole, and as she rounded it a star shell showed up the "Intrepid" heading for the canal and the "Thetis" aground. Two shells struck the ship on the starboard side. The canal was hidden by smoke. It lifted for a moment, and the captain, seeing he was heading for the western pier, went full speed astern, then ahead with the starboard engine, and with a barge in front of him drove into the canal. There was a gap between the "Intrepid" and the eastern bank; he steered into it, collided with the "Intrepid," rang the gong to signify the imminent blowing of the charges, went astern and then ahead. She grounded on the eastern bank and the charges were fired. The crew left the ship in the only cutter left under fire. ML282 (Lt. Percy T. Dean) was waiting and took the crew on board, and then making the cutter fast to his stem went out of harbour stern first at full speed. Heavy machine-gun fire was concentrated on her; two officers were dangerously wounded and two of the launch's crew of four killed, but she got clear.

The destroyers had been lying off the harbour, and the "Warwick" now picked up four motor launches, including ML282 overloaded and full of wounded with 'or men of the "Iphigenia" and "Intrepid." MLrro (Lt.-Comm. Dawbarn Young) had come under a heavy fire while trying to show the blockships the way in. She was struck by three shells, which killed or wounded half the crew and wrecked the engines. Her captain, hit in three places and mortally wounded, gave orders to the last, but died before reaching Dover. The "Warwick," "Phoebe" and "North Star" had been cruising off the mole to screen the force from torpedo attack. The destroyer "North Star" losing her bearings in the smoke had emerged from the smoke screen and coming under a heavy fire was reduced to a sinking condition. The "Phoebe" (Lt.-Comm. Hubert GoreLangton) attempted to tow her out, but the hawser was shot away once, and parted another time. She was therefore abandoned and sunk. By 1:30 it was all over and the force was on its way back to Dover. The "Vindictive" in terrible disarray arrived there soon after 8 A.M. on April 23. The "Iris II.," limping behind her, reached home at 2:45 P.M. Her commander had died that morning.

Meanwhile things had gone badly at Ostend. The blocking ships "Brilliant" (Comm. Alfred Godsal) and "Sirius" (Lt. Comm. Henry Hardy), escorted by the Harwich destroyers "Tempest" and "Tetrarch," arrived off the coast. The motor launches under Comm. Hamilton Benn were busy laying a smoke screen, supported by the "Faulknor" (flying Commodore Hubert Lyne's broad pendant), "Lightfoot," "Mastiff," "Afridi," "Swift" and "Matchless." The wind was blowing lightly from the N.W., but about 11:50 shifted to the S.W. and blew back the smoke screen. The low clouds and drizzle made visibility difficult, and the Stroom Bank buoy could not be seen at first. Thinking that the ships were perhaps too far to the northward, Comm. Godsal continued on his course for two minutes, when he sighted the Stroom Bank buoy to the N.E. and turned to pass to northward of it. It was not, however, in its normal position (approximately 1 m. W.N.W. of the entrance), but had been shifted about a mile to the eastward. Commander Godsal steered from the buoy for the supposed direction of the harbour. As he looked anxiously out for the pierheads at Ostend, breakers suddenly loomed up on the starboard bow, and before the ship could turn she was ashore. The "Sirius" behind her grounded too. Fire had been opened from shore, and both ships were accordingly blown up where they stranded about a mile east of the piers. ML276 (Lt. Roland Bourke) took off the "Brilliant's" crew, while ML283 (Lt. Keith Hoare) rescued the men from the "Sirius." A second attempt to close Ostend was made on the night of May 9-10 by Comm. Alfred Godsal in the "Vindictive" and Lt.-Comm. Hardy in the "Sappho," an old cruiser of the same class as the "Sirius." This time there was no preliminary bombardment but aircraft were cooperating. Conditions seemed favourable for the attempt. The sea was smooth, the night dark with wind from N.W., but hardly had the ships left Dunkirk when the "Sappho" blew out a manhole joint in her boiler and had to put back.

At I :30 A.M. the small craft went in to lay the smoke screen. News had previously come in that the Stroom Bank buoy had been removed, and Lt. W. R. Slayter went in a coastal motor boat to place a calcium flare in its old position. By :35 the smoke cloud was beginning to come down, and at 1:43 the order was given for the monitors to open fire. A roar of batteries answered from the shore. Two coastal motor boats, CMB24 and 30, dashed ahead and torpedoed the piers. But once again misfortune was to attend the attempt. As the "Vindictive" approached, a thick sea fog rolled up the coast, making it impossible to see anything at over 300 yd. Uncertain as to his position, Comm. Godsal steered to westward and then to eastward, and finally gave orders to CMB23 (Lt. Hon. Cecil Spencer) to light a million-candle flare. Though dimmed by the fog and drizzle, its glare revealed the entrance 200 yd. off. The "Vindictive" steered for it and the guns found her at once. The after control was demolished by a shell which killed everyone in it. The bridge was swept with bullets, and Comm. Godsal ordered everyone inside the conning tower. She was close to the eastern pier when a heavy shell burst close to the conning tower, which must have killed the commander for he was never seen again. Lt. Victor Crutchley took command and tried to turn her up the channel, but she grounded at an angle of about 25° to the pier and lay hard and fast. Engineer Lieutenant Wm. C. Bury blew the charges and she sank. The captain could not be found. ML254 (Lt. Geoff. Drummond, awarded the V.C.) came alongside under a fierce fire. His lieutenant and deck-hand were killed and he himself wounded in three places, but he managed to embark 39 officers and men, and then backing out of the entrance got clear and just managed to reach the "Warwick." Day was breaking and as the boat was badly damaged she was sunk. ML276 (Lt. Roland Bourke, awarded the V.C.) now returned to the "Vindictive," and after searching and shouting found Lt. Sir John Alleyne and two men, all badly wounded, clinging to a skiff. With three of his own crew killed or wounded Lt. Bourke managed to get out and reach the monitor "Prince Eugene" in safety.

This was the end of an enterprise for which no fewer than nine V.C.s were awarded. Its casualties amounted to a total of 637 killed, wounded and missing.

In judging what was achieved it is necessary to remember that at the end of 1917 and early in 1918 the whole efforts of the navy were directed toward one goal - to counter the submarine. The greatest losses were in the Channel where the Flanders flotilla worked, and the blow they would have received by the blocking of Zeebrugge and Ostend was well worth the risk. It was, however, only partially successful. Ostend, though the width of the entrance was reduced probably to 300 ft., was not closed, and though the ships sunk in Zeebrugge must have caused great inconvenience and delay it may be doubted whether they actually stopped the passage of submarines for more than a month. The entrance was 3 00 ft. wide; there was still a space of some 60 ft. between the stern of the "Iphigenia" and the pier, and by dredging along the edge and fixing up warping bollards it was made possible to warp submarines in and out at high water. The enterprise had another aspect. The navy chafed at its inactivity and looked eagerly for some outlet where it could get at grips with its enemy. The blocking of Zeebrugge and Ostend offered a good prospect of success and was within a reasonable distance of it. And if it did not wholly succeed, the work of those who took part in it sent a breath of inspiration through the navy and gave all who took part in it a lasting name. (A. C. D:)

Categories: WRA-ZUL | Belgium