Bisbee daily review., 1918-05-15

on the destroyers became aware that what seemed to be merely smoke was wet and cold; that the rigging was beginning to drip and that there were no longer any stars. A sea fog had come on.
 Dense Fog Blindine
 "The destroyers had to turn pn their lights and use their sirens to keep in touch with each other. The air attack was suspended. and the Vindictive, with some distance yet to go, found herself in gross darkness. There were motor boats on either side of her escorting her to the en- trance. These were supplied with wat are called Dover flares, enormous lights capable of Illuminating square miles of sea. At once every pistol was fired as a signal to light these, but the fog and smoke together were tco dense for even the flares.
 "The Vindictive then put her helm over and started 10 cruise 10 find the entrance. Twice she must have wash ed across, and at the third turn. upon reaching the position at which she first lost her way, there came a rift in the mist, and she saw the entrance and the piers on either side and an opening dead ahead.
 "The motor boat [ P 22, com manded by acting Lieutenant Guy l.. Cockburn, raced on into the opening under heavy and momentarily grow ing fire and planted a flare on the water between the piers. The Vim dietive steamed over it.
 Men Stay With Ship
 "The guns found her. She was hit every few seconds after she entered, her scared hull broken afresh in a score of places, her decks and upper works swept by machine guns.
 After her control was demolished by a shell which killed all the occu- pants, including Sub Lieutenant Angus H. MacLachan, who was in command of it, the upper and lower bridges and the chart room, swept by bullets. Commander Godsal ordered the off cers to go with him to the coming tower. They observed that the east ern pier was preached some 200 yards from the seaward end, as though at some time a ship had been in collision with it. They saw the front of the town silhoutted again and again in the light of the guns that blazed at them. The night was a patchwork Of fire and darkness.
 Immediately after passing the breach in the pier, Commander God sal left the coming tower and went on deck, the better to watch the ships He chose a position and called in through the slit of the con- ningtowerhisorder to star1oard the helm. The Vindictive responded and laid her battered nose to the eastern pier and prepared to swing her S20 feet of length across the channel.
 Shell Stops Engines
 Tt was at that moment that shell from the shore batteries struck the coming tower. Lieutenant Sir John Alleyne and Lieutenant V. A. c. were still within. Con- mander Godsal was close to the tower Lieutenant Alleyne was stun ned by the shock. Lieutenant Crutch- ley shouted through the slit to the and receiving no answer rang for the port engine full speed astern. to help the swinging ship. By this time she was lying at an agle of about 40 degrees to the pier and seemed to be hard fast; so it was to bring her further around.
 After working the engines some to no effect Lieutenant Crutchley gave the order to clear the engine room and abandon ship accord ing to the program previously laid down. Engineer Commander Wm. A. Bury. who was the last to leave the engine room. blew the main charges by a switch installed aft Lieutenant Crutchley blew the auxiliary charges