Complex sentence: Surprised with a hail of gunfire, "Nubian" unsuccesfully attempted to ram the last boat in the German line of battle but was struck with a torpedo that blew off her bow and reduced her to a drifting hulk.
Split into simpler sentences: Surprised with a hail of gunfire, "Nubian" unsuccesfully attempted to ram the last boat in the German line of battle. As she attempted to continue the action, the "Nubian" was struck with a torpedo that blew off her bow and reduced her to a drifting hulk.