Part 10 (1/2)
Then, as the big guns in her rear barbette thundered out upon the _Indomptable_, whose engines had broken down, she drew gradually back from the terrible breach her ram had made under the water-line of her opponent, and the latter at once commenced to sink. The force of the impact had been so great that the Russian's hull was absolutely broken in two, and as the iron stretched and rent like paper, she heaved slowly over, ”turning turtle,” and carrying down with her over three hundred officers and men.
The British captain now turned his attention to the French s.h.i.+p, which had been joined in the attack by the _Brennus_, the fire from whose 58-ton guns at close quarters played great havoc with the British flags.h.i.+p's superstructure. A second later, however, the captain of the _Royal Sovereign_ caught the _Indomptable_ in an unguarded moment, and, springing towards one of the electric k.n.o.bs before him, pressed it. This had the effect of ejecting a torpedo from one of the bow tubes, and so well directed was it that a few seconds later there was a deafening report, as part of the stern portion of the French s.h.i.+p was blown away, raising great columns of spray.
The situation was awful, and the loss of life everywhere enormous.
Dense, blinding smoke, and the choking fumes of melinite, obscured the sun, and in the darkness thus caused the flames from the guns shed a lurid light upon decks strewn with dead and dying. The cruisers and scouts by which our battles.h.i.+ps were surrounded cut off many of the French torpedo boats, but a large number got right in among the fleet, and some terrible disasters were thus caused. Once inside the circle of British cruisers, all fire directed at the boats was as dangerous to our own s.h.i.+ps as to the enemy's boats.
The superiority of the French torpedo boats was, alas! keenly felt by the British, for in the course of the first hour five of our cruisers--the _Terpsich.o.r.e_, _Galatea_, _Melampus_, _Tribune_, _Mersey_, the turret-s.h.i.+p _Conqueror_, and the battles.h.i.+ps _Hannibal_ and _Rodney_, had been blown up. As compared with these losses, those of the enemy were at this stage by no means small. The French had lost two cruisers and four torpedo boats, and the Russians one battles.h.i.+p, three cruisers, and six torpedo boats.
The British, with all these fearful odds against them, still continued a galling fire. The _Camperdown_, _Anson_, and _Benbow_, steaming together in line, belched a storm of sh.e.l.l from their barbettes, which caused wholesale destruction among the crowd of s.h.i.+ps engaging them. Yet the withering fire of the enemy was telling terribly upon the comparatively small force of the defenders. Upon all three battles.h.i.+ps the casualties were frightful, and on board each one or more of the heavy guns had been disabled. Suddenly a shot, penetrating a weak point in the armour of the _Anson_, entered her engine-room, disabling a portion of her machinery, while a moment later a sh.e.l.l from the _Amiral Duperre_ fell close to her broadside torpedo discharge, and a fragment of the sh.e.l.l coming into contact with the striker of a torpedo, just as it was about to leave its tube, caused a terrific and disastrous explosion between the decks. The effect was horrifying. The torpedo contained over 70 lb. of gun-cotton, therefore the devastating nature of the explosion may be readily imagined. Over a hundred men were blown to atoms, and the whole six of the broadside guns were more or less disabled.
A second later, however, a sh.e.l.l from the _Benbow_ struck the _Amiral Duperre_, carrying away the greater portion of her conning-tower, and killing her captain instantly, while almost at the same moment a torpedo from one of the British boats struck her bows with a frightful detonation, blowing an enormous hole in them. The catastrophe was complete. The crew of the doomed s.h.i.+p, panic-stricken, left their guns and commenced to launch the only two boats that remained uninjured; but ere this could be accomplished, the _Trehouart_, which suddenly went astern, apparently to avoid a torpedo, crashed into her, with the result that she heeled right over and quickly disappeared.
The _Camperdown_, fighting fiercely with the _Requin_, the _Terrible_, and the _Courbet_, was suffering terrible damage from bow to stern; nevertheless her guns kept up an incessant torrent of shot, until suddenly, just after one of her sh.e.l.ls had struck right under the turret of the _Terrible_, there was a deafening report, the air was filled with dense smoke, and the French s.h.i.+p, with her engines disabled, commenced to fill and sink.
A portion of the sh.e.l.l had penetrated to her magazine, and she had blown up, nearly half her crew being killed by the terrific force of the explosion. Many of the remaining men, however, scrambled on board the _Caman_, which by some means had come into slight collision with her; but scarcely had the last terrified man left the sinking vessel, when the _Camperdown's_ powerful ram entered the _Caman's_ bows, breaking her hull, and she also foundered, carrying down with her not only her own crew, but also the survivors of the _Terrible_.
This success was witnessed with satisfaction by the British Admiral, who nevertheless saw how seriously weakened was his force, and how critical was the position of his few remaining s.h.i.+ps. Yet he remained quite cool, for the heavy guns of the steel monster in whose conning-tower he stood continued thundering forth their projectiles, and the White Ensign still loomed defiantly through the dense black smoke, fluttering in the freshening breeze that was now springing up.
Although a number of the enemy's vessels had been sunk, he knew the issue must be fatal to his force, for they were now surrounded by a number of s.h.i.+ps so vastly superior to them in armament and speed, that to die fighting was their only course.
Though the c.o.c.kpits were full, true British indomitable courage was showing itself everywhere on board our s.h.i.+ps. Officers by words of encouragement incited their men to splendid heroic deeds, and guns'
crews, with dark determined faces, seeing only death ahead, resolved to fight and struggle to the last for the honour of the Union Jack, which should never be surmounted by the Tricolor.
A moment later, the captain, standing with the Admiral, who had just entered the conning-tower of the _Royal Sovereign_, suddenly uttered a cry of dismay, and with transfixed, horrified gaze pointed with his finger to the sea.
Breathlessly the Admiral looked in the direction indicated.
Though one of the bravest men in the Navy, and on his breast he wore the Victoria Cross, his eyes fell upon a sight that appalled him.
It was a critical moment.
A small French vessel, the unarmoured cruiser _Faucon_, had crept up unnoticed. The attention of the British officers had been, until that moment, concentrated upon the three powerful battles.h.i.+ps, the _Requin_, the _Devastation_, and the _Jemappes_, which kept up their hot fire upon the flags.h.i.+p, causing terrible destruction. Now, however, the British Admiral saw himself surrounded by the enemy, and the sight which caused his heart to beat quickly was a distinct line of bubbles upon the water, advancing with terrific speed, showing that a torpedo had been ejected from the _Faucon_ directly at his s.h.i.+p!
In the conning-tower all knew their danger, but not a man spoke. Both the Admiral and the captain at the same instant saw the death-dealing projectile advancing, and both retained their coolness and presence of mind. The captain, shouting an order, sprang back and touched one of the electric signals, which was instantly responded to.
It was the work of a second. The great engines roared and throbbed, and the huge vessel, propelled backwards by its 13,000 horse-power, swung steadily round just as the torpedo glanced off her bow obliquely. The crew of the _Royal Sovereign_ had never been nearer death than at that instant. Had the ironclad not halted in her course, the striker of the torpedo would have come square upon her bows, and one of the finest vessels of the British Navy would have probably gone to the bottom.
The _Faucon_ was not given an opportunity to make a second attempt. The captain of the _Anson_ had witnessed how narrowly the British flags.h.i.+p had escaped, and immediately turned his great guns upon the little vessel, with the result that her quick-firing guns were quickly rendered useless, her hull was torn up like paper, and she slowly sank without offering resistance.
Shots came from the frowning barbettes of the _Camperdown_, _Benbow_, and the turrets of the _Monarch_ rapidly, the damage and loss of life suffered by the enemy now being enormous. The three French battles.h.i.+ps engaging the _Royal Sovereign_ at close quarters received terrible punishment. One of the 75-ton guns of the _Requin_ had been rendered useless, her deck had been torn up, and her bulwarks had been carried away, together with her funnel and forward mast. The rear barbette gun of the _Jemappes_ had been thrown off its mounting, and a sh.e.l.l striking the port side battery, had burst against the forward bulkhead, and wrought horrible destruction among the guns' crews.
The three powerful French vessels pouring their fire upon the British flags.h.i.+p, and finding themselves being raked by the heavy fire of their adversary, signalled the _Tonnerre_ and _Furieux_ to a.s.sist them. Both vessels drew nearer, and soon afterwards commenced pounding at the _Royal Sovereign_.
The _Anson_, however, noticed the dangerous position of the British flags.h.i.+p, and, having manoeuvred adroitly, succeeded in getting under way, and with her great forward guns thundering, she crashed her ram into the _Furieux_, and sank her, while almost at the same moment a torpedo, discharged from one of the British boats, struck the _Tonnerre_ right amids.h.i.+ps, dealing her a blow from which she could never recover.
Five minutes later, the _Gangut_, fighting desperately at close quarters with the _Camperdown_, had part of her armoured casemate blown away, and the British battles.h.i.+p followed up this success by directing a torpedo at her in such a manner that, although she drew back quickly to avoid it, she nevertheless received it right under her stern. Some ammunition on board that vessel also exploded, and the effect was frightful, for fragments of wood, iron, and human bodies were precipitated in all directions.