BRITISH NAVAL LOYALTY

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144667, 29 April 1915, Page 6

BRITISH NAVAL LOYALTY

A GALLANT DESTROYER. How the dipt ain and the crow of tho British destroyer Lapwing risked almost certain destruction to succour a helpless consort has just been told. The incident, which demonstrates the unswerving loyally of British sailors to each other, tinds no place in official dispatches—it is the hind of thing that is demo every day in the British Navy, but ot which Kngland hoars little. It will be recalled that light craft began the battle of Heligoland Bight. A British destroyer flotilla chased a mnnbpr of- German destroyers right across the North Sea into the bight under tho very gnus of the forts and tho protection of the German cruisers. There the British destroyers had to draw off. outranged by tho enemy s big guns. But ou turning every one of the vessels was subjected to a withering lire. Tho Laurel. Liberty. Laertes. and Lvsandor were the espeeiai marks of tho cruiser Mainz and her consorts. r I he Laurel, Liberty, ami Lysandor won clear, hut not tho Laertes. A shell from the Mainz exploded in Iter en-gine-room ami loft her helpless. There sho rolled about, a fair target at pointblank range for the .Mainz and her cousins. Shells fell round the lit tin vessel like hail; it seemed impossible for her to live. The captain and crow thought their end had come. But there was no question of surrender ; no idea of hoisting tho white (lag. Tho captain steadily paced the bridge, the officers stood each at his post wailing for the end. Without outside help the Laertes must go _ down—-hot she would go down with her colours (lying. Tho men, too. knew that they wore helpless ; no mercy was to he expected from the Mainz and the other cruisers. Steadily they stood at their posts, here and IJii're a'sailor .dropped wounded by flying yshrapne!; shells hurst inboard, wrecking cabins and killing two men. Below the. black squad kept grimly at work and from tho engine-room camw eloquent testimony of tho engineers’ frantic efforts to repair tho damaged machinery, and all the time shells fell thick and fast round the wounded vessel.

Suddenly the Lapwing was soon hearing down upon tho Laertes at full speed, little reeking the fact that she was charging into an inferno or that one well-placed shot would sink her. She was bringing help to her sorely tried consort By superb seamanship Lieut.-Commander Gye brought tho Lapwing round. Fortune favoured the brave. A rope was thrown to tho Laertes, a cable was rpiickly passed, and in another minute both vessels would have been out of clangor. But the hhwser snapped, leaving the stricken Laertes broadside on to tho Gorman gunners, who, fearing that they wore to be baulked of their prey, redoubled their efforts to sink her. Now all seemed over; the order was passed that in another moment it would be every man for himself, when a perfect fury of cheering broke out in tho Lapwing. Thinking their consort was cheering them to thoir death, the ojfteers of tho Laertes gravely raised thoir hands in a last salute., when to their amazement there came plunging out of the gathering fog a giant British cruiser—it was the Lion, the first of the .battle line. The guns of tho cruiser boomed out; the hail of shell round tho Laertes suddenly ‘'ceased; tho Mainz heeled over; her consorts turned to flee; tho Laertes was saved. The light cruiser Fearless completed tho work so pluckily attempted by the Lapwing —another hawser was shipped and the destroyer towed to safety.