BLOCKING OSTEND HARBOUR

Shannon News, 6 November 1928, Page 1

BLOCKING OSTEND HARBOUR

In Blackwood's Magazine for , August Mr B. Meakins tells'the story of the blocking of Ostend Harbour , by the Vindictive. "On the evening of

May 10, 1918, two monitors cleared the' devastated harbour of 'Dunkirk. At the same time the Vindictive weighed her anchor in the Roads and steam-

ed for.Ostend Harbour," says Mr Meakins. < "Wo are steaming along the same old channels that Drake used when he drove the Armada into the Northern Seas. No bells are rung now, nor bugles blown. Lights are doused to a bare necessity. Any-

thing may happen now, for we are within range of the shore batteries and there may be' hostile ships on guard. Men are ..therefore sent to their action stations in ttfrret and stokehold. At last everything is ready. It is curious how quiet the men grow when going into action. They do not wish to talk; they carry outf* their work in a detached tnoughtful manner Now the telegraphs jangle below. The ship slows to a stop, , and then the anchors arc lowered quietly fore and aft,' thus making a fixed fort and target. While we wait for the action to commence our thoughts go out..to the gallant Vindictive steaming; through the nigltt to her.goal and grave. Time slips towards zero, and now the 12-,. inch-gun turret comes sliding noiselessly round, pointing towards the unseen target of the 11-inch guns of the Tirpitz" battery on the end of the Ostend front. With! a loud hiss .one of the huge barrels rises up into the night. —'Beady! Fire!—crash. The red tongues- of flame lick along the low banks of the smoke screen that hides

us. Our eyes ,and mouths are filled with the acrid burning dust of the discharge. Half-stunned we clap our hands to our ears. - Now away to port our sister ship joins in the action. The four-inch guns below our bridge join in with rapid firing, and the peaceful night;,has become a sudden hell of noise,and flame.

'''Suddenly away in the .niglit ahead "leap out the sword-like beams of,the German searchlights. Anxiously, they sweep across the dark waters, searching for the attackers at their veiy gate. Now with a swift leap they ' bunch'' in one great glo« ing spot and* halt. They have found to Vindictive at to harbour entrance. "Now, with every gun that he-can get to bear the .enemy opens fire on her, and to our anxious eyes the place has become a volcano of flame. There drifts'" oul to our ears the muffled fury of the gun's, menacing,, deathly. God help her. Our lingers clinch in their help- ' lessness; our eyes ache as we watch the tragic fate of our shipmates going to their certain death unarmed. Our guns redouble their efforts and try to beat down those deadly guns, but not .for one instant does the torrfble drumfire cease. High up above our heads a star shell burMs with a mighty crack, .shedding a, fierce glare, and showing us up as if in broad daylight. We know*what it portends. Suddenly through the night comes thunder ing and shrieking tch first of the enemy shells. .Faster and faster they come, and we can see by .the gigantic .splashes that they are salvoes of'about 'a dozen large shell* ' Nearer and nearer the ghostly .columns of watei creep towards the ship, for it is the enemy's method to rake the whoh area so that nothing can possibly eseap£. The captain for the first time makes himself known. . ..'Te.lt thet motor boat to put up more smoke,' he orders, arid the signalman flashes his lamp into the foggy blackness, but without result. The tension grows greater, and an uncanny silence seems to brood on the ship. The gunners of the four-inch, guns squeeze into their gun shields. We on the bridge lit down on the flat steel deck and wait, A salvo arrives and drops 'dead' by the stern, making the life boats sluug over there leap and rattle with the concussion. We catch a glimpse of towering columns of foam and 'water rising like gigantic mushrooms into the night.'" Another salvo—we hear i:s heightening" this is the end! Terrific explosions on both' sides of the ship; a 'shock'that runs, ! her whole length: '.he sudden snapping ■out o? lights; the clatter of shells splintering against the mast, and funnel; the falling of. water from a height -and we breathe again. By a miracle all have escape! destruction. Th-vj the ship gets under weigh and steams inwards the erienn a mar.-;, tv.'-i l!>at outwits him completely. With a great relief we hear her oh lis go lo.mng overhead. • "We cruise about until with.-the pale lemon streaks of dawn there comes towards us out of the haze a riddled and' 1 sinking motor boat filled with the dead and wounded survivors of the sunken Vinicti-ve. A lieutenant of the Foyal Nn val Volunteer Reserve, ;& charge of ;a moto- boat that went to take off the crew of the # Vindictive,;, managed .to save many men and was out of the harbour when he thought he heard a cry for help ;come from to sinking ship. He turned Ms boat about, and at that moment -was struck by a shell, but:.with.Ms leg-blown off and 'Other injuries, he returned ' -aal- - several more men. Couid the old gods do nsoro!"