LAND AND WATER 
September 5, 1914 
"jmi — 
RAGU5A"'--, o'a-.CATT/\RO( Torpedo base) 
General line of 
Franco-British 
blockade 
Psycbologically — and deducting fifty per ceat. from all 
stories for " literary licence " on the part of journalistic traii- 
scribere, we arrive at the pleasing conviction that our men took 
the matter very much as they took similar operations in peace 
manoeuvres. This is a valuable psychological asset. 
The official report — entirely on the mat-erial side — is wisely 
none too explicit. It, however, gives us all that we really need 
to know. 
It is an old adage of nava,l wai-fare that the only effective 
defence against torpedo attack ia what is known as "stopping 
the earths." To look for the enemy at night on the sea is 
equivalent to seeking for the proverbial needle in a bundle of 
hay. The only effective v;ay of catching the enemy is to be 
■' outside the door " *■<> caitch him oither starting out or return- 
ing. To catch him starting is difficult; ho is likely to be far 
too wary to be caught coming out. The scientific method is to 
let him go out, see to it that his chances of doing mischief 
when out are small, and infcca-cept him on his return ! And 
this is exactly what Admiral Beatty did. 
Led by the Aretlnisa, our destroyers got in and lay in 
■wait somewhere off the north-west of Heligoland. Here in 
due course they were found by — or rather thei/ found — the 
Germans conring back. In the action which ensued it would 
appear that two Gorman cruisers (probably Mainz and 
Ariadne) engaged the Arethiim with a certain amount of 
success, at a range of " about 3,000 yards," which suggests an 
early morning action. 
Nc'ther of the Germans carried anything heavier than the 
41, whereas the Arethiisa had a couple of 6 inch available. 
All tho same, however, Iho Germans had ten 4 I'a bearing 
against the two 6 inch and thrctr 4 inch of the Atefhnsa. 
According to our official report one of the Germans was badly 
damaged by a lucky shell (6 inch wa can safely presume). 
This v;as to bo expected ; but the off chances were all Gorman. 
The damaged German tlion withdrew, but her place was 
presently taken by another cruiser, and the Arethiisa. (as was 
to be expected) was somewhat badly knocked about. It is 
probable that at and about this early part of Act Two the 
Germans expected to sink or capture her. 
Meanwhile all the destroyers on cither side were in action. 
The i-esult of any such action was a foregone conclusion. 
German destroyers are " torpedo boats " first, a.nd " gun ships "^ 
afterwards. British desti'oyers approximately average half 
the German torpedo armament and double the German gun 
power. ' 
The German destroyers put up a fight against heavy odd.s, 
and then scattered and escaped. One (or two) were sunk. 
The rest are officially assumed to have been "well punished." 
This assumption is probably correct; but the outstanding 
result is that they got away. How much stomach thoy may 
have kft for further fightdng remains to be seen. Personally, 
I incline to the opinion that it will not be long before they are 
heard of again. 
From here onward it is very difficult, if not quite im- 
possible, to reconcile the two official accounts. The British 
account, so far as it reveals anything, suggests that the German 
cruisers persistently attacked the Arethiisa, and that she waa 
in a very tight p'.aco when the British battle cruisers arrived 
on the scene and saved her. 
The German official account, however, reads as quite a 
different story. It implies that, so far from seeking to com- 
plete the destruction of the Arefhtisa, the German cruisers 
were driven off by her and the destroyers. " Went in a 
westerly direction " can only have one possible meaning. 
West is directly away from Heligoland; it spells running out 
to sea in h5pes of getting back later on. It is curious that in 
describing tho Second Act each side should (between the lines) 
suggest that it had rather the worst of the encounter! Of 
course, this is the general impression always left by confused 
fighting. From which we may take it that the fighting was 
very confused indeed, and that the fall of the curtain on 
Act Two was that esxih side imagined the other to be top- 
weight. 
This is not a popular interpretation by any manner of 
means ; but so fai- as I can piece things together from tho data 
aYaila.ble it is the bed-rbck truth of the matter. 
Act Three is far simpler. V/hethor, as they believe, ths 
Germans wore in flight ; whether, as we imagine, the Germa.na 
U* 
