112 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



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ONCE A MIGHTY UNIT OE GERMANY S PROUD HIGH SEAS FLEET 



Kirkwall, the base of the American mine-sweepers, is separated from Scapa Flow by 

 only a narrow neck of land. When it was known that the interned German fleet was being 

 scuttled by the men on board, Admiral Strauss ordered all his fleet then in harbor to pro- 

 ceed at full speed to Scapa, hoping that they might succeed in beaching some of the vessels 

 before they had filled and sunk. But the work of destruction was so complete that our 

 vessels were of no assistance. 



flying ; then the course was altered to 

 head across the mine field. 



The first few explosions were well 

 astern and in the center of the sweep, 

 and although the terrific concussion shook 

 the ships from end to end, the men 

 quickly became used to the novel sensa- 

 tion and apparently enjoyed it. Mines, 

 too, kept popping up behind the sweep, 

 having been cut from their moorings be- 

 fore the sweep-wire could reach the mines 

 and cause them to explode. 



a mine explodes beneath the 

 "patuxext" 



Then suddenly it seemed as if all bed- 

 lam had broken loose. Towering col- 

 umns of water were belched up on even- 

 side ! The Patuxent seemed to stop for 

 a moment as if stunned, and then, as the 

 spray and water settled back again, great 

 clouds of black smoke, mingled with 

 flame, poured from her funnel. 



The lights below decks dimmed and 

 went out; the floor plates in the fire- 

 rooms had been hurled from the decks ; 

 an ever-widening circle of brown, dis- 

 colored water spread out around the ship. 

 The vessel had been countermined. 



Luckily, the mine which had exploded 

 below her had been planted at the deep- 

 est level, and, aside from minor damages, 

 which could be repaired in a few hours, 

 she had not been injured. A mine fired 

 by the sweep-wire had caused these others 

 to explode sympathetically. 



We had sampled a danger with which 

 we were to be faced constantly in the 

 coming months — a danger that no human 

 effort could avert. 



Many of the supersensitive mines had 

 exploded prematurely shortly after the 

 barrage was laid, and we had hoped that 

 only those possessing normal stability 

 now were left ; but such was not the 

 case. The Electrical Protective Device 



