The Arvada enterprise., 1918-06-06
Attack Comes From Sea, Land and
Air Before Germans Awake-vin-
dletive, Screened by Smoke
From Launches, PIeds ST.
lentIy to IL Goal.

hours Of the morning, the Vindictive
CROPPED her way through the smoke
screen and headed for the entrance 1t
was as though the old fighting ship
awoke and looked on.
"A coastal motor boat had visited
her and hung flare In her stack and
rusty rigging. and that eye Of unsteady
fire, pallng In the blaze Of star shells.
or reddening through the drift Of
smoke, watched the whole great enter
prise from the moment when It hung
in doubt to Its ultimate success.
Depended on Surprise Attack.
'"The planning and execution Of that
success had been intrusted by Vice
Admiral Sir Robert Keyes to Commo-
dore Hubert Lynes, who directed the
previous attempt to block the harbor
with the Sirius and Brilliant. Upon
that occasion q combination Of unfore-
seen and unforeseeable conditions had
fought against him.
"Upon this, the main problem was
to obtain the effect Of q surprise at
tack upon an enemy who was clearly.
from his ascertained dispositions, ex-
pecting him. The Sirius and Brilliant
had been bafiied by the displacement
Of the Stroom bank buoy, which marks
the channel to the harbor entrance.
But since then aerial reconnaissance
had established that the Germans had
removed the buoy altogether and that
there now were no guiding marks Of
any kind.
'.They also had cut gaps In the piers
- q precautlon against a landing. and
further. when toward midnight Thurs
day, the ships moved from their an
chorage. 1t was known that some nine
German destroyers were out and were
at large upon the coast.
Night Nearly MINDLESS.
''The solution Of the problem IL best
indicated BY the chronicle Of events.
1t was night that promised well for
the enterprise windless-and
what little breeze stirred came q point
or 20 west Of north. The sky was lead
blue. family star-dotted. with no moon,
and q still sea for small craft. motor
launches and coastal motor boats.
whose work was done close inshore.
"From the destroyer which served
the commodore for q flagship the re-
mainder Of the force were visible only
- silhouettes Of blackness.
"From Dunkirk a sudden brief dur.
~ of gunfire announced that German
airplanes were about. They actually
were on the way to visit Calais, and
over the invisible coast Of Flanders the
summer lightning Of restless artillery
rose and fell monotonously.
"'There's the vindictive!' The muf-
fed seamen and marines standing BY
the torpedo tubes and guns turned at
that name to gaze at the great black
ship seen mistily through the screen
ing smoke from the Destroyer fun
nels. ploddlng silently to her goal and
end.
'She receded into the night astern
a. . destroyer raced to lay a light
buoy that was to he her guide. and
those on board saw her no more. Che
passed thence into the hands Of the
small craft whose mission was to guide
her. light her. and hide her In the
clouds Of smoke screen.
'There was no preliminary bonn
bardment Of the harbor and batteries,
A. before the previous attempt. That
was to be the first element In the sur.
prise. A timetable had been laid
down for every stage Of the operation,
and the staK work beforehand even
included precise orders for laying the
smoke barrnge. with plans calculated
for every direction Of the wind.
Gait Always Solemn.
monitors anchored In firing posi-.
lions far SEWARD awaited the signal
The great sea batteries Of the Royal
Marine artillery In Flanders, nmona
the largest guns that were ever placed
on land mountinRs. stood by likewise
to neutralize the bigger German nrtil'
iery nlong the const. and the nirmen
who were TO collnbornte with nm ncri'
nj bon,bnriment Of the town waited
somewhere In the darkness overhead
Destroycrs patroiicd TO scnwnrd Of the
small crnft.
1.-THE vindictivc. always at that
solemn enit Of hers. found tho nag
ships light buoy and bore up FOL
where n COASTAL motor bont commands
cd By Lieut.. william Il. slnyter wni
waiting by n calcium flare upon the old
position Of the Stroom bank buoy.
"Four minutes before II arrived
there and fifteen minutes only bcfort